Photo: Pic: Sourav Niyogi. (WT-en) P.K.Niyogi at English Wikivoyage (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Ambleside
Wondering what to do in Ambleside? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip.
Showing museums, aquariums and attractions with indoor areas — the ones that work whatever the forecast.
🎟️ This weekend near Ambleside
Events from
Skiddle
Aquariums
10.4 mi from Ambleside
Lakes Aquarium
Lakes Aquarium sits in Colton, in the Lake District, and is open daily from 10am. You can catch the Otter Talk and Feed, held daily, and explore exhibits covering conservation, cre...
✓
✓
✓
29.4 mi from Ambleside
Lake District Coast Aquarium
The Lake District Coast Aquarium sits on the harbourside in Maryport, Cumbria, with over 75 displays of local and marine species, a SeaLab lobster hatchery and seahorses, plus dail...
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Museums & Galleries
0.4 mi from Ambleside
The Armitt Museum & Library
The Armitt Museum & Library is a museum, gallery, and library full of interesting and unusual objects telling the history and heritage of Ambleside, its people, and the surrounding...
2.8 mi from Ambleside
Dove Cottage
Dove Cottage was the Lake District home of William Wordsworth, a humble cottage with whitewashed walls and Lakeland slate floors, where he wrote some of the most famous poetry in t...
✓
4.1 mi from Ambleside
Hawkshead Grammar School
Hawkshead Grammar School in Hawkshead, Cumbria, England was founded in 1585 by Archbishop Edwin Sandys, the incumbent Archbishop of York, whose family came from the Hawkshead area.... — Wikipedia
4.2 mi from Ambleside
From Auschwitz to Ambleside
This small exhibition tells the story of 300 child Holocaust survivors who arrived in Windermere in 1945 to recuperate, including artefacts, images and an award-winning video docum...
✓
4.3 mi from Ambleside
Windermere Jetty
Windermere Jetty Museum sits on the lakeshore just outside Bowness, telling over 200 years of Windermere's boating story through historic vessels, interactive galleries and a worki...
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
6.1 mi from Ambleside
The Ruskin Museum
The Ruskin Museum sits in the heart of Coniston village and tells the 'Story of Coniston', from Stone Age fell-walkers to Donald Campbell's record-breaking Bluebird K7, now on disp...
✓
✓
6.5 mi from Ambleside
Brantwood
Brantwood is the historic lakeside home of John Ruskin, now a museum set across a 250-acre estate on the eastern shore of Coniston Water. You can explore the seven rooms Ruskin liv...
✓
✓
✓
9.9 mi from Ambleside
Stott Park Bobbin Mill
19th-century bobbin mill museum; at Newby Bridge, Cumbria, England.
11.1 mi from Ambleside
Kendal Museum
Kendal Museum brings together natural history and regional heritage under one roof. In the Kendal & Westmorland Gallery you can trace the area's story from the Neolithic Age throug...
✓
✓
11.4 mi from Ambleside
Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry
Lakeland Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, explores centuries of Lakeland life and how the landscape has shaped local communities and industry thr...
✓
✓
✓
✓
11.8 mi from Ambleside
Lakeland Motor Museum
Lakeland Motor Museum, in Haverthwaite, Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, is housed in a converted mill and brings together around 30,000 exhibits tracing twentieth-century road tr...
✓
12.6 mi from Ambleside
Eskdale Mill
Eskdale Mill is a Grade II* listed watermill in the village of Boot, and it's the last remaining working water-powered corn mill in the Lake District National Park. Dating back to...
13 mi from Ambleside
Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum
Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum sits in a working quarry near Keswick in the Lake District, where you can ride a narrow gauge railway into the old workings, explore a mining and g...
✓
✓
✓
13.9 mi from Ambleside
Puzzling Place
Puzzling Place is an indoor attraction in Keswick, in the heart of the Lake District, dedicated entirely to optical illusion. Inside you'll find the Anti-gravity Room, the Ames Roo...
✓
13.9 mi from Ambleside
Keswick Museum & Art Gallery
Keswick Museum sits on the edge of Fitz Park, just five minutes' walk from the town centre, and has been part of Keswick's community since 1873. Inside, you'll find exhibitions exp...
✓
14.1 mi from Ambleside
The Retro Zone
The Retro Zone is a small, independently run museum in Keswick showcasing a personal collection of 1970s and 1980s toys, bikes, early home computers and vintage gadgets, including...
✓
✓
14.1 mi from Ambleside
Derwent Pencil Museum
The Derwent Pencil Museum is a museum dedicated to the manufacturing and history of pencils, located in Keswick, in the north-west of England. — Wikipedia
✓
✓
✓
✓
16.7 mi from Ambleside
Heron Corn Mill
Heron Corn Mill is a rare 18th-century working watermill set on the River Bela in Cumbria, where you can see heritage milling in action and learn about sustainable energy in a welc...
17 mi from Ambleside
Laurel and Hardy Museum
The Laurel and Hardy Museum in Ulverston celebrates the history of the famous comedy duo, having grown from a small collection into what is now the Roxy cinema complex. It's a fitt...
✓
17.3 mi from Ambleside
Sir John Barrow Cottage
Sir John Barrow Cottage is the birthplace of Sir John Barrow, now a small museum in Ulverston. Inside, you'll find historic furniture, artefacts and information display boards that...
✓
Water Parks
18.9 mi from Ambleside
Subtropical Swimming Paradise
The Subtropical Swimming Paradise is a heated indoor-outdoor water park, kept at 29.5°C all year round and filled with tropical plants and trees. You'll find wave pools, lazy river...
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Zoos & Wildlife
18.3 mi from Ambleside
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is a small 3-acre licensed zoo near Beetham, Cumbria, home to over 100 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. It offers a...
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Where to stay near Ambleside
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Ambleside
Itineraries
- A weekend in Keswick: an accessible itinerary · 2 days
- A weekend in Keswick with the kids · 2 days
- A weekend in Keswick · 2 days
Haunted Britain
Ambleside makes a sensible base in Cumbria: small enough to walk around in the evening, but placed so that a good chunk of the Lake District is within a day's reach, with Keswick, Windermere and Morecambe adding more on the days you fancy a drive. Here's how to put the main attractions into days that actually work, rather than a list you'll never get through.
Heritage, starting on the doorstep
Ambleside's best-known building is Bridge House, a National Trust site right in the middle of town — the sort of thing you can see in a few minutes on your way to somewhere else, which is exactly how most people fit it in. Tabitha Twitchit's Bookshop is also National Trust, so if you're collecting them, that's two in one wander.
For a longer heritage day, Wray Castle is the obvious choice: a castle and heritage site that suits a slow morning rather than a rushed hour. Elsewhere, Brantwood and Furness Abbey Visitor Centre both reward the drive, and Eskdale Mill is a quieter, more workaday sort of history if you prefer buildings that were built to do a job.
Days out with children
The Lakes Aqua Park is the one to keep for a settled, warm day — it's a water park, so children will need the whole afternoon and a dry change of clothes. The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction over at Windermere works for younger ones and doesn't depend on the weather. Knox Wood Wildlife Centre in Keswick is a good half-day if animals are the draw, and The Retro Zone, also in Keswick, tends to go down well with older children and anyone who grew up with a games console.
- Under-sevens: The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, Knox Wood Wildlife Centre
- Older children and teenagers: The Lakes Aqua Park, The Retro Zone
- Train and engine enthusiasts: Ravenglass Railway Museum, West Cumberland Railway Museum, Lakeland Motor Museum
When it rains
It will rain at some point, so keep a couple of indoor options in reserve. Keswick Museum & Art Gallery is a solid all-rounder, and in the same town you'll find JB Banks Ironmongers and the West Cumberland Railway Museum if you want to string several small places together instead of committing to one big one. Windermere Jetty and the Lakeland Motor Museum cover the Windermere side, and over at Morecambe there's the Laurel and Hardy Museum, Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lancaster Maritime Museum and Sir John Barrow Cottage — enough for a full wet day without getting back in the car between each one.
Grouping it into a sensible day
The trick is to pick a direction and stay with it. A Keswick day might be Knox Wood Wildlife Centre in the morning, lunch, then Keswick Museum & Art Gallery or The Retro Zone depending on the ages in the group. A Windermere day pairs Windermere Jetty with the Lakeland Motor Museum, or The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction if you have small children. A slower Lake District day could be Brantwood followed by Eskdale Mill, or Ravenglass Railway Museum with Furness Abbey Visitor Centre.
Morecambe and Killhope Lead Mining Museum in County Durham are longer drives, so treat each as a whole day out and don't try to bolt anything on afterwards.
Where to eat
All of these hold five-star food hygiene ratings, which is a reasonable place to start when you're choosing quickly.
- Bench Cafe and Brew Brothers — tea rooms, and the right answer for a late breakfast or a sit-down after a wet morning.
- Relish — a deli and local produce shop, ideal for building a picnic before you head out for the day.
- Greggs — useful when you want something in hand and a car to get into.
- Wheatsheaf Inn — a pub for the evening meal, when nobody wants to drive again.
Turning it into a short break
Two nights gives you one big day and one gentle one; three nights lets you add a drive without feeling rushed. A workable three-day shape is Bridge House and Wray Castle on arrival day, a Keswick or Windermere day next, then somewhere quieter such as Brantwood before you set off home. There are 159 places to stay on BritStays in Ambleside, so it's worth deciding first whether you want to walk to dinner or park easily, then filtering from there.
Practical notes
Check opening days directly with each attraction before you drive — several of the smaller museums keep limited hours, and seasons vary. Arrive early at the popular sites if you want parking near the entrance. Carry waterproofs even on a promising morning, and pick up your picnic the night before rather than joining the queue at nine. Finally, plan one fewer stop than you think you can manage; the days go further that way.
Frequently asked questions
What can you do in Ambleside itself without driving?
Bridge House and Tabitha Twitchit's Bookshop are both National Trust sites in Ambleside, and you can easily see both on a walk around town. For food, Bench Cafe and Brew Brothers are tea rooms, Relish is a deli for picnic supplies, Greggs is handy for something quick, and the Wheatsheaf Inn is a pub for an evening meal.
Which attractions are best for a rainy day?
Museums and galleries are your best bet. In Keswick there's Keswick Museum & Art Gallery, West Cumberland Railway Museum, The Retro Zone and JB Banks Ironmongers. Around Windermere you have Windermere Jetty, the Lakeland Motor Museum and The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. Morecambe offers the Laurel and Hardy Museum, Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lancaster Maritime Museum and Sir John Barrow Cottage.
Are there National Trust places near Ambleside?
Yes — Bridge House and Tabitha Twitchit's Bookshop are both National Trust properties, making three National Trust sites in the area alongside the castle and heritage site at Wray Castle.
What is there for children to do?
The Lakes Aqua Park is a water park and suits a warm day with older children. Knox Wood Wildlife Centre in Keswick works for animal-mad youngsters, The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in Windermere suits younger children, and The Retro Zone in Keswick tends to appeal to teenagers.
Which attractions are worth a full day rather than a quick stop?
Killhope Lead Mining Museum in County Durham is a longer drive, so treat it as a full day. The same goes for Morecambe, where the Laurel and Hardy Museum, Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lancaster Maritime Museum and Sir John Barrow Cottage can be grouped together. The Lakes Aqua Park also tends to take an afternoon rather than an hour.
How many places are there to stay in Ambleside on BritStays?
There are 159 places to stay on BritStays in Ambleside. It helps to decide first whether you want to walk into town for dinner or have straightforward parking, then filter from there.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Ambleside.