Enjoy a relaxing break at The White House, which is set in a superb location in the heart of Bowness-on-Windermere. The perfect base to discover the Lake District.

A visit to The White House provides the opportunity to encounter the Lake District’s most popular destination whilst being wined and dined in a tranquil oasis, merely a minute’s walk from Lake Windermere.

The property is located in “Old Bowness” – a warren of quaint lanes, nooks and crannies dating from the Middle Ages – yet only a few yards from the bustling heart of the town with its huge variety of shops and attractions.  You can watch the world go by with a coffee or meal on our attractive terrace or eat inside in our extensive yet intimate dining room.

In addition to dining, this Bowness on Windermere Hotel offers twelve bedrooms with ensuite facilities at competitive rates.

The White House, now owned by snooker legend Tony Knowles has a new, enthusiastic and ambitious management team eager to provide a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Choosing a hotel that excels with its cuisine is getting more and more popular. The combination of high quality accommodation and food is the perfect recipe.

Windermere in the English Lake District is a destination for many foodies. The rich landscape and plethora of artisan produces and suppliers makes for the perfect combination for those wishing to combine a scenic holiday with fine dining.

The beautiful scenery doesn’t just entice guests but also high quality chefs. With chefs working in Windermere hotels that have worked under some of the best chefs in the United Kingdom and in some of most high profile restaurants, it isn’t hard to imagine how good some of the food is in the Lake District.

Many hotels in Windermere with restaurants are combining the latest culinary techniques with locally sourced produce to create show stopping dishes that guests from all over the world are impressed by. For guests from further afield, the ability to experience local produce to the Lake District area, whether that be cheese, air dried ham to rival any prosciutto or Cumberland sausage is a real treat.

In terms of meat production, the Lake District has some of the best quality beef and lamb found anywhere in the UK. For chefs in Windermere hotels it is heaven and why some of the best restaurants in the Good Food Guide and have been for many years.

For many visitors, having the luxury of being able to get ready for dinner and know that downstairs, high quality dining is on offer is highly exciting. No need to hunt around for a restaurant to go to. Do they have a table? What will it be like? Do we need a taxi? Leisure, luxury and first class service is always on offer in the finest Windermere hotel restaurants.

To add to the already long list of Windermere’s attributes and lures comes luxury. Windermere has some of the most stunning buildings with many of the larger residences being luxury hotels. In recent years, some of the luxury hotels have taken their attention to detail to another level. They have refurbished, redesigned, added on, decorated and paid even more attention to detail than before. Windermere now has some of the best hotels in the country and more than rival some of the famous hotels in the south of England.

So you really can have it all when staying in Windermere hotels. The scenery, walking, relaxation and for foodies, some of the best cuisine in the United Kingdom.

The Lake District National Park offers a multitude of sights and activities to cater for all tastes. Many of these are available from the doorstep of our luxury Bowness on Windermere B&B accommodation.

Walking:
There are usually numerous books of walks in reception of Windermere guest houses to lend to guests. These range from 2 – 6 miles. The picturesque Biskey Howe can be reached within 15 minutes from many Windermere b&b’s or Orrest Head about 35 minutes. Both offer breathtaking views of Lake Windermere, on a clear day you an even see the Pennines and Morecambe Bay.

Tours:
Various organised tours are offered by local operators. They will collect you from the front door and transport you to many of the Lake District’s spectacular spots.

Golf:
Windermere Golf Club is approximately 1 mile from Bowness. A Windermere guest house should be more than happy to book tee times. Relax afterwards in the golf club restaurant with great views of the surrounding mountains.

Boats & Steamers:
Various boat trips leave the piers in nearby Bowness. Take a trip to Waterhead in Ambleside to the North, or Lakeside at Newby Bridge to the South. At Lakeside you can view the indoor Aquarium of the Lakes – a chance to see many exotic and local fish. Take the train from Lakeside to Haverthwaite. Whichever trip you choose you will enjoy spectacular views o f the mountains and lakeside forests. In the Summer, there are sunset and Jazz night cruises. What an atmosphere!
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May Cottage is location close to the centre of Bowness-on-Windermere making it the perfect base to explore all the Southern Lakes. Just one road from the edge of Lake Windermere, an easy stroll to the boat rides, quaint shops and a variety of Bistros, Restaurants and Wine & Tapas Bars. The climatic end to the famous Dalesway Walk – Wonderful, never ending, breathtaking scenic walks and drives. Leisure facilities offer relaxing sauna, steam, jacuzzi, swim & gym areas, with snooker, café & bar with Sky T.V. lounge section.

Here is just a small sample of the excellent reviews May Cottage B&B in Bowness-on-Windermere have received on TripAdvisor:

“Great B&B accomodation close to the centre of Bowness”
5 of 5 stars
Date of review: 4 Apr 2011

Most pleasant welcome received from Sue – the accomodation was ideal for our three night stay – with a very comfortable bed room and fine ensuite. The excellent full English breakfast ,accompanied by Sue’s little talk on the locality and its history, set us up for the day’s walking . The B&B is just a few minutes walk to the centre of Bowness and the pubs and restaurants.
For Rugby League fans, a must is a chat with Len Casey , Sue’s husband and breakfast chef, who can relate anecdotes about his playing career for Great Britain ( some as captain) and England and both Hull clubs.

Our first trip to the lakes and first visit to a B&B. We recently married and decided to stay away for a couple of nights.

Sue and Len are great value, warm and welcoming. Place is a gem, you ll be lucky to get availability as the repeat business is a sign of how popular this place is.

Would love to stay again!

“SIMPLY THE BEST”
5 of 5 stars
1 more review of May Cottage by Sallyberisford:

Date of review: 23 Mar 2011

Breamount House offers excellent Windermere Guest House accommodation in a traditional Victorian Lakeland house, which located midway between Windermere and Bowness.

The house was built in 1897 and has since been tastefully converted into a 4 star Guest House. Braemount has also achieved a Silver Award as a reflection of their high standard of service.

At Braemount House you will find everything you need for that truly romantic break including 4 poster beds, a luxury private suite and free use of a local leisure club with swimming pool, sauna and steam room.

Guests can start the day with a traditional full english breakfast or perhaps try Braemount’s scrumptious scrambled egg and smoked salmon speciality, and for those wanting something lighter or for vegetarians they have plenty of alternatives to offer. On warm summer days guests can even enjoy breakfast out on the terrace.

Braemount House offers a sunny, mature garden for guests to relax in and Lake Windermere is just a short stroll away.

Windermere and Bowness both have plenty to offer including an excellent array of shops, restaurants, visitor attractions and a cinema.

When visiting an area that has a high number of hotels, often the process of choosing is quite difficult.

Of course, it is great to have a large choice of hotels to choose and luckily, the internet has made searching and comparing hotels much easier now. With the ability to check availability as well, searching, choosing and booking can even be done late at night.

Everyone has different stipulations and requirements when it comes to the kind of hotel they’d like to stay in but some basic points can be found below.

Often not first on guests lists but a point that is predicted to have a bigger impact in coming months and years is eco friendly. Is the hotel eco friendly? Does it have any environmental awards such as the Cumbria Business Environment Network that Cumbria has? Do they recycle and encourage guests to recycle? Apart from recycling and energy conservation, hotels in Windermere and the Lake District can play a large part in conservation of wildlife and the beautiful landscape. The Tourism and Conservation Partnership is another organisation. They support tourism businesses who wish to invest in the landscape and environment. With a membership of over 200 tourism businesses in Cumbria, The Tourism and Conservation Partnership are working together to ensure a sustainable further for Cumbria – The Lake District. Their website has a list of members so this could be a good starting point when searching for your hotel.

Do they serve locally sourced food in their breakfasts or on their restaurant menus? This is important and relates to both environmental issues, ie, cutting down on food miles but using locally sourced produce also benefits the local economy. In areas such as Cumbria and the Lake District, local really is best as they have such a large amount of quality produce available.

Location is a large factor. Making sure you know exactly where the hotel is situated and that it suits your requirements is very important. Should you be relaying on public transport then a hotel off the beaten track probably isn’t the best idea. A hotel should have a map of the location on their website and these have become more detailed in recent years but should you not be entirely sure, a quick ring through to the hotel will confirm. Windermere has a distinct advantage when it comes to using public transport with a train station that joins the West Coast mainline and Manchester Airport and a bus station where buses run regularly to all the major towns in the Lakes. Many Windermere hotels offer to organise a taxi to bring you to the hotel which is a good service to be offered.

Does the hotel have any leisure facilities? A swimming pool can be a welcome relaxation after a long day on the fells but also useful should it be raining. Rain does occur quite regularly in the Lake District, but after all, there wouldn’t be any lakes if there wasn’t! Having a hotel that has leisure facilities or even just lovely, spacious communal areas such as lounges or snugs mean the rain will not be an inconvenience.

Oldfield House is a former Victorian Gentleman’s residence that now offers high quality Windermere B&B acommodation. The house is set in a quiet residential area away from the busy main road, yet is still within easy walking distance of Lake Windermere. This Windermere Guest House is the ideal location for your short break in the English Lake District, whether you are walking in the Mountains, exploring the world of Beatrix Potter or taking in all the other events and attractions the area has to offer.

The location allows a for very quiet night’s sleep, so if its relaxation you are after, then Oldfield House is place for you.

All rooms are appointed with many creature comforts with high quality linen, luxury Egyptian cotton towels, LCD Tv’s, beverage tray and bathroom ammenties. And for those worried about car parking, they have ample spaces available for guests.

For more details please visit www.oldfieldhouse.co.uk

The towns of Bowness and Windermere are arguably the most vibrant and popular places in whole of the Lake District. They are busy for most of the year with people coming to enjoy the facilities offered by Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake. These include lake cruises to Waterhead in Ambleside and Lakeside at Newby Bridge, sailing, canoeing, fishing and the Windermere car ferry, which runs between Ferry Nab at Bowness and Far Sawrey.

Windermere is a great base for exploring the Lake District thanks to its excellent transport links. Windermere Railway station offers rail connections to Kendal and Oxenholme and it also has direct trains to and from Manchester Airport. Buses also run regularly from Windermere station including southbound journeys to Kendal and northbound journeys to Ambleside, Grasmere, and Keswick.

There is plenty for the whole family to do in and around Windermere including looking round some of the superb shops and visitor attractions such as The World of Beatrix Potter where all 23 Peter Rabbit tales are brought to life in 3D. Other local places of interest include …

Blackwell Arts & Crafts:
House in Bowness which is a superb example of the Arts & Crafts movement;

Hilltop – Near Sawrey:
Take the ferry and visit the writer’s 17th century cottage at the other side of Lake Windermere and see it exactly as she left it complete with her furniture and china.

Lakes Aquarium:
The Lakes Aquarium is located on the Southern shore of Windermere and can be accessed by taking a lake steamer from Bowness to Lakeside at Newby Bridge. Here visitors have the chance to see many exotic and local fish.

William Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage:
Here visitors can visit the home of England’s famous romantic poet at Grasmere. The adjacent Wordsworth Museum displays national treasures of the poet. There is an onsite tea room and gift shop.

The Lake District National Park Visitor Centre:
At Brockhole, situated on the shores of Lake Windermere, ideal family entertainment with interactive exhibitions and adventure playground. Whatever the weather.

For more active visitors there are plenty of walking routes available around Windermere including walks to spectacular viewpoints at Orrest Head and Biskey Howe where you will find breathtaking views of Lake Windermere and as far out as Morecambe Bay on a clear day. Windermere Golf Club is a very picturesque course and here you can relax after your round in the golf club restaurant with great views of surrounding mountains.

To take full advantage of Windermere visitors should look to stay in a luxury Bowness-on-Windermere B&B where you will find the highest quality Lake District bed and breakfast  accommodation.

For years now Windermere and its surrounding areas have been popular with a broad range of people.

Windermere is a popular destination for people of all ages, all tastes and all interests. Of course, Windermere is very famous as a base for walking the Lakeland fells and for doing many other outdoor activities but more and more visitors are coming to Windermere for a bit of luxury.

To add to the already long list of Windermere’s attributes and lures comes luxury. Windermere has some of the most stunning buildings with many of the larger residences being luxury Lake District hotels. In recent years, some of the luxury hotels have taken their attention to detail to another level. They have refurbished, redesigned, added on, decorated and paid even more attention to detail than before. Windermere now has some of the best hotels in the country and more than rival some of the famous hotels in south.

Dining has become a more prevalent factor in many hotels these days. Hotel restaurants often used to be of a pretty poor standard even when the hotel itself was of a high standard. Michelin starred restaurants are now common practice in hotels with big name chefs taking control at these luxury complexes.

Windermere couldn’t be in a better location for a restaurant to obtain top quality produce. Cumbria the Lake District has some of the finest local produce in the country from lamb and sausage to cheese, bread and cream. It really isn’t hard to understand why the Lake District is also now home to some of the finest restaurants in the north of England. Being relatively close to the coats means even the freshest seafood can be found.

Attention to detail is key for a luxury hotel from the service to rooms and outside areas. One hotel in Windermere which has seen recent refurbishment has produced a collection of rooms without compromise, most with patio doors leading onto the gardens and with either spa baths or hot tubs. They have also created luxury suites in a renovated Lake house with many having stunning views over a private lake. Constant refurbishment is essential in luxury hotels for complete perfection. Its gardens are as well looked after as the inside of the hotel with different seating areas. Their aim was to create a terrace that comprised different ‘rooms’ for people to sit in. This has been created by breaking up the terrace with different materials and features such as ponds with water features and raised beds. During the day, the south-facing terrace enjoys the sunshine, and at dusk the sunset can often be enjoyed with pre-dinner cocktails. On warm evenings the terrace is candle lit. Pathways lead from the terrace to the south gardens and to the wild meadow and llama paddock.

The special services available set luxury Windermere hotels apart from the rest. Organisation of spa treatments for example, private dining rooms, chauffeurs and touches such as the turning down of bed covers at night.

A warm and friendly welcome awaits you at Firgarth in Windermere. Firgarth is an elegant Victorian house built in Lakeland stone around 1875, with views to the rear over Wynlass Beck.

Firgarth’s Windermere accommodation has the advantage of car parking, and is situated just a short walk from Windermere centre, with its many shops and restaurants and rail/bus station. We make an ideal base for touring, walking or just a relaxing break at any time of year.

Just take a 15 minute walk through ‘Millerground’ to the shores of Lake Windermere or alternatively climb to ‘Orrest Head’ from where stunning views of Lake Windermere and Morecombe Bay can be enjoyed. Firgarth offers eight bedrooms comprising of double, single, four poster and king size double which are all ensuite. All rooms are centrally heated and decorated in a combination of modern and traditional design, all have colour TV, tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer and a range of toiletries.

With such spectacular scenery, Lake Windermere attracts thousands of tourists each year from anglers, to canoeists to yachtsmen and dingy owners. The cruises on Lake Windermere are truly worth a go as the magnificent scenery can be taken in fully. Taking out a Lake District boat charter is an excellent way to celebrate a special occasion. Windermere Lake cruises can be taken out for half days, full days or as bespoke charters.

Sailing on Lake Windermere is an excellent way to travel. In the summer months the roads are blocked continually due to the high number of visitors or when essential road works are being carried out. Sailing on the lake is direct, allows the stopping off at the top destinations along the lake such as Bowness, Ambleside and to the many Lake District hotels and makes for a very relaxing journey with not a hint of road rage!

The town of Windermere is located on the east bank of the lake and is in actual fact one and a quarter miles from the lake. With a population of approximately 2,295, Windermere is one of the larger towns in the South Lakes. Many businesses have offices and shops in the town due to its location to the many smaller villages in the area. It has a supermarket, many local independent shops and the flagship Lakeland Limited store right next to the train station.

Surrounding the town and all the way down to the lake are a plethora of Windermere hotels and Lake District hotels. The choice really is endless. Boutique and niche hotels have begun to pop up making Windermere a quality destination suitable for young and old. Windermere has an excellent choice of Lake District restaurants and they really are spoilt with the amount of fantastic local produce. Cumberland sausage, herdwick lamb and fantastic cheeses are in abundance along with artisan bakers and chutney producers. The real ale in Cumbria – the Lake District is second to none and what better drink to go with Cumberland sausage and mash! There are micro breweries in the back of public houses through to breweries where they offer’s tours.