Plan your visit

Next years festival will take place on the 9th & 10th May 2026 at the Windermere Jetty Museum – an award winning museum that enjoys a stunning lakeside position.

The museum is a short walk from the centre of Bowness-on-Windermere and is easily accessible by car, train, bike, boat or bus.  Please see below for detailed information on how to find us.

A full list of talks and workshops is available to download on our “Whats On” page

.

Windermere Jetty Museum, Rayrigg Road, Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 1BN

How to get here

From the south

Exit the M6 at junction 36, taking the first exit on the slip road roundabout. Follow signs for the South Lakes and Windermere and continue onto the A591. When you reach a small roundabout, take the first exit onto Rayrigg Road / A592, following signs for Bowness Bay and The Lake. Continue for 1 mile and Windermere Jetty Museum will be on the right.

From the north

Exit the M6 at junction 39 for A6 / Shap / Kendal. When you reach a T-Junction, turn left onto the A6 and continue along the A6 for 12 miles. Follow signs for Windermere, Bowness and the A591. Once on the A591, take the first exit at a small roundabout onto Rayrigg Road / A592, following signs for Bowness Bay and The Lake. Continue for 1 mile and Windermere Jetty Museum will be on the right.

Sat Nav Information

Our address is Windermere Jetty Museum, Rayrigg Road, Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 1BN

Parking is free for visitors to the museum, café and gift shop for up to 4 hours. You can collect a voucher code from a member of staff when you make a purchase to redeem at the car-parking machine before you leave.

Parking spaces are limited, and we would love our visitors to help us protect the environment by arriving by bike, on foot or by public transport.

Spaces for Blue Badge holders are also available.

Parking prices for non-visitors

Up to 30 minutes: Free
Up to 2 hours: £5
2 – 4 hours: £7
4+ hours: £10

Pay for your parking before you leave or pay online.

The car park closes at 5pm (April – October) and 4pm (November – March). If you do not collect your car before closing and it locked in you can…

  • Collect your car from 8.30am the following morning
  • Contact our security provider LRM who will be able to unlock the gates for you

The call out charge for this service is £60 payable to LRM. LRM can be contacted 24 hours on 07377874245

The nearest mainline railway station is Oxenholme. A connecting train will bring you to Windermere Railway Station. From here, catch a taxi or a local bus to Bowness Pier. Windemere Jetty Museum is 2 miles from the station. Plan your journey by train.

Arriving with Windermere Lake Cruises

During summer, sail from Bowness to Windermere Jetty Museum and continue on the Red Cruise (Brockhole – Ambleside – Bowness) until 30 October, from 31 October you will need to request a stop off at our museum using the  Islands (Blue) Cruise. Plan your journey with the  Windermere Lake Cruises Timetable.

Sailings times (2 April – 27 May):
  • 10.50am
  • 2.10pm
  • 4.10pm

Ticket prices:

Red Cruise
Adult Rtn             £14.30
Child Rtn              £8.60
Family Rtn           £41.00

Red Cruise + WJM entry
Adult Rtn             £19.20
Child Rtn              £10.90
Family Rtn           £57.00

Freedom of the Lake                     
Adult Rtn             £26.50
Child Rtn              £13.25
Family Rtn           £72.00

Freedom of the Lake + WJM entry              
Adult Rtn             £28.80
Child Rtn              £14.40
Family Rtn           £81.50

Family tickets being 2 adults and up to 3 children.  Child prices 5-15yrs inclusive.

Find out more and purchase tickets

Arriving by private boat

We can accommodate a small number of private boats if you wish to visit the museum or cafe. Skippers are to dock on the north side of our café jetty between 10am–4.45pm and moorings are allocated on a first come first serve basis. No mooring fees apply if you are visiting the museum or café.

Terms and Conditions

  • On arrival, owners must register their SLDC boat registration number and provide contact details
  • Mooring is permitted for 3 hours maximum in one day with no return
  • All boats must depart by 5pm at the latest, regardless of arrival time
  • No overnight mooring

The 508 bus runs from Bowness to Penrith stopping outside Windermere Jetty Museum. There are other local bus services that run throughout the lakes to Bowness Pier. Windermere Jetty Museum is a 12-minute walk from Bowness Pier. Plan your journey by bus.

It’s a 12-minute walk from Bowness Pier. Head towards the ‘Macdonald, The Old English Hotel & Spa’ and walk up the hill through the town centre. Pass ‘The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction’ continuing out of Bowness-on-Windermere on Rayrigg Road. Windermere Jetty Museum is on your left.

Windermere Jetty Museum has dedicated bike racks for visitors arriving by bike. We ask that cyclists bring suitable footwear before entering the museum.

Local taxis