Lake District Day Tour: 10 Lakes & Ullswater Cruise

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/18

Duration8h

GroupUp to 7

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

See Ten Lakes in One Day Without the Driving Stress

You travel by comfortable minivan through ten lakes, valleys and mountain passes, with a one-hour boat cruise on Ullswater included and all entry fees covered. Small groups mean you can ask questions and the pace stays relaxed—there's time for photos, a gingerbread stop in Grasmere, and short walks at Castlerigg Stone Circle and viewpoints. Hotel pickup is available, or you can meet at Windermere station, Bowness pier, or Oxenholme train station if you're arriving from London.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day Lake District tour and cruise

Meet at pick-up location
Drive past Windermere Lake
Pass by Thirlmere Lake
View Grasmere village and lake
Stop for Grasmere Gingerbread
Pass Rydal Water lake
Drive through Ambleside town
Photo stop at Bridge House, Ambleside
Drive through Troutbeck village
Pass by Ullswater village
Join 1-hour Ullswater boat cruise
Drive through Glenridding village
Pass by Buttermere Lake
Stop at Crummock Water lake
Photo stop at Castlerigg Stone Circle
Drive through Keswick town
Photo stop at Ashness Bridge
Photo stop at Surprise View
Photo stop at Moss Force Waterfall
Drive through Borrowdale Valley
Drive through Rosthwaite village
Drive through Braithwaite village
Stop at Thornthwaite Forest viewpoint
Photo stop at Honister Pass
Drive past Helvellyn and Skiddaw mountains
Return to pick-up location

The Experience

The minivan pulls away from Bowness-on-Windermere at 8am, and you're already looking at England's largest lake from the shore. This is the Lake District full-day tour that does what it promises: you'll see Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater, Buttermere, Crummock Water, Bassenthwaite, Rydal Water, Grasmere, Thirlmere and a handful of valleys and stone circles in between, all without you having to navigate a single winding mountain road yourself. The group stays small—no more than seven passengers—which means you're not crammed in, and the driver knows when to stop for photos without being asked.

Around mid-morning you'll reach Ullswater, where the real centerpiece happens: a full hour on the water, cruising the length of the lake while the fells rise up on either side. William Wordsworth called it "the happiest combination of beauty and grandeur," and from the boat you understand why. The guide points out Helvellyn in the distance, tells you about the old lead mines, mentions the ospreys that nest here in summer. You're not rushing. After the cruise, there's time to breathe, to stand at viewpoints like Surprise View (which really does surprise you—you can see Scotland on a clear day), to walk the short loop at Castlerigg Stone Circle, set on a hilltop with 48 stones arranged five thousand years ago. The atmosphere there is genuinely strange, in the best way.

Lunch happens in Grasmere, where you stop at the famous gingerbread shop—the recipe's been secret since 1854, and yes, it tastes like nothing else, spicy-sweet and dense. The village itself is small and old, with the church where Wordsworth is buried just visible from the main street. After that, the route takes you through Borrowdale Valley (dense with enormous ferns and yews, genuinely feels like Tolkien wrote it), past Ashness Bridge (one of the most photographed spots in the Lakes), and up to Honister Pass, where you stop at the top and the wind hits you properly. On the way back down toward Windermere, you pass through Ambleside, see the tiny Bridge House straddling Stock Ghyll stream, and get a sense of how these Victorian villages still work—they're not museums, they're actual places where people live and the weather still matters.

The minivan has air-con, WiFi, and charging ports, so you're not uncomfortable, and the stops are timed so you're not sitting still too long either. The guides know the area deeply—they'll tell you the story of the villages drowned under Thirlmere when Manchester needed water, explain why the Herdwick sheep look the way they do, mention the hermits and the mock sea battles and the poets who walked these valleys. You get back to your starting point (Windermere, Bowness, or Oxenholme station) in the late afternoon, and you've actually seen the Lake District, not just driven past it.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup (if booked) or meeting at Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, or Oxenholme train station, transport in a comfortable minivan with air-conditioning, WiFi and phone charging ports, a professional guide sharing facts and stories throughout the day, a one-hour cruise on Ullswater Lake, all entrance fees to attractions and viewpoints, regular photo and comfort stops, and return to your starting point in the late afternoon. Lunch is not included, though you'll stop in Grasmere where cafes and the famous gingerbread shop are available.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by English Lakes Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to see the Lake District's main lakes and valleys in a single day without driving yourself or arranging separate transport and entry fees—the fixed itinerary and small-group format mean you cover ten lakes, a boat cruise, and multiple viewpoints without feeling rushed or lost.