Windermere

[Little Rascal]

I'm planning to take my trailer-sailer to Windermere in the spring with a bunch of friends.

The idea is to stay in a cottage or caravan and put the boat on for a few days so we can sail, walk, climb, whatever.

Does anyone have recommendations for which slip to use? I need about 4ft with a fixed fin.

Where to go for 'charts'? Or use OS maps? I draw 3 ft - will I struggle?

Is there anywhere we could leave the boat on a pontoon for a few days at a time?

Even better does anyone know of any holiday cottages with moorings or at least water access?


Thanks
Jon

 

[BAtoo]

Lakesailor of this forum is the expert on Windemere - I'm sure he'll be along soon - if he remembers how going on his last post!!!

 

[Clarky]

Windermere is like Blackpool ,full of chavs,best avoided,western Lakes or southern Scotland better particularly with a 4 foot draught.

 

[Little Rascal]

Lakesailor of this forum is the expert on Windemere - I'm sure he'll be along soon - if he remembers how going on his last post!!!

Haha, I was hoping to ensnare Lakie...

But he'll expect me to do my own research first!
I have/am but I'm after a bit of local knowledge...


My draught is 3 foot but I need 4 foot depth to launch.

 

[Lakesailor]

I am not a chav and live in Windermere.
As you are coming with some mates for a sociable weekend you need to be where the facilities are and that means Bowness/Windermere.
Plenty of pubs and restaurants, the only decent supermarket in the National Park.
It's the biggest lake with the most diversity and your draft is nothing to worry about. There are boats with 6 ft draft on the lake. Any shallow areas are protected by a post with a red triangle and/or red buoys.
No charts required. Get a 2 sided, laminated map of the lake from the Warden at Ferry Nab where you will need to go to launch the boat (about £14). You can pay to moor on the jetties at Ferry Nab by the day or week. You can't overnight on the few public jetties and are not supposed to anchor overnight. There are visitors swinging moorings available.
There are boat yards and private slips at some hotels and caravan sites.
Try White Cross Bay for a caravan Fallbarrow Park in Bowness for a caravan or lodge, Lowwood Hotel (oooh, pricey) Graythwaite Holiday Cottages or Pullwood Estates for expensive lakeside cottages with boat facilities.
You can launch at Fellfoot National Trust Park at the southern tip of the lake, but the sailing is one-way only from there - North.
When trying to book accomodation tell them it's a single sex party as you may find they won't take you in when you arrive.
Also try ringing the Tourist Information in Windermere 015394 46499 (not Bowness) and asking for a a cottage to your requirements.
Lakelovers and Cumbrian Cottages are also good.

Lake Information

 

[Little Rascal]

I am not a chav and live in Windermere...

Hahaha.

Thanks, that'll keep me busy for a while.

It's not a single sex party though fortunately!

I've stayed at the ambleside yoof hostel in the past - do they have a pontoon of there own at all? Or visitors moorings nearby?

This is an attempt to interest some friends in sailing so we won't be onboard overnight and pontoons would be preferable to moorings and wet bums...

thanks Lakie.

 

[Lakesailor]

April,May and June are invariably the best months for good weather here.

(Tempting fate a bit, April was bitter this year)

 

[Sandgrounder]

The National Trust have two (Ithink) cottages at Strawberry Gardens which is opposite Bowness on the quieter side of the lake.

 

[Lakesailor]

They do. They have just had some problems with the septic tanks!!
Should be sorted by next year.
They are a bit basic mind

 

[photodog]

Can you charter a yacht on the lakes? Something capable of staying a weekend on at least?

 

[Sandgrounder]

Can you charter a yacht on the lakes? Something capable of staying a weekend on at least?

You can. OB Sailing, based at Maiden Marine at Ferry Nab, have a few Bendytoy Oceanis etc. There are probably others but this is the only company I know of.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Windermere is like Blackpool ,full of chavs,best avoided,western Lakes or southern Scotland better particularly with a 4 foot draught.

Southern Scotland? With a 4' draught? Are you mad, man? My Jouster (no reasonable offer refused) draws just under 4' and that restricts me to Kirkcudbright Marina, erm, um, er, Peel, um ... thinks ... Portpatrick, erm ... that's about it, leaving aside a few marinas in rather depressing Cumbrian docks.

Seriously, the Solway is no place at all for deep fins. As I have discovered since I moved the Jouster (n.r.o.r) here.

 

[Lakesailor]

Can you charter a yacht on the lakes? Something capable of staying a weekend on at least?

Of course you can my boy. Now let me see, 2 people, 2 nights, hire of tender....

 

[Little Rascal]

Southern Scotland? With a 4' draught? Are you mad, man? My Jouster (no reasonable offer refused) draws just under 4' and that restricts me to Kirkcudbright Marina, erm, um, er, Peel, um ... thinks ... Portpatrick, erm ... that's about it, leaving aside a few marinas in rather depressing Cumbrian docks.

Seriously, the Solway is no place at all for deep fins. As I have discovered since I moved the Jouster (n.r.o.r) here.

Loch Lomond?

Doesn't solve the chav problem though...

 

[Lady_Stormrider]

I don't think I am a chav, I'm a lady! But I do enjoy sailing most weekends on Windermere with Aquaplane, who I'm surprised hasn't posted here.

Enjoy Windermere - there are some lovely quiet unspoilt anchorages and somewhere to have a carvery meal for under £4 overlooking the north of the lake.

 

[Clarky]

Southern Scotland? With a 4' draught? Are you mad, man? My Jouster (no reasonable offer refused) draws just under 4' and that restricts me to Kirkcudbright Marina, erm, um, er, Peel, um ... thinks ... Portpatrick, erm ... that's about it, leaving aside a few marinas in rather depressing Cumbrian docks.

Seriously, the Solway is no place at all for deep fins. As I have discovered since I moved the Jouster (n.r.o.r) here.

Have you tried an anchor ,they save you going into harbours ..


Apologies to all the non chavs in Windermere,I only said it was full of them,not that everybody was one !

 

[Ubergeekian]

Loch Lomond?

Doesn't solve the chav problem though...

Makes it worse. Many of the scum displaced by the Windermere speed limit now infest Loch Lomond, or so I'm told.

Why not come and join us on Loch Ken?

 

[Lakesailor]

I understand that is the case. Our chav population are only in the bay area of Bowness and are day-chavs, they mysteriously disappear at night.
That just leaves us with the many Japanese and the Americans, Ozzies,Canadians, Seth Africans and those who come to the area for the activities and landscape.
Without visitors there would be no infrastructure in the National Park.
Just a bit worried that Blackpool is trying to regain a "family image".
We don't want loads of Hen Nights and Goth Gatherings!

 

[Little Rascal]

Makes it worse. Many of the scum displaced by the Windermere speed limit now infest Loch Lomond, or so I'm told.

Why not come and join us on Loch Ken?

I'm thinking I might sometime...

 

[aquaplane]

....with Aquaplane, who I'm surprised hasn't posted here.

Not much point, Lakey has said almost all I could have said.

I'm not sure about being able to book a pontoon berth now, you used to be able to. Whichever, they want £10 a night for a holiday mooring wether you use it or not.

Anchoring isn't common but it is done. Usually you can pick up a holiday mooring (so long as someone hasn't booked it) and the ban on overnight stays on the public jetties is almost universally ignored.

Outrun Sailing are the other charter/training outfit that I know of, previously mentioned OB Sailing being the other.

The YH at Ambleside has a jetty but I think you may struggle with 3' draught, I see more dingies there than Yachts. I may try to get Chiron in just to see, it's something I have wondered about my self. IIRC they charge £15 but you can use the YHA facilities, showers/kitchen/commonroom etc.