Newby Bridge
Location : Windermere (lake)
Newby Bridge, once a part of Lancashire, is a small village adjoining the River Leven at the southern end of Lake Windermere. It got its name from the five-arched stone bridge built across the river in 1651. It caters mainly for the passing tourist trade, and has a railway station on the preserved Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. Newby Bridge is a convenient base to explore the Furness peninsula and southern Lakeland areas.
Lakeside Pier is at the southern end of Englands largest lake, Windermere, where you can arrive by boat from Waterhead or Bowness. There is also a ferry across the short distance to the National Trust’s garden at Fell Foot.
Lakeside Pier is one end of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, in which you can travel by steam train 3.5 miles via Newby Bridge to Haverthwaite, along the old Furness line that used to go to Ulverston and Barrow.
Here also is the Aquarium of the Lakes, where you can discover in over 30 displays the fascinating and often secret world of wildlife and freshwater creatures dwelling in and alongside these magnificent waters.
The English Heritage owned Stott Park Bobbin Mill is only a short walk away, at Finsthwaite.
The area around offers much to see and do, whether it is a gentle stroll around one of the nearby villages such as Cartmel or Hawkshead for a look around the quaint shops, or a more energetic fell walk or cycling. Graythwaite Hall Gardens are on the road from Newby Bridge to Hawkshead.
The Newby Bridge Hotel was originally known as the Newby Bridge Mansion. It was built in 1793 by James Machel, whose family had been prominent in the area since the 12th Century when Ulf the Machel was the local laird. Newby Bridge Mansion was one of the first great houses to be built on the shores of Lake Windermere.
The Machels were friendly with William Wordsworth and copies of correspondence with the great poet are displayed at the hotel, including a poem by Wordsworth “To Lizzie” which is dedicated to one of the Machel children. The literary connection has continued through the years, as Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows and Amazons was also a frequent visitor to the hotel.
Grid Ref : SD 369864
Accommodation Links:
- 4* Forest Field – Self Catering – a luxury haven for 2 in a tranquil location just 5 miles from Newby Bridge
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