Windermere South

Mission Statement: Explore the South section of England’s largest lake

Launch Location: Bowness – Ferry Nab

Trail Introduction


This trails starts at Ferry Nab, Bowness and takes you on a clockwise route South along the Eastern edge of Windermere all the way down to Fell Foot, the Southern end of the lake. Whilst the Southern end of Windermere has less stopping places than the North, it offers an opportunity to relax and enjoy the stunning scenery. Returning North you will sail along the Western edge and back to Bowness.

About the area:
Windermere is almost 11 miles long, a mile wide and 220 feet deep and is the largest natural lake in England. The lake holds 30 billion litres of water and the lowest part of the lake bed is below sea level. The Lake District National Park was established in 1951 and in 2017 was also awarded UNESCO Worl;d Heritage Status.

Along the eastern side of the lake you will come across the Temple of Naval Heroes and Storrs Hall. Constructed by Sir John Legard in the 1790’s the temple sits on the end of a stone causeway and is engraved with the names of four great naval heroes: Admiral Lord Howe (1726 -1799), Admiral Earl of St Vincent (1735-1823), Admiral Viscount Duncan (1731-1804) and Admiral Lord Nelson (1758-1805). Legard was a keen sailor racing his yacht Victory for many years even being carried into the boat once gout had rendered him unable to walk. Since then, Storrs Hall has had a mixed history. For a short period, it was owned by David Watts uncle of the famous painter, John Constable. Whilst Constable stayed within the grounds, it does not seem that he was inspired to sketch or paint during his visit. The following owner was John Bolton, whose trade was principally slaves and the goods they produced. Bolton also took a leading role in the social and political affairs of Liverpool and spent increasing amounts of time in the Lake District where he often entertained many famous people including his friend William Wordsworth, the explorer Sir Walter Scott and poet Robert Southey at Storrs Hall. Following Bolton and his wife’s death the estate was left to a nephew and from there it was sold and became a hotel, which it remains to this day.

Interesting fact:
Reed beds offer essential resting places for birds all year round and are unfortunately on the decline. Whilst there is ongoing work to reverse this decline it is politely requested that boats do not land on shoreline areas with reed beds or drag boats through these reed beds. These areas are well marked on this trail. Thank you. The flow of water on Windermere is so slow it takes approximately 6 months for a drop of rainwater at the North end to reach the Southern end.

Round Trip Distance:
Approximately 10.5 miles.

Approximate Time that the Trail will take:
Approximately 4 hours.

OS Map or Chart: OS OL7

Trail Details

Map of dinghy trail from Windermere South
Permitted use of Openseamap under the “Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0” license
This map is for information use only, not for navigation.
WindermereSouth GPX fileDownload the GPX file for chart plotters
  1. Launch from Ferry Nab and head South ( turn left ) keeping to the Eastern shore passing Gyll Head Outdoor centre, Beech Hill Hotel and Tower Wood Outdoor Centre
  2. Sail past the Temple of Naval Heroes (no access to the shore here)
  3. Moor up to the public jetties ( 1 hour max ) to explore Fell Foot Park and stop for a quick tea break
  4. Head North following the Western shoreline passing Ridding Wood and Parks Wood
  5. Take a break on the YMCA jetty ( 2 hours max ), which is also home to South Windermere Sailing Club
  6. Continue North on the West side until Grubbins Point. From here enjoy the wildfowl area on the Western shore, but please avoid

The lake is always cold and wetsuits are advised before swimming.

Red buoys on the lake mark out shallow areas and rocks.

Care should be taken when approaching Fell Foot, winds can be very tricky and the lake narrows where there are wet-moored yachts.



Trip Extensions:
Interested in historic boats? Visit Windermere Jetty Museum

Feel like a challenge? Join in the Waterhead Race

Tidal Information:
Windermere is not tidal

Toilets:
Toilets can be found at the start/finish location, the YMCA centre and the South Windermere Sailing Club.

Toilets What3Words:
Ferry Nab ///bogus.defected.doped
South Windermere Sailing Club ///wants.unscathed.sticky
YMCA centre ///mull.crowbar.debut
Fell Foot ///zone.chainsaw.insect


Page Month Published:
March 2025
Updated October 2025


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