Wet weekend in the No problem...
RIVING south into Bowness-on-Windermere on the A592, there’s an opportunity to pull over into a car park that affords such an impressive vista of the lake and fells to the west of it that it appears on maps – and the road signs near it – as a viewpoint of note.
While I’m normally one for getting my Lakeland views by hiking to the summits, I made sure I stopped the car on my way to Bowness to take in the panorama, as the weather forecast suggested any rambles this particular weekend would be cloudy at best, and extremely wet at worst.
The lakeside town of Bowness, however, proved to be a bustling place that provides plenty of ways to have an active time and make even a rainy weekend pleasurable.
Here are five of the best things to do in the Bowness area in if you want to avoid the rain.
LAKESIDE PAMPERING
THE leisure facilities at the MacDonald Old England Hotel and Spa on the waterfront are well worth a visit. Its well-heated 20m pool offers not only enough room to satisfy serious swimmers, but also, in the daytime at least, views of the lake that really add to the experience.
A swim after dark is also recommended; the subtle lighting adds atmospheric shimmers and turns the water a beautiful and inviting cobalt blue. There are adults-only sessions in the evening,
The Lake District is a paradise for lovers of the outdoors. But there’s more than enough indoors to fill a weekend once we all get out and about again – even if the weather has you running for shelter, as discovered... and it’s possible to swim until 10pm on weekdays and 9.30pm at weekends (with last entry an hour before closing time).
Alongside the pool are an aroma steam room, rock sauna and ice room, where you can recover from the heat by rubbing the ice that forms on a shelf beside the cold shower on yourself or your beloved. (Apparently it’s good for the circulation and metabolism!).
The Old England’s spa also offers a gym and an extensive range of beauty and well-being treatments, including body wraps and massages.
TEATIME TREAT
ALSO at the Old England Hotel, try a traditional afternoon tea, served in surroundings that combine all the grandeur and comfort of a quintessential English country house.
What’s more, you’re likely to be able to gaze upon the lake, wherever in the lounge you’re seated.
On the October weekend I visited, afternoon tea for two was available for £32, and for that you get six finger sandwiches, four scones and a selection of mini desserts, served on a traditional tiered tray, along with your choice of tea or coffee.
The hotel offers afternoon tea from noon, so it can serve as your lunch rather than the solution to hunger pangs between your midday and evening meal it was originally thought up as. For those who want to add a dash of decadence, afternoon teas including champagne or prosecco are available at a supplement.
CRUISE THE LAKE
IF you want to get out onto the water but stay sheltered, you can do so with Windermere Lake Cruises. None of its vessels is completely open to the elements, and the larger ones have lounge areas that are completely enclosed, but offer fine views of the shore and fells all the same.
The onboard commentary draws attention to the most notable landscape features and buildings found alongside Windermere, which, at 10.5 miles long, is England’s largest natural lake. One of the pleasures of the experience for me was learning about the great and the good who have built homes