Lake Windermere
Windermere, England's largest and most famous lake, is named after an early Norse settler, Vinand - over the years Vinandr's Mere has become 'Windermere'. 
Long before the Vikings came to Windermere it is thought that the Romans used the lake to ferry troops and supplies to the north of the district. Windermere is a very beautiful lake with many small, wooded islands. The largest, Belle Isle, is the only inhabited island and has a curious circular villa dating from 1774. Windermere's beauty never fails to delight visitors, with its secluded bays and rocky inlets, grassy banks and wooded heights, and the northern end of the lake is overshadowed by the mighty peaks of the Fairfield Horseshoe.
The eastern shore of Lake Windermere is home to the bustling tourist hotspots of Bowness and Windermere, with many places to eat and plenty of opportunities to enjoy boating on the lake. The western shore is less busy, and much of this side is lined by the wooded Claiffe Heights, which plunge steeply towards the water and are dotted with the former homes of Georgian and Victorian industrialists.
Windermere is extremely popular for boating, with rowboats and motorboats available for hire, and timetabled boat services travelling between Lakeside, Bowness and Waterhead (near Ambleside). The Windermere Ferry has crossed the lake for centuries, and the present vessel, which is fixed to a submerged chain, travels backwards and forwards between the landing stage just south of Bowness and Ferry Nab on the western shore.
Like a vast river, stretching in the sun.
With exultation, at my feet I saw
Lake, islands, promontories, gleaming bays,
A universe of Nature's fairest forms"