Geograph - photograph every grid square

Passenger boat services run the whole length of Lake Windermere, from at the southern end of the lake, to Waterhead Bay near Ambleside in the north with an intermediate stop made at Bowness (and, by smaller launches only, at Brockhole).

These services date back to the former Furness Railway and were at one time operated by British Rail. Since privatisation, three of the old railway boats are operated by Windermere Lake Cruises Ltd, along with a fleet of smaller and more modern launches. Three of the original four boats survive: the MV Tern of 1891, the MV Teal of 1936, and the MV Swan of 1938. The fourth, MV Swift of 1900, was broken up at Lakeside in 1998. Although often described as steamers, they all are now diesel motor vessels. Tern and Swift were built with steam engines, but converted to diesel in the 1950s.