Windermere

Our village of Ambleside lies at the Northern end of this lake, at the top of the picture.

Windermere is the longest lake in England. It is over twelve miles long. The lake is nearly divided in two by a large island that can be seen on the picture.

Windermere is the busiest of the lakes in the Lake District and on its eastern shores lie the bustling villages of Bowness and Ambleside.

The west side of the lake is much quieter and heavily wooded.

You can travel the length of the lake by boat or cross the middle by a car ferry.

Like all the natural lakes in the National Park, Windermere was formed during the last Ice Age, when vast glaciers carved valleys in the rock. These valleys filled with water when the ice receded.

This picture was taken from a Hot air balloon launched from the Southern end of the lake.