Windermere Jetty heads what Bowness-on-Windermere has to see
Visitors to Bowness-on-Windermere can choose from 4 museums, 4 attractions and 3 historic houses. There are 3 places to visit inside Bowness-on-Windermere’s built-up area, and 10 more within 5 km of its edge. Our list counts 3 places looked after by the National Trust. On foot, 4 are within 1 km of the centre. Beyond the town, Sizergh Castle sits 13 km away.
Bowness-on-Windermere’s big names
After Windermere Jetty come 2 historic houses, an attraction and a museum.
MuseumWindermere Jettyin townAttractionAttractionWindermere Lake Cruisesin townMuseumMuseumThe World of Beatrix Potter Attractionin town
Historic house · National TrustHill Top2.8 km outside town, to the west
Castle · National TrustWray Castle4.2 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic house · National TrustTownend4.6 km outside town, to the northEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Around Bowness-on-Windermere, mapped
The map ends at Hawkshead Grammar School, 5.5 km out.
The dashed line is Bowness-on-Windermere’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What kind of places
Ahead are museums or galleries (4); next, other attractions (4).
Green: inside Bowness-on-Windermere. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
3 places are cared for by the National Trust (Hill Top, Wray Castle and Townend).
All of them, one by one
The 3 inside Bowness-on-Windermere come first, then 10 more within 5 km of its edge.
7
8The 3 inside Bowness-on-Windermere come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
26 listed buildings are on Bowness-on-Windermere’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Bowness-on-Windermere →
For a day out
The 12 days out are led by Sizergh Castle, 13 km away.
Castle · National TrustSizergh Castle13 km southeast
CastleKendal Castle12 km east
Castle · English HeritageBrougham Castle35 km north
Historic houseRydal Mount10 km northwest
Garden · National TrustStag Shaw Gardens6.5 km northwest
CastleLancaster Castle36 km south
Museum · English HeritageStott Park Bobbin Mill9.4 km southMuseumMuseumThe Armitt Museum & Library8.3 km north
CastleAppleby Castle36 km northeast
AquariumLakes Aquarium10 km south
Abbey or priory · English HeritageFurness Abbey31 km southwestCastleCastleMuncaster Castle30 km westPlaces well known beyond Bowness-on-Windermere (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Asked about places to visit in Bowness-on-Windermere
What are the main attractions in Bowness-on-Windermere?
The best known inside Bowness-on-Windermere’s built-up area are Windermere Jetty, Windermere Lake Cruises and The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 10 more within 5 km.
Does Bowness-on-Windermere have a museum?
4 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Bowness-on-Windermere: Windermere Jetty, The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, Hawkshead Grammar School and From Auschwitz to Ambleside.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Bowness-on-Windermere?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Bowness-on-Windermere, 3 places are cared for by the National Trust (Hill Top, Wray Castle and Townend).
What are the best-known days out near Bowness-on-Windermere?
Within 40 km: Sizergh Castle (13 km), Kendal Castle (12 km), Brougham Castle (35 km), Rydal Mount (10 km).
Where are Bowness-on-Windermere’s historic buildings listed?
Bowness-on-Windermere has 26 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Bowness-on-Windermere when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (16)
- Windermere Jetty: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hill Top: Chris Brown, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wray Castle: CellsDeDells, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Townend: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Holehird Gardens: Carl Bendelow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blackwell: GavinJA, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sizergh Castle: Ian Knox, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kendal Castle: Tom Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brougham Castle: Michael D Beckwith, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rydal Mount: P.K.Niyogi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stag Shaw Gardens: Ben Gamble, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lancaster Castle: The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stott Park Bobbin Mill: Keith Wright, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Appleby Castle: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lakes Aquarium: Darrin Antrobus, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Furness Abbey: Francis Bijl from Groningen, Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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