For a proper hotel stay in Ambleside (complete with the all-essential Windermere view, of course), the Waterhead is definitely the choice. Outside, it's clad in traditional Lakeland stone; inside, there are 40-something rooms that, while perfectly comfortable, feel a tad corporate in style. Lake views command a premium, but there are often good online deals.
Waterhead Hotel
The Lake District
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.76 MILES
Two miles south of Hawkshead, in the tiny village of Near Sawrey, this idyllic farmhouse was purchased in 1905 by Beatrix Potter and was used as…
16.1 MILES
Three miles east of Cartmel on the B5278, Holker Hall has been the family seat of the Cavendish family for nigh on four centuries. Though parts of it date…
2.01 MILES
The poet William Wordsworth's most famous residence in the Lake District is undoubtedly Dove Cottage, but he actually spent a great deal more time at…
Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum
3.24 MILES
On the edge of Grasmere, this tiny, creeper-clad cottage (formerly a pub called the Dove & Olive Bough) was famously inhabited by William Wordsworth…
26.43 MILES
Lancaster's most imposing building is the castle, built in 1150 but added to over the centuries: the Well Tower dates from 1325 and is also known as the…
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23.43 MILES
The poet William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 at this handsome Georgian house at the end of Main St. Built around 1745, the house has been…
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15.66 MILES
This sprawling country estate once belonged to one of the Lake District's most venerable families and is currently undergoing a huge, multimillion-pound…
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4.02 MILES
Windermere gets its name from the old Norse, Vinandr mere (Vinandr's lake; so 'Lake Windermere' is actually tautologous). Encompassing 5.7 sq miles…
Nearby The Lake District attractions
0.18 MILES
The foundations of Ambleside's ruined roman fort, built c AD 79, can be seen just west of the Waterhead jetties. The land is now owned by the National…
0.87 MILES
The town's best-known landmark is Bridge House, a tiny cottage that spans the clattering brook of Stock Ghyll. Now occupied by a National Trust shop, it's…
0.95 MILES
Despite some damage incurred during the 2015 floods, Ambleside's excellent little museum is now back up and running. It hosts some intriguing seasonal…
1.97 MILES
This fascinating farmhouse offers an insight into Lakeland life c 1700. It once belonged to farmer Ben Browne and his family, who made a living by…
2.01 MILES
The poet William Wordsworth's most famous residence in the Lake District is undoubtedly Dove Cottage, but he actually spent a great deal more time at…
2.08 MILES
Three miles south of Grasmere, Skelwith Bridge is little more than a knot of cottages along the banks of the River Brathay. Since the 19th century it's…
2.79 MILES
Named by Norse settlers after the colonies of whooper swans that still swoop across its surface every winter, Elterwater (literally 'swan lake') presents…
2.8 MILES
An impressive sight with its turrets and battlements, this mock-Gothic castle was built in 1840 for James Dawson, a retired doctor from Liverpool, but it…