4 Star Bowness B&B

Arise and shine! It’s breakfast time!

One highlight of any Bed and Breakfast break must surely be that of a quality breakfast. Sumptuous in ingredients and delectability, we are talking about REAL butcher fare handcrafted daily to delicious recipes that tickle the tastebuds or farm-fresh produce filled only with delicious goodness. Treat these quality ingredients with respect, et voila! . . . we have ourselves that lip-smacking home-made breakfast to remember.

When you are staying at Blenheim Lodge, tuck into succulent sausages freshly handmade by our local butcher and savour hand-cured and sliced bacon made also to order and delivered straight to our door. This family butchers is now in its third generation, and continues to operate from its original village shop. If you like nicely seasoned meaty sausages and handmade and hand-sliced quality bacon, then come stay with us to indulge in the real McCoy!

Of course we do also offer other choices on our breakfast menu. Help yourself to fresh fruits, stewed fruit, yoghurts and cereals. A range of hot choices include what visitors call our very yummy scrambled eggs – “the best scrambled eggs I have ever tasted” is an oft-repeated refrain – made from freshly laid large free range eggs delivered to order from a local farm, to the rather indulgent croissants and muffins that do not do one’s waistline any favours! Hot tea, coffee, and toast are also always available and served to each table. Do check out our breakfast menu, which is listed in the drop down “About” section. And if you have any dietary requirements, please let us know when you book. We are always here to help.

Blenheim Lodge was built in 1868 by a wealthy Mancunian cotton magnet at the top of Brantfell Road so that it would look down over Old Bowness towards Lake Windermere and the fells. Our Bowness B&B does indeed enjoy far-reaching views of both, and some rooms in particular have extensive vistas across most of the length of this 10.5-mile lake and surrounding fells. We have also named some of our rooms after these Lakeland fells they overlook: such as The Langdale; The Fairfield; Claife Heights; Belle Isle; and Brantfell.

Lake Windermere views are a trademark of all of our rooms except for The Dalesway, which looks directly out onto Brant Fell; and, when the leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, also onto a section of The Dales Way. Our Lake-facing rooms enjoy either panoramic or northwestern views of Lake Windermere. There are few B&B places in Bowness and Windermere with extensiveLake Windermere views, so do check us out for 4-Star quality en-suite rooms with fabulous Lake views and a welcoming friendliness to match!

Blenheim Lodge is a grand old lady from the 1800s, and was built as a family’s country home. We were taken by Blenheim Lodge for a number of reasons when we first came to view it. We liked its location overlooking Lake Windermere and the fells. We also appreciated the peacefulness of its location. However, one of the most attractive things about Blenheim Lodge was the fact that it had retained much of its charming Victorian character, and felt like a homely place our guests could relax in.

Each of the bedrooms in our Bowness B&B has been meticulously presented and decorated to create a relaxing atmosphere. Our objective was to enhance each room’s individual character in keeping with the 1868 vintage of our Bowness on Windermere guesthouse. We did this by sourcing furniture and fabrics which we felt would complement the character of the house and also enhance our accommodation. To this end, most of the rooms have antique furniture, including William IV four-posters, Louis XV beds, and even a pair of 18th century ladies’ bedroom chairs complete with their original webbing. And, since a comfortable night’s sleep is a most important component of staying in any B&B, ALL our rooms have handmade deep pocket-sprung mattresses for a peaceful and restorative night’s rest.

Blenheim Lodge also has a comfortable lounge for guests’ use, including a 3-piece suite and solid hand-built oak chairs with leather pads, all of which are in keeping with the character of this sunny, airy room overlooking Lake Windermere and the fells. We enjoy welcoming newly arriving guests for a cuppa and biscuits in our lounge to help make them feel right at home. Floor to ceiling bay windows – with fabulous Lake Windermere and fell outlooks – make this a light-filled room. As the sun goes down, guests looking out over the fells will see the latter burning red and gold, and the light reflecting off them fracturing upon Lake Windermere’s either flat or undulating surface.

Breakfast is served in a pretty dining room with solid oak tables and upholstered oak chairs. This room retains a fireplace and the original servants’ bells. Much of one length of the wall is taken up by huge floor to ceiling bay windows overlooking our hedge where we have placed bird feeders to encourage local wild birds seeking sustenance especially in Winter. This is a lovely peaceful room where guests can relax and enjoy their breakfasts.

Blenheim Lodge is uniquely situated in Bowness-on-Windermere. Serenely perched on a hill, our AA 4-Star B&B literally backs into peaceful fell-side. We are only a 5-minute walk into bustling Bowness town centre and Lake Windermere, but, up here, secluded from the hubbub of busy traffic, crowds, and late night revellers, it feels like a million miles away.

Imagine an oasis of peace . . . taking time out from the hustle and bustle of your life. A backdrop of woodlands and fields frame our B&B where cows and sheep often graze. Take a deep breath and fill your lungs with fresh clean air. Hear the birds sing as you gaze out of your room windows to glorious views of Lake Windermere and the fells.

In the blissful stillness of our Bowness countryside, you can hear a pin drop! Sometimes shy deer come out at dusk or early morning to graze behind our house or breakfast on the plants in front! At night, owls hoot and bat wings flutter in the wooded stands.

Look out to see the stars. We have no light pollution here. Fall asleep to the sound of silence. And awake refreshed to a bright new day!

The topography of the Lake District is one of magnificent fells and beautiful tarns and meres. Synonymous with the Lake District are the Herdwick, hardy native sheep which roam the fells, and whose grazing shape and maintain the iconic Lakeland landscapes we love so well. Beatrix Potter, famed children’s author and creator of Peter Rabbit, champion of the Herdwick and benefactor of the National Trust, worked tirelessly to support the preservation of this breed and their grazing grounds as well as the Trust’s places of extraordinary beauty.

Within the Lake District National Park are England’s largest lake and highest mountain: Windermere and Scafell Pike. The peaceful loveliness of Nature undefiled inspired the Lake Poets, one of whom, William Wordsworth, penned what is arguably his most famous poem, ‘I wandered lonely as a Cloud’, after a visit to Ullswater.

Light and the quality of light are essential to the devoted painter. Alfred Heaton Cooper and, later, his son, William Heaton Cooper, were tireless in their quest for that optimum Lakeland light one finds infused in their art. Watch out for some truly astounding inversions when this same soft light permeates the Lake District mist.

Hi there! Thank you for visiting our website – and we hope you will visit with us in person at our Bowness on Windermere Bed and Breakfast too! We are a couple from two different continents who found each other when one of us went to Scotland for her postgraduate studies. In fact one of us came from far away enough to have learnt to speak some Chinese – though not very well – whilst still a pupil in school!

In 2002, we moved to Blenheim Lodge in Bowness on Windermere and embarked on the adventure of running a Bed and Breakfast with gusto! Our aim was and continues to be one of ensuring that our guests feel relaxed and at home whilst staying with us in a warmly welcoming and unfussy atmosphere. Of course, the peacefulness of our location and those enchanting Lakeland views from our rooms help!

Take a look at our blog for more information about us, our Bowness B&B, and the Lake District National Park.