Our ongoing series, Bath House Guides, celebrates thoughtful places across the UK, from seasonal cafés to quiet walking routes, independent shops to intimate cultural spaces. In this edition, we turn to Bowness-on-Windermere, a lakeside town shaped by landscape, tradition, and slow, enduring character.

Meandering through Bowness’s gentle slopes, you’ll notice the distinctive Lakeland architecture, Victorian stone buildings with slate roofs, moss-covered walls, and terraces that lean into the land. This is a place built with materials drawn from the hills themselves. Once a modest fishing village, Bowness has grown into a gateway to Windermere, with boats drifting out daily to Fell Foot, Ambleside and the islands that scatter the lake’s centre.

At first glance, it can feel like a town in motion, ferries arriving, walkers setting off, families lingering by the water. But step back from the main paths and a quieter rhythm emerges: gardens tended by hand, shops where materials are chosen with care, cafés that reward time spent slowly.

This guide is for those seeking that pace. Whether you’re here for a few hours or a few days, these are the places we return to, rooted in nature, craft, and the quiet beauty of the everyday.

Blackwell, the arts and crafts house

Set slightly above the town and surrounded by trees, Blackwell is one of the UK’s finest examples of Arts & Crafts design. Built in 1901 as a holiday home overlooking Windermere, it remains a testament to the movement’s belief in natural materials, honest craftsmanship, and quiet beauty.

Inside, you move through wood-panelled rooms filled with light and detail, leaded glass, hand-carved bannisters, ceramic fireplaces. There’s a calm, contemplative quality to the space. Downstairs, the small café and shop continue the house’s ethos: well-made, unfussy, and in tune with their surroundings.

Windermere Jetty Museum, stories of the water

Closer to the lake, the Windermere Jetty Museum is a contemporary space, dark and angular, built low to the shoreline with blackened timber that echoes old boat houses. Inside, steam launches and sailing yachts sit quietly in the light, their polished wood and worn brass holding stories of invention and use.

A boat trip from the jetty offers another view of the landscape, long shorelines, tree-lined islands, and the gentle shape of the surrounding fells. The café’s floor-to-ceiling windows frame Windermere in all its changing forms.

Brant Fell, a short ascent above the town

From the centre of Bowness, a gentle walk leads uphill through narrow lanes and wooden gates. Brant Fell rises just above the rooftops, offering wide views of Windermere and the landscape beyond. It’s a path favoured by locals ,for morning light, for evening stillness, for dogs who know the way by heart.

For those wishing to walk further, Orrest Head, reached from Windermere,  is another short ascent with a lasting reward. This was Alfred Wainwright’s first glimpse of the fells, a view that shaped his lifelong relationship with the Lakes.

Henrock, dining with a sense of place

Tucked into landscaped grounds above the lake, Henrock is the relaxed fine-dining restaurant at Linthwaite House, led by chef Simon Rogan. The space is calm and confident, soft light, pale wood. Ingredients are drawn from nearby fields, farms and hedgerows, brought together with precision and clarity.

Here, every element feels considered. The service is thoughtful, the setting refined but welcoming. A place to celebrate something, or simply to eat well and linger. 

Millerground, a quiet shoreline walk

Just north of Bowness, Millerground offers a quieter way to meet the lake. Stone steps lead gently to the water’s edge, and a narrow path follows the shoreline through trees and bracken. The sounds here are soft: water moving against rocks, birds calling from above. A short climb beyond the path brings you to Queen Adelaide’s Hill, where a simple bench offers one of the area’s most peaceful views: Windermere stretched wide, and distant fells shifting with the weather.

Holehird Gardens, a tended quiet

Just outside the town, Holehird is a garden maintained entirely by volunteers. It unfolds in layers, rockeries, borders, wildflower meadows, a traditional glasshouse. In spring and early summer, the planting feels loose and generous; later in the year, it becomes more structured, marked by seed heads and silver grasses.

From the upper paths, you can look out across Windermere and the surrounding hills. It’s a place made not for show, but for those who understand the rhythm of growing things.

Hill Top, a house for a life in nature

Across the lake by ferry lies Hill Top, the former home of writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter. The 17th-century farmhouse remains much as she left it, with stone floors, simple furniture, open shelves, each room arranged with quiet intention.

Outside, the garden continues as it always has, slightly overgrown, edged with dry stone walls, planted with fruit and flowers. It speaks of a life closely connected to land, animals, and imagination.

Homeground Café, comfort in the everyday

In the heart of Windermere, Homeground is a place of easy warmth. Inside, the mood is soft and familiar, wood-lined walls, calm light, music playing low. The food is simple and generous: sourdough toast, slow breakfasts, strong coffee made well. Whether you come early, or later with tired feet and time to spare, it’s a place to pause and be quietly looked after.

Artisan food from nearby makers

Beyond Bowness, two small producers offer something worth the detour, places where craft and time shape every part of the process.

Kimi's Ice Cream, handmade in nearby Staveley, that is created in small batches using fresh Cumbrian milk and seasonal ingredients. Flavours shift with the months, often simple, always well-balanced.  A visit to their base in Staveley pairs well with a riverside walk or a stop in the village.

Just off the A591 near Kendal, the Lovingly Artisan bakery at Plumgarths Farm Shop is known for its slow-fermented sourdough. The loaves are dark-crusted, fragrant, made with traditional methods and quiet skill. It’s a place many pass without noticing, but one that rewards those who stop.

A note on the season

Bowness changes with the light. Spring arrives early, with pale blossom and mirrored skies. In summer, boats pass in lines across the lake and the fells feel close and green. Autumn brings stillness – gold leaves, colder air, quieter days. Winter strips the land back to its form.

Each season carries its own kind of beauty. But in the quieter months, these places feel clearest,  when the lake is calm, the pace slow, and there is space to notice the details.