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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

Hire a boat from Bowness and Ambleside piers for 1 or 2 hour sessions

  • 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.
  • Our boats can be hired for 1 or 2 hours
  • There's no need to book, just turn up to get your boat.
  • A few boats at Bowness are available to pre-book in advance the day before
A luxury Cabin boat heading out to explore Windermere

Luxury Motor Boats

A range of quiet electric self-drive boats available at Bowness and Ambleside piers and are a great way for you and your family to explore Windermere in comfort.

  • Maximum 6 people (1 person must be over 18)
  • Comfy padded seating
  • Rollback roof for all weathers
  • Quiet electric engine and easy to drive
  • Accompanied children under 16 go FREE
  • Available daily until 3 Nov 2019, weekends only in fine weather all winter.
  • BOOK ONLINE IN ADVANCE FROM BOWNESS
CostPer Extra AdultUnder 16s
One Hour - Luxury Motor Boat (1 or 2 adults)£35£6FREE
Two Hours - Luxury Motor Boat (1 or 2 adults)£58£6FREE

For more hire options and prices, please see our fact sheet.

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. View the interior in our 360° VR Tour

Traditional Rowing Boats

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

  • Maximum 6 people
  • Classic Windermere design
  • Not available to book - just turn up on the day.
One HourPer Extra AdultUnder 16s
Rowing Boat (1 or 2 adults)£16£4FREE

For more hire options and prices, please see our fact sheet.

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 (the day before)

A few of our luxury motorboats can now be pre-booked from Bowness Pier, so you can plan your day and beat the queues during busy periods. We are introducing a new system for pre-booking:

  • Up until 23 September, simply call us to book morning slots or live chat with us
  • NEW ONLINE BOOKING for dates from 24 September to 3 November 2019 - simply enter a date in the Book Your Boat box below.
  • Sorry, no pre-booking available from 4 November onwards. Boats will be available weekends only in good weather.

Don't worry if you haven't booked though, we have plenty of other boats to just turn up and take out on the day.

Book in Advance

Book in Advance

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

If you wish to book, please select a date in the sidebar.

Book Your Boat

Select a date to view prices and sailing times.