In the late 19th century, wealthy businessmen from Lancashire built grand mansions overlooking the lake. Many of these have now been converted to hotels, such as the Langdale Chase Hotel, Belsfied Hotel.  Others houses from this period include The National Park Visitor Centre at Brockhole,  between Ambleside and Bowness. Wray Castle almost opposite Brockhole, was the first Lake District holiday home of Beatrix Potter.

The Blackwell Arts and Crafts House is one of the Britain’s most beautiful houses from the early 20th century. It still boasts all of its original features.

Beatrix Potter wrote many of her books at Hill Top, the 17th century farmhouse at Near Sawrey, northwest of Windermere. The house is furnished  with many of Potter’s possessions and left as it was in her lifetime. Although best known for her illustrated children’s stories featuring characters such as Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck, Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) became a champion of conservation in the Lake District after moving there in 1906. She married William Heelis, devoted herself to farming, and was an expert on Herdwick sheep. To conserve her beloved countryside, she donated land to the National Trust.

The Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead holds annual exhibitions of her manuscripts and illustrations , while the World of Beatrix Potter in Crag Brow brings her popular characters to life in a fun exhibition that is guaranteed to excite the kids.

Today, a year-round car ferry service connects the lake’s east and west shores, and summer steamers link Lakeside, Bowness and Ambleside on the north -south axis. Belle Isle, a wooded island on which stands a unique round house, is one of the lake’s most attractive features, but landing is not permitted.

Bowness-on-Windmere on the east shore, is a popular centre. Many of its buildings display Victorian details, and St Martins’s Church dates back to the 15th century. It is Lakeland’s most popular holiday resort. An excellent centre for boating activities, it has over 10,000 boats registered.