Things to do in Ambleside… 

Ambleside is a small yet hugely popular Lakeland town situated at the head of Lake Windermere beside Waterhead. It is a major tourist resort filled with shops, restaurants, cinemas and hotels. The town is an ideal base for watersports on Windermere and nearby hikes including Loughrigg Fell and Helm Crag. Here’s a list of a few things you can do from Ambleside… 

  • Windermere Lake: Watersports and boat trips 

Ambleside is less than a 10 minutes away from the Waterhead at the head of Windermere lake, providing endless opportunities for wild swims, kayaking, canoeing and boat tours on a number of Windermere Lake Cruise’s steamers and launches.  Boat tours operate the full length of the lake calling at Bowness and Lakeside, with some boats stopping at Brockhole. A return cruise between Waterhead and Bowness takes around an hour and a half, with a return cruise circling the whole lake taking about 3 hours. 

  • Hiking

Like many Lake District towns, Ambleside is popular amongst hill walkers bagging the famous Wainwright fells. Popular mountain routes including Loughrigg Fell, Helvellyn and the Fairfield Horseshoe are accessible from Ambleside. The town also provides access to Stock Ghyll Force waterfall. The area is filled with outdoor shops to stock up on hiking equipment before you set off! 

  • Brockhole House & Gardens

Brockhole House is a 19th century arts & crafts villa sitting within stunning woodland on the shores of Windermere Lake. The home once belonged to a wealthy silk merchant called William Gaddum and his wife Edith Potter, who was a cousin of famous author and artist Beatrix Potter. The house is now a beautiful arts and crafts villa surrounded by extensive gardens designed by famous historic landscape designer Thomas Mawson. At Brockhole, you can explore the house and gardens, eat at one of the houses three cafes and bring home a souvenir from their varied gift shop. There’s also a range of outdoor family activities including go carts, an archery site, a woodland faerie trail, mini golf, boat hires and a ‘Treetop Trek’ centre. 

  • Stock Ghyll Force
    The stunning falls of Stock Ghyll Force are accessible from Ambleside village centre via a beautiful woodland hike. The waterfall descends 70 feet and can be viewed from a railed viewpoint amongst the trees. The waterfall is a tributary of the River Rothay and tumbles down through a series of waterfalls passing through the centre of Ambleside, under the Bridge House. There were once 12 watermills driven by the power of Stock Ghyll Force and other local becks producing local fabrics, paper and corn. 

  • Bridge House

Bridge House is a quaint, little 17th century house standing over Stock Beck in the centre of Ambleside. The bustling village has changed and developed around Bridge House and it now stands as a reminder of the towns past. The house has survived over hundreds of years due to its many uses, originating as an apple store and later becoming a counting house, a tea-room, a weaving shop, a cobblers, a chair maker’s and a remarkable home to a family of eight! Today, the house stands as an icon of Ambleside and is one of the most photographed buildings in the Lake District! The house is now under the care of the National Trust and is open to visitors. 

  • Stagshaw Gardens

Just a short walk from Ambleside village will take you to the stunning Stagshaw Gardens; an informal woodland garden offering an escape from the crowds in a tranquil, forest landscape bordering the lake. The paths weaving through a combination of flowers, trees and shrubs create a magical place with surprises around every corner. The garden was created by Cubby Acland, a former National Trust land agent in 1957 and remains as beautiful now as it was then, boasting an outstanding collection of rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas, as well as many other unusual trees and plants.

  • Armitt Museum

    The Armitt Museum is a Lakeland museum, gallery and library full of interesting and unique objects reflecting the history and heritage of Ambleside and its local people. The building was originally purpose built in 1912 to house the Mary Armitt Collection; a group of books, manuscripts, watercolours, archaeological remains and geological specimens. It was Mary Louise Armitt’s wishes that her work be exhibited in a small museum. There is also now an area dedicated to Beatrix Potter’s works with an exhbitons showing her desk just as she would have used it to paint her watercolour pictures. In 1934, she gifted the museum some of her drawings personally, which can still be seen in the museum today.  

  • Galava Roman Fort
    On the shores of Lake Windermere, in Borrans Field, sits the remains of Ambleside’s Galava Roman Fort, dating back to the 2nd century (AD 117) and believing to be built under the rule of Emperor Hadrian. The fort was likely used to guard the Roman road from Brougham to Ravenglass and act as a base for supplies. Although the fort isn’t the most preserved, you can clearly see the outlines of buildings and some stone remains of the fort today.