Freedom Of The Lake ®
Unlimited boat travel for 24 hours on all routes | ⚓ See the full lake on this ticket: Lakeside ↔ Bowness ↔ Ambleside in 🕘 over 3 hours
This service is not running at the moment.This service only operates during our peak season (April-October) and will return in April 2025. The information below is for reference only. |
The Bowness to Ash Landing service is a convenient way to access the western shore of Windermere.
It's ideal for:
Looking to explore more after reaching Ash Landing? We also offer combined tickets with this service:
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Exploring The Lake District without your car.
Our service connects with the 525 Mountain Goat bus service at Ash Landing Car Park (100 mentres walk from our pier). The bus connects with our boat arrivals and departures and gives you easy access to Hill Top, Hawkshead and beyond via the Cross Lakes transport hub. From our ticket offices, you can buy combined boat & bus tickets from Bowness to Hill Top and Hawkshead.
Visiting Hill Top, the former home of Beatrix Potter.
Beatrix Potter's 17th-century farmhouse is a time-capsule of her life. Explore the famous author's former home, inspirational garden, second-hand bookshop, cafe & more.
🚌 Catch the convenient bus to Hill Top or 🚶 walk the 1.6miles (2.5km) on the gravel path. Bus/boat customers get priority access to the attraction (open Saturday to Thursdays).
Exploring the quiet western shore by foot.
Our walker’s ticket includes boat travel and a scenic 5 mile walk along Windermere’s western shore. The Bowness to Ash Landing service provides one of the boats you’ll need to enjoy this great circular walk.
Our Cross Lake Shuttle is now landing on a new location on the Western Shore of Windermere. It's only about 0.5 miles from our old location at Ferry House (near the Windermere Car Ferry).
📄 Download printed timetable | 📄 See timetable for 25 May onwards
Bowness Pier 3 → Ash Landing Departures (20 mins duration) | Ash Landing → Bowness Pier 3 Departures (20 mins duration) |
09:20 | 09:40 |
10:05 | 10:30 |
10:55 | 11:20 |
11:45 | 12:10 |
12:35 | 13:00 |
14:00 | 14:25 |
14:50 | 15:15 |
15:40 | 16:05 |
16:30* | 16:55* |
*ends 26 October | *ends 26 October |
Sorry, this ticket cannot be booked online, simply purchase your ticket from Bowness Pier on day of travel (customers can also board at Ash Landing and pay on board).
🍃 WINDY WEATHER - Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 December (page updated -21/12/25 1pm) Strong winds are forecast for this weekend. As a precaution, we have suspended all cruise and self-drive bookings. Please keep checking back as weather conditions can change. |
🔴 RED CRUISE | Bowness → Brockhole → Ambleside Waterhead → Bowness | ⚠️ Services OK this morning |
🟡 YELLOW CRUISE | Bowness ↔ Lakeside | ⚠️ Services OK this morning |
🔵 ISLANDS CRUISE | Bowness → W'Mere Jetty Museum → Bowness | ✔️ Services OK Last departure is 14:00 |
🚤 MOTOR BOAT HIRE | Bowness Beach only | ⚠️ Just turn up today. 1 hour bookings only. |
🕑: We are now running to our off-peak season timetable (autumn/winter/spring).
This service is one of the least accessible routes we offer and is operated by tradiational launches:
Please visit our Accessibility section for more information.
Wheelchair users are strongly advised to call us to confirm which vessel is operating on which service, particularly in poor weather conditions. As on rare occasions, the vessels operating each route can change.
Did you know that you can make more of your cruise by upgrading it? Why not combine your cruise with a local attraction, or enjoy a full day on Windermere with the Freedom of the Lake.