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Hill Top
Attractions in Windermere

Windermere’s draw is From Auschwitz to Ambleside

Around Windermere, the places to visit include 6 attractions, 5 museums and 3 historic houses. One place to visit is mapped inside Windermere’s built-up area, with 16 more within 5 km of its edge. Of these, 5 are looked after by the National Trust. Go 13 km out for Sizergh Castle.

Photo: Hill Top, Chris Brown (CC BY 2.0)
In Windermere
1
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
16
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
5
in or near town
Castles & historic places
4
in or near town
Cared for
5
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Must-know places in Windermere

The list goes on from From Auschwitz to Ambleside to 2 historic houses, a castle and a museum.

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Places on the map

Furthest from the centre is The Armitt Museum & Library, 7.5 km away.

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The dashed line is 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

By kind

The mix

6 are other attractions; museums or galleries come next with 5.

Museums & galleries 5 museums1 in town · 4 nearby
Castles & historic places 3 historic houses · 1 castle0 in town · 4 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens0 in town · 2 nearby
Other attractions 6 attractions0 in town · 6 nearby

Green: inside Windermere. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

5 places are cared for by the National Trust (Hill Top, Wray Castle, Townend and Stag Shaw Gardens, and 1 more).

Every place

All of it

In town there is one, and the list adds 16 more within 5 km of its edge.

Hill Top

Historic house · 4.1 km outside town, to the southwest

Writer's house museum in Hawkshead, Cumbria, England, UK.

Run by National Trust

Townend

Historic house · 1.7 km outside town, to the north

Historic House in Troutbeck.

Run by National Trust

Blackwell

Historic house · 2.9 km outside town, to the south

Grade I listed historic house museum in South Lakeland, United Kingdom.

The one inside Windermere comes first, then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

24 listed buildings are on Windermere’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Windermere →

Big names nearby

A little further out

The 12 days out are led by Sizergh Castle, 13 km away.

Places well known beyond 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.

Seeing Windermere: your questions

What are the main attractions in Windermere?

The place to visit inside Windermere’s built-up area is From Auschwitz to Ambleside. In all, 1 place to visit is mapped inside the town, and 16 more within 5 km.

Does Windermere have a museum?

5 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Windermere: From Auschwitz to Ambleside, Windermere Jetty, The Armitt Museum & Library and Hawkshead Grammar School.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Windermere?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Windermere, 5 places are cared for by the National Trust (Hill Top, Wray Castle, Townend and Stag Shaw Gardens).

What are the best-known days out near Windermere?

Within 40 km: Sizergh Castle (13 km), Kendal Castle (12 km), Rydal Mount (9.6 km), Brougham Castle (33 km).

Where are Windermere’s historic buildings listed?

Windermere has 24 listed buildings. 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 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 (18)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.