Ullswater 'Steamers' keeps a Victorian fleet sailing on Ullswater

Few journeys in the Lake District carry quite as much history as a trip down Ullswater. The boats of Ullswater 'Steamers' have been criss-crossing the lake for well over a century, and the oldest of them is believed to be the oldest working passenger vessel in the world.

The story begins in the 1850s, when the Ullswater Steam Navigation Company was formed to carry tourists, lead ore, mail and supplies along the lake. Its first vessel, the paddle steamer Enterprise, launched in August 1859, though she was troubled by weed fouling her paddles.

The boat that defines the fleet arrived nearly two decades later. Lady of the Lake was launched on 26 June 1877. She was designed by Douglas Hebson of Penrith and built by Seath and Co near Glasgow, then brought to Pooley Bridge by rail and horse-drawn cart and assembled at the lakeside.

Her career has been anything but uneventful. She sank at her moorings in 1881 and was refloated, sank again in a severe storm in 1958, and was badly damaged by fire in 1965. That kept her out of service for 14 years, but she returned to the water in 1979 and has been sailing ever since.

Her companion Raven followed in July 1889, from the same builder. According to local history accounts, she was added after company director Thomas Cook complained that Lady of the Lake had broken down during the busy season. The original steam engines were later replaced with diesel, which is why the company writes 'Steamers' in quotation marks.

Today the company lists five heritage boats in regular service on the lake. The fleet's longevity is something the company celebrates openly: it marked its 160th anniversary, and Raven's 130th birthday, with a large flotilla on the lake.

For visitors, the appeal is simple. A cruise offers a slow, unhurried view of the fells rising from the water, and a chance to step aboard boats that have carried generations of holidaymakers before them. Many people combine a sailing with a walk along the shore, returning by boat.

Timetables, routes and tickets are published on the Ullswater 'Steamers' website, which is the best place to check sailings before setting out, particularly outside the main summer season.