Windermere is the largest lake in England and stretches for around nine miles between Ambleside at the north end and Newby Bridge in the south. Size and easy access also make Windermere the busiest lake and there are extensive tourist facilities and attractions within close proximity to its perimeter. There are frequent lake ferry and cruise services in summer with a reduced timetable operating in winter. Accessible by boat and road is the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre at Brockhole. A cross-lake car and foot passenger ferry service gives access to Hill Top (home of Beatrix Potter) and the picturesque village of Hawkshead, either by road, on foot or by bus in summer.
The lake can be reached by national network rail via Windermere Station (connects to Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line) and various scheduled bus services. At the south end of the lake there is a connection with the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, a standard gauge line that often runs steam-hauled services.