The Torch will come from...
Days across the UK
19 May – 27 July 2012
Torchbearers
A spectacular environment with a unique and varied landscape, Bowness-on-Windermere truly is the heart of the Lake District.
Windermere has a rugged backdrop of mountains to its plentiful woodland shores and secluded bays.
Originally a small hamlet called Birthwaite, the town of Windermere rose to prominence with the completion of the railway link from Kendal in 1847.
Until the nineteenth century, Bowness was a fishing village. When the railway arrived, so did the visitors – 120,000 came in the first year, mainly from the industrial towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Now visitors come to the area from all over the world.
Lake Windermere is England’s largest lake at 10.5 miles long, stretching from Ambleside in the north to Newby Bridge in the south.
The vibrant towns of Windermere and Bowness have been attracting visitors since Victorian times and are bustling tourist destinations. There are plenty of recreational activities on the lake, which is a focus for sailing, watersports and pleasure cruises.
Away from the lakeshore there is a variety of heritage sites, historic houses, gardens and other visitor attractions.
Population: 3,918
Size: 7.4 square kilometres
