Windermere in Summer

[Onlyforaday]

I'm guessing it'll be extremely busy. Would you avoid it like the plague or could we enjoy a short break in July/August? Travelling as a couple and staying in Bowness.

It will be fine as long as you aren't planning on driving towards Ambleside and Grassmere as the traffic jams are awful. Take the boat.

Avoid like the plague. Anyone without children who goes on holiday during the school holidays needs their head examining.

It’s been a while since we’ve been (about 6 years) but have never really found it busy apart from obvious arrival/departure days. We have been several times in school holidays and would do again (poorly dog is the reason we haven’t been back yet - she couldn’t do the walks or be left in the lodge)

It will be hellish, sorry.

Live nearby.

Don't. Just dont. Think awful traffic jams, heaving streets, boats full, car parks full.

Oh avoid x1000
theres so many nice places to go in the lakes but Windermere in the summer is far too busy to be enjoyable

I live about an hour or so from Windermere.
I love going but only in school term time. and on a week day. I know where I like to park and the good spots to start my walks.
I would rarely do the north, east and southern lakes at peak times.

Thank you all so much. It's a no then! Blossomtoes we have no choice as to timings this year.

Sorry, that sounds much ruder than I intended.

Windermere itself is tiny and very attached to Bowness. You can't really avoid it if you are in Bowness. They are basically an extension of each other.

Blossomtoes, no offence taken. It just got me wishing things were different

Does it have to be Bowness? Somewhere like Keswick would still be busy but much nicer and easier to get around. Bowness is the only place in the Lakes I don't like.

I’d second looking at Keswick. Yes it will be busy but you can access a lot of fantastic walks without a car so don’t need to battle traffic every day.

I love busy! I love the atmosphere of loads of people having a good time. I don't see that as a reason to avoid - the only downside is driving about in bad traffic but otherwise? Good thing is everything is open.

I used to live near there. Please please please do take the train to Windemere, then it's then a 25 minute walk down to centre of Bowness, or you could take the bus. There is far too much traffic there already, getting worse with the massive SUV cars everyone seems to have these days, so every little helps. Thanks.

But, like others have said, Bowness is very busy and there are other places to consider. Keswick is preferable, I think, but again it can be busy too, especially at the weekend - book your restaurant/pub table.

P.S. Also, please don't do all your grocery shopping before coming. Instead please use the local shops and the large Booths supermarket is great, it's right next to the train station.

Aaaaaaah Booths - or Waitrose on steroids as it’s known in this house.

Are you already booked to stay in Bowness. If you can only July and August for your break would you consider the West coast? It is often less crowded and still have spectacular walks and views?

As a Lakes lover and regular visitor, I would say avoid Bowness/Windermere in the summer. It will be absolutely heaving!
We have stayed in a lovely cottage just above Bowness a number of times but always at Feb/October.

Would you consider somewhere else? Keswick is a lovely town and although it can be busy, it is nothing like as bad as windermere and bowness. Lots to do around there.

We are staying near Ullswater at Easter - again, lovely and lots to do, but not as busy as other places.

I would also agree with a previous poster about shopping local - we always shop local when we visit. Booths is a great supermarket and there are good independent butchers etc and a market at Keswick.

Keswick is still busy but not anything like Windermere and ambleside. I’ve stayed on ambleside a couple of times out of season but a few years ago, it was fine. Staying in Keswick last year, not in school holidays, surprised by how busy it was, thought we’d pop into Windermere, it was dreadful, parking, shuffling along pavements, couldn’t find anywhere not paced to eat. left and went back to Keswick.

It's very busy but still absolutely gorgeous 😍 ❤️
We go every summer holidays and still manage to have a wonderful time. (As do clearly lots of other people).
My dad was very poorly in hospital last summer so we just went for a day trip (me, my mam, DS6 and DD3), we parked and went for breakfast, visited the Beatrix Potter attraction and had cake, went down and parked next to the lake (did take us a while to find a space but this was the only problem we had) took a lake cruise across to the Aquarium and enjoyed that, steam railway, back in the lake Cruise to Bowness, fish and chips for tea, ice cream and then home.
It was the best day.

I'm changing my mind!

If you're staying in Bowness, that may be easier as you can walk down to the lake rather than needing parking which fills up so quickly. There is a gorgeous boutique hotel over looking the lake, or the Old England hotel which is on the lake.

If you need to go somewhere in the car, set off early as the roads get busy in the lakes, and they are largely smaller roads.

Maybe with some planning, you can make it amazing. Do your research and book tables for eating in advance, buy tickets for attractions in advance and book for earlier on in the day. It can be done with planning. It's a beautiful place and although busy, still lovely.

If you want any advice, help, please let me know 😊

Buttermere is so beautiful and much quieter

Lakeland Taxis did a loss leader rate to Bowness from Windermere up to a couple of years ago (last time I went!), about a fiver, but we arrived about 11pm so walking with luggage wasn't really an option

I always found there were very few crowds before about 10:30, if you're going out & about, go then

I'd go to Coniston instead.

We hired a boat from Ambleside for the day. Floated into Windermere and parked it there for a few hours.