Windermere: England's Longest Lake
North West, England
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Windermere Adventurer
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350
XP
1 day
Windermere: England's Longest Lake
350 XP
Windermere is the largest lake in England by length, area and volume — 10.5 miles from Lakeside, 11.23 if you count from Newby Bridge, a mile across at its widest and 64 metres deep. It was Winander Mere until at least the 19th century, and despite the 'mere' it is not one: a mere is broad and shallow, and Windermere is deep enough to have a thermocline. Above the town of Windermere is Orrest Head, the first fell Alfred Wainwright ever climbed — 'our first ascent in Lakeland, our first sight of mountains in tumultuous array across glittering waters, our awakening to beauty.'
Required Activities
1
of 4
Take a cruise on Windermere, the largest lake in England
2
of 4
Kayak or paddleboard on the lake from Bowness
3
of 4
Climb Orrest Head above Windermere, the first fell Wainwright ever climbed, for the view that started him
4
of 4
Work out why Windermere is not really a mere, despite its name
Take a cruise on Windermere, the largest lake in England
Kayak or paddleboard on the lake from Bowness
Climb Orrest Head above Windermere, the first fell Wainwright ever climbed, for the view that started him
Work out why Windermere is not really a mere, despite its name
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
350 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Stop 2 of 6 · Windermere and Hawkshead
The Lakes and the Dales from Liverpool
9 nights · 14 things to do · England, North West
Nine nights in a loop from Liverpool: the bitterns of Leighton Moss, Windermere, Coniston and Hill Top, Catbells above Derwentwater, the Ullswater steamers, then Wensleydale cheese and Malham Cove in the Dales.
Stop 1 of 5 · Windermere and Grasmere
The Lake District: Windermere, Wasdale and Coniston
10 nights · 13 things to do · England, North West
Ten nights through the Lake District from Windermere to Kendal: Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, Helvellyn by Striding Edge, Catbells and Buttermere, Scafell Pike above Wast Water, then Ruskin's Brantwood and the Old Man of Coniston.
Stop 3 of 9 · Windermere and Grasmere
The Lakes, the Dales and the Peak from Holyhead
13 nights · 20 things to do · England, North West
Thirteen nights in a loop from Holyhead: walled Conwy, then Hill Top, the Ullswater steamers and Catbells in the Lakes, Malham Cove and Ribblehead in the Dales, and Castleton's caverns in the Peak.
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