Back by popular demand! Cruise routes sail again after four-year wait

For the first time in four years visitors to England’s longest lake will once again be able to experience three popular small wooden boat cruises suspended since the Covid pandemic.

The much-missed routes about to return to Windermere include:

• Cross Lake Shuttle – linking Bowness to Ferry House and the western shore of Windermere (Restarts April 1)

More information

• Fell Foot Ferry – which links Lakeside Pier to the National Trust’s Fell Foot Park (Restarts at end of May)

More information

The Cross Lake Shuttle also becomes an integral part of Windermere Lake Cruises’ popular Walker’s Ticket – where visitors leave their cars behind to enjoy a circular journey across Windermere including a 4-mile stroll on Windermere’s beautiful western shore.

“We know how much visitors have missed these special little routes which are very popular with families,” says Jennifer Cormack, Sales and Marketing Director at Windemere Lake Cruises.

“The last time they ran was in 2019 before the Covid pandemic. We suspended them to ensure passenger safety when social distancing measures were introduced. Since then, recruitment issues have made it impossible to re-instate them, until now.

“We are delighted they are setting sail again and will be available to our passengers throughout our peak season.”

📷: The Cross Lake Shuttle is ideal for anyone wanting to visit National Trust properties - Claife Viewing Station & Hill Top, the former home of Beatrix Potter

For people visiting Fell Foot – the service can also be used as a “mini cruise” of the southern end of Windermere and offers the chance to visit the Lakes Aquarium and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway.

The Cross Lake Shuttle which links Bowness village to Ferry House is ideal for visitors keen to explore the wonderfully secluded western shore of Windermere and popular attractions including Claife Viewing Station.

It’s also a key leg of the popular Walker’s Ticket where visitors can disembark a boat on the traffic-free Western shore of Windermere and continue their journey between Wray Castle and Ferry House on foot, before catching the Cross Lake Shuttle back to Bowness.

📷: The Fell Foot Ferry is ideal for visiting National Trust Fell Foot Park - a family-friendly lakeshore park with stunning views

The Walker’s Ticket – and all other scheduled cruise tickets – are still half price to people living in Cumbria and north Lancashire until the end of April thanks to the Local Residents’ Discount Card. They still qualify for a 20% discount from May to the end of October.

Those discounts are also available for entry to Windermere Lake Cruises’ sister attraction the Lakeland Motor Museum at Backbarrow.

Further Reading

• Find out more about Cross Lake Shuttle (Bowness ↔ Ferry House)
• Find ourt more Walkers Ticket (Bowness → Windermere Jetty → Brockhole →Ambleside → Wray → 🚶‍♀️ → Ferry House → Bowness)
  
• Find out more about Fell Foot Ferry (Lakeside ↔ Fell Foot)