Hill Top is a 17th-century house in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead, in the English county of Cumbria. The house was once the home of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter who left it to the National Trust.
United Kingdom: Cumbria – Windermere Jetty Museum
After lunch, we set out for Bowness, crossing Lake Windermere on the small ferry. It was only a 10-minute journey but saved a lot of time circumnavigating the lake. Despite the miserable weather, Bowness was filled with tourists and is often described as the ‘Blackpool of the Lakes’ (which only makes sense if you have ever visited Blackpool in the holiday season!).
Our destination was the Windermere Jetty Museum, which is located just outside of the town and thankfully out of the reach of most tourists.
The building that houses the Jetty Museum is a stunning contemporary structure and is ‘green’ certified. It is the first contemporary building to be built on the lakeshore in 50 years and was funded by lottery money. It occupies the site of the former Windermere Steamboat Museum. The new museum opened its doors in 2019, just as the COVID-19 pandemic started to envelop the world – so it had a rough start to life.
The boats in the museum come mostly from a private collection and all of them have an association with Lake Windermere. In the main gallery are boats of varying shapes and sizes including steam launches, sailing yachts, motorboats and record-breaking speed boats. We particularly loved the steam launches, with their high-gloss wooden finishes. As well as the boats there are some interactive multimedia displays, including one that shows how the steam engines in the launches work.
Beyond the main gallery is another building where the conservation of the boats takes place. Most of the time it is closed to visitors, but you can look inside through the large glass panels to see people working on the restoration of the boats. Most days there is a session that takes place inside the workshop to demonstrate the work that takes place at the museum.
The final place we stopped at was the boat house, where several of the operational steam launches are kept. The museum operates trips out onto Lake Windermere on these beautiful boats. As we stood admiring the launches we got talking to one of the volunteers who had been working at the museum for many years. He was a great storyteller and spent a good twenty minutes telling us about the history of some of these boats in the collection.
There is the SL Dolly built in 1850 which is the oldest mechanically powered boat in the world, with its original engine still in running order. Then there is the ‘Branksome’ formerly known as ‘Lily’, a coal-fired launch that was commissioned by Mrs Howarth of Langdale Chase. Branksome carried HRH Prince Philip on his tour of the lake, during his visit in 1966, and HRH King Charles in 1977.
There is also the recently restored ‘TSSY Esperance’, the model for Captain Flint’s houseboat in Arthur Ransome‘s Swallows and Amazons. It was owned by Henry Schneider, chairman of the Barrow Steelworks, who lived at what is now the Belsfield Hotel overlooking Bowness Bay. Every morning, he left home, travelling on the Esperance, on which he had breakfast on his way to Lakeside. There he would travel by train in his private carriage (he owned the railway too!) to his job in Barrow.
Planning your visit
Getting to the Jetty Museum
- Address: Windermere Jetty, Rayrigg Road, Windermere, LA23 1BN
- Car Parking: FREE for visitors to the café and museum. When you pay for Museum admission or purchase in the café you’ll be given a voucher to tap into the parking machine on exit.
- Bus: from Bowness and Ambleside. View timetable
- By boat: some free mooring spaces are available to visitors to the museum and café. Maximum stay 3 hours. You must notify Windermere Jetty on arrival and provide contact details and SLDC boat registration number
- Windermere Lake Cruises: Red Route. From Bowness to Windermere Jetty only, no return available.
The best time to visit England’s Lake District
The best time to visit the Lake District in the United Kingdom depends on your interests and what you want to do:
Spring
April–May is a good time for milder, drier weather, longer days, and wildlife emerging from hibernation. May is also one of the driest months in Cumbria and has many events, including cycling and marathons.
Summer
June–August is usually the warmest and driest time of year, but the area is also prone to summer showers. The landscape is in full bloom, with lakes and mountains taking on new hues.
Autumn
September–October is a good time for fewer crowds, milder weather, and golden landscapes. Mid-September can bring the first signs of autumn, and sometimes days that feel like summer. November is also a good time to visit, with unique and picturesque scenery and lots going on.
Winter
December–March is likely to bring snowfall, and the weather can be wet and windy with daytime temperatures ranging from 2–8°C. Snow often falls on the highest hills, but freezing and icy conditions can be a problem.
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