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Discover the beauty of Lake Windermere at your own pace

Discover the beauty of Lake Windermere at your own pace

Self Drives & Rowing Boats

Explore Windermere at your own pace with the hire of your own row or motor boat

Discover the beauty and tranquillity of Windermere at your own pace with one of our powered or rowing boats.

No boating experience is necessary as we provide full safety instructions, a sailing guide to the lake and life jackets for everyone on board. If you get into trouble at any time, our safety boat will come to your rescue. Choose a boat to suit your day from a romantic traditional row boat or a historic powered wooden boat. Our modern cabin boats have a handy sliding cover to shelter you from the elements and are extremely easy to drive. All of our boats carry up to 6 people and can be hired from 1 hour up to half a day (4 hours). Our popular hire times are below

Book in advance - New for 2017!

Self-drive motor boats at the pier

Luxury Motor Boats

A new range of quiet electric self-drive boats are now available at Waterhead (Ambleside) and Bowness Pier.

  • Accompanied children under 16 years old go free.
  • Boats can be hired for mutiple hours or for half days - perfect for exploring the water with a picnic! For more prices, see our fact sheet.
  • NEW - Hire before 10am at Ambleside & get 20% discount.
 One HourPer Extra AdultUnder 16s
Luxury Boat£33£6FREE
Luxury Cabin Boat

Luxury Cabin Boat

With a quiet , electric motor these easy-to-drive boats are a great way to explore the north of Windermere.

Motor Boats

Motor Boats are available from the wooden huts to the right of Bowness promenade and on the opposite side of the bay. We have two kinds of motor boat; the open traditional type with a tiller to steer, and cabin boats with sliding cabin roofs and steering wheels.

  • Accompanied children under 16 years old go free.
  • Boats can be hired for mutiple hours or for half days - perfect for exploring the water with a picnic! For more prices, see our fact sheet.
  • No need to book - just turn up on the day.

Please ring 015394 43360 for more info.

 One HourPer Extra AdultUnder 16s
Modern Boat£26£6FREE
Cabin Boat£33£6FREE
Cabin Boat

Cabin Boat

With a sliding cabin roof and steering wheel, a trip in a Cabin Boat on Windermere makes a great day-trip experience.

Rowing Boats

Rowing boats are available from the wooden huts to the right of Bowness promenade and from Waterhead (Ambleside). We are open in the summer every day from 9am.

  • Accompanied children under 16 years old go free.
  • Dog on leads are welcome.
  • No need to book - just turn up on the day.

For more hire options and prices, pleasesee our fact sheet.

 One HourUnder 16s
Rowing Boat£16FREE
Rowing Boat

Rowing Boat

Our wooden rowing boats can make a great romantic trip out on Lake Windermere. Enjoy a slower pace and take in the stunning views.

Book in Advance (NEW)

Book a hire slot in advance - new for 2017

There's no need to book, but a few of our luxury motor boats can now be pre-booked from Bowness Pier.

To book in advance, simply call us on 015394 43360 or chat with us (click LIVE CHAT below) and leave a few details.

  • 4-hour bookings can be made for hires commencing at 9 am
  • 2-hour bookings can be made for certain time slots from 9 am to 2 pm.
  • 1-hour bookings can be booked for certain times slots from 9 am to 4 pm.
NEW Book in Advance

NEW Book in Advance

Luxury Self-Drive Boats can now be booked in advance for certain slots from Bowness.