New Windermere shuttle service supports communities, visitors and car ferry foot passengers

Windermere Lake Cruises is launching a new service to help support businesses and communities as the Windermere Ferry, which is operated by Westmorland and Furness Council between Ferry Nab and Ferry House, goes out of action for approximately five weeks for its mandatory out of water inspection and programmed maintenance work.

The ‘Cross Lakes Experience’, which is planned to commence on Monday 15 April 2024, when the MV Mallard, the vessel which operates the Windermere Ferry is taken out of service, will maintain the essential link between the busy eastern shore of Windermere at Bowness to areas including, Claife, Sawrey, Hawkshead and Coniston.

Windermere Lake Cruises has worked with local transport company Mountain Goat and The National Trust to bring about the “Cross Lakes Experience” which will carry passengers from Bowness Pier 3 to a new landing point at Ash Landing, on the western shore of Windermere. From there it will connect with the newly re-instated Mountain Goat 525 bus service, which will take passengers onwards to Beatrix Potter’s former home Hill Top and the village of Hawkshead, with onward connections to Coniston. The new service will allow easy access to viewpoints, walks and National Trust properties along the western shore.

It’s the first time that the “Cross Lakes Experience” service has operated since 2019 – before the global pandemic. Back then it landed at Ferry House on the western shore of Windermere.

Nigel Wilkinson, Managing Director of Windemere Lake Cruises, says: “We are delighted to be adding this new service to help ease transport issues while the MV Mallard, which operates the Windermere Ferry, is out of operation.

“Our aim is to support nearby communities, keep people moving and ensure we do our bit to guide both residents and visitors through our iconic Lakeland landscape with minimum disruption. The boat service is entirely privately funded and we hope that both visitors and residents will support this initiative in sufficient volumes to make the service economically sustainable. As well as Mountain Goat and The National Trust, we would like to acknowledge the support that we have received to establish this service from Bowness Bay Marina Limited, Westmorland and Furness Council, Claife Parish Council and our contractors Jetties and Moorings Limited and Thomas Bland Blacksmiths.”

Mountain Goat’s Group Sales and Marketing Manager, Asia Connor, says: “We are pleased to be resuming our ever popular, Cross Lakes Experience 525 bus service from Ash Landing to Hawkshead, for the first time since the pandemic.

“We are working in partnership with Windermere Lake Cruises and The National Trust to connect visitors and locals alike between Bowness and Hawkshead.”

Laura Ruxton, General Manager, National Trust South Lakes, says: “The National Trust is delighted to be working in partnership with Mountain Goat and Windermere Lake Cruises on new ways for local people and visitors to access the West of Windermere. What better way to visit Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top and Hawkshead than by boat and bus.” The National Trust has confirmed that arriving at Hill Top by bus guarantees entry to the property, so no pre booking is necessary.

The new landing location for the “Cross Lakes Experience”, Ash Landing, is about half a mile south of the previous cross lakes shuttle landing point at Ferry House.

There will be ten return services every day of the week, with the first sailing leaving Bowness Pier 3 at 9.55am. The last return from Ash Landing will be at 5.05pm. Due to the nature of the jetty at Ash Landing, sailings will be subject to weather conditions and lake height being suitable for operation, and the new “Cross Lakes Experience” will only carry foot passengers and not bicycles. An adult single ticket will cost £4.50 (or return ticket £8). Children’s tickets will cost £2.90 (or return ticket £4.80). Discounts will be available to holders of Windermere Lake Cruises Residents’ Discount Cards.