Windermere Lake Cruises adds new ways to get out on England's largest lake

For many visitors, a trip on Windermere is the moment a Lake District holiday really begins. Windermere Lake Cruises has been helping people make that trip for generations, and in recent years it has kept adding new boats and new ways to explore the water.

The biggest addition of recent times is MV Swift. Built by Damen and launched onto the lake in December 2019, she is a three-deck vessel with room for 300 passengers, representing a multi-million pound investment by the company.

At 34 metres, Swift is slightly shorter than the company's existing flagships, MV Swan and MV Teal. That was a deliberate choice. Her length means she can use smaller jetties around the lake, spreading visitors, and their spending, to a wider range of local businesses along the shore.

According to Marine Link's report at the time of her launch, Swift joined a fleet of 16 vessels operated by the company on the lake.

The company has also been finding ways for visitors to take the helm themselves. Following an investment of around three quarters of a million pounds, self-drive electric boats became available to hire from Lakeside Pier for the first time in the company's history. Six new boats were added, and in a thoughtful touch each one is named after female members of staff and their relatives.

Electric boats suit Windermere well. They are quiet, which means a family or group of friends can potter along the southern end of the lake, past wooded shores and islands, hearing birdsong rather than an engine.

Lakeside itself makes a good base for a day out. It sits at the southern tip of the lake, and boats from here head north towards Bowness and Ambleside, so it is easy to combine a cruise with lunch in one of the lakeside villages before sailing back.

Whether you prefer to sit back on one of the larger cruisers or take charge of a self-drive boat, routes, timetables and hire options are listed on the Windermere Lake Cruises website, where tickets can also be booked in advance.