Est. 1875 · Adults-only house
A Victorian stone house on Ambleside Road
An adults-only bed and breakfast in Windermere. Eight en-suite rooms, a full English breakfast cooked to order, and hosts who have run the house since 2007.
Guest ratings
Rated by the people who stayed
Scores collected from seven public review platforms. Shown exactly as published, with the review count and the date we recorded them.
Scores as published on each platform, recorded 1 October 2026. Platforms use their own scales and review counts.
Rooms
Four ways to sleep at the Firgarth
Every room in the house is en suite. There are no online prices for these rooms, so please call for current rates and availability.
Four-poster double
All rooms en suiteA dark-wood four-poster bed in a room filled with natural daylight.
Room names are descriptive groupings. Please call to confirm which room you are booking.
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King-size double
All rooms en suiteOak furniture and the most spacious outlook of the rooms we can show.
Room names are descriptive groupings. Please call to confirm which room you are booking.
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Small double
All rooms en suiteBeamed ceiling under the eaves, cosy and quiet.
Room names are descriptive groupings. Please call to confirm which room you are booking.
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Single
All rooms en suiteA single room for one guest travelling alone.
Room names are descriptive groupings. Please call to confirm which room you are booking.
Check ratesBreakfast
Cooked to order, every morning
- Full English breakfast, cooked to order in the morning.
- Vegetarian options available on request.
- Local produce, including sausages from Huddlestons, a Cumbrian butcher.
Your hosts
Pam & Colin
Welcoming, delightful hosts.
Pam and Colin have run The Firgarth since 2007. Guests mention them by name in reviews, and the house carries the feel of a place looked after by people who live there. We have no portrait photograph of Pam and Colin on file, so this page stays honest and leaves their picture to your first morning at the breakfast table.
The sitting room
The house brochure describes a sitting room with a sanded oak floor and an electric fireplace. We have no photograph of it yet. Photos coming soon, ask Pam and Colin when you call.
Local guide
Windermere and Bowness, on foot and by boat
The Firgarth sits on Ambleside Road, about a 10-minute walk from Windermere station and a similar stroll from the lake at Bowness. What follows is our honest local guide: what is free, what costs, and what to watch out for.
Walks and viewpoints+
Orrest Head Free
The view that started it all. Alfred Wainwright's first Lakeland view was from this summit in 1930, and a plaque at the top marks the spot. The signed path begins opposite Windermere station. Allow: about 1 to 1.5 hours there and back, with 20 to 30 minutes of steady climbing. From the house: about a 10-minute walk to the trailhead opposite Windermere station. Best time: a clear morning, before the cloud builds.
Holehird Gardens Free
A volunteer-run garden above the town. Entry is free and a donation is welcomed. Walled garden, upper garden and lake views. Allow: 1 to 2 hours. Best time: a weekday morning outside school holidays. Some paths are steep, so stout shoes help.
Lakeside stroll at Bowness Free
The promenade and the western shore. Walk the Bowness front, then take the year-round car ferry across to Ferry House and walk the quieter western shore. Allow: 2 to 3 hours with the crossing. From the house: about a 10-minute stroll to the Bowness lakefront. Best time: late afternoon light on the water.
On the water+
Windermere Lake Cruises, Red route Paid
Bowness to Ambleside via Brockhole. The Red cruise runs all year, 364 days, and is the most scenic half of the lake. A 24-hour ticket covers the full lake and the islands cruise, so you can hop off at Brockhole or Ambleside and catch a later sailing. Allow: half a day if you break the journey. From the house: about 10 minutes on foot to Bowness Pier. Best time: the first sailing of the day, before the piers fill.
Self-drive boats from Bowness Paid
An hour on the lake under your own steam. No licence needed, full safety briefing given. Allow: 1 hour on the water plus booking time. From the house: about 10 minutes on foot to the Bowness boat hires. Best time: calm mornings. The lake is cold all year, so this is sightseeing, not swimming.
Gardens and family favourites+
Brockhole, the Lake District Visitor Centre Free grounds
Thirty acres between Bowness and Ambleside. Entry to the grounds is free, though parking is charged. Note: the visitor centre and cafe were permanently closed in March 2025, while the grounds remain open. Allow: 2 to 3 hours. Best time: any dry day, it is mostly outdoors.
The World of Beatrix Potter, Bowness Paid
The tales told in three dimensions. A Bowness institution on the lake road, popular with families. Allow: 1 to 2 hours. From the house: about 1.6 miles to Bowness, a level walk or a short bus ride. Best time: first thing, it gets busy by midday in school holidays.
Eating and drinking+
Book dinner ahead Worth knowing
Village kitchens are small and sittings are limited. On Fridays and Saturdays, book your table when you book your room. Many kitchens stop serving by around nine in the evening.
Picnic supplies Free to browse
Booths, the northern supermarket opposite Windermere station, stocks Cumbrian produce and is the easiest place to put together a fell-walking picnic. From the house: about a 10-minute walk.
Where the crowds are not Worth knowing
The Bowness lakefront is at its busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon in summer. Windermere village, up the hill by the station, stays quieter and is closer to the house.
Getting here and around+
By train Public transport
The branch line runs from Oxenholme Lake District, on the West Coast main line, to Windermere station. The Firgarth is about a 10-minute walk from the station, up Ambleside Road.
By bus Public transport
The 599 open-top bus links Windermere, Bowness, Grasmere and Keswick in the visitor season. Check the current timetable before you rely on the last bus back.
Parking Worth knowing
The house has free parking, one space per room. Public car parks in Bowness fill early on fine summer days and charge by the hour, so the honest advice is to leave the car at the house and walk.
Safety and honest cautions+
Fell weather Safety
Weather changes fast above the lake. Carry layers, a map, and a charged phone, and tell someone your route before a longer walk. If the cloud comes down on Orrest Head, turn back, the view will keep.
Water and paths Safety
The lake is cold all year round. Swim only where it is supervised and expected. Check for ticks after walks through bracken. On narrow lanes, use the passing places and expect sheep.
Seasonal closures Worth knowing
Cruise and bus timetables shrink in winter, and some attractions close for the season. Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's house, needs advance booking through the National Trust and is closed on some days. Check opening times before you set out.
Gallery
The house, room by room
Photographs of the house and its rooms. Select any image to see it larger.
Good to know
The practical details
Check-in
4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. If you will arrive outside these hours, please call ahead.
Check-out
8:00 am to 10:00 am.
Minimum stay
2 nights, or 3 nights over public holidays.
Adults-only house
This is an adults-only house. Please call to confirm the minimum age requirement.
Pets
We are unable to take pets.
Smoking
No smoking anywhere in the house.
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi throughout the house.
Parking
Free parking, one space per room.
Stairs
There is no lift. Guest rooms are on the first and second floors of this 1875 house.
Deposit
Please call or email to confirm.
Questions
Asked often
How do I book a room? +
There is no online booking engine. Please call +44 15394 46974 and book with Pam and Colin directly.
What are your prices? +
We do not publish rates online. For current rates and availability, please call +44 15394 46974.
Can children stay? +
The Firgarth is an adults-only house. Please call to confirm the minimum age requirement.
Is there a minimum stay? +
Yes. Stays are for a minimum of 2 nights, or 3 nights over public holidays.
Do you take pets? +
No, we are unable to take pets.
Is there parking? +
Yes. Free parking with one space per room.
Is there a lift? +
No. Guest rooms are on the first and second floors of this 1875 house, reached by stairs.
What is the deposit? +
Please call or email to confirm.
Book direct
Talk to the people who run the house
There is no online booking engine and no email address on file, so the telephone is the way to book. Call Pam and Colin for rates, availability, and anything else you want to know.
+44 15394 46974The Firgarth, Ambleside Road, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 1EU
Book direct, no middlemen.
Also listed on TripAdvisor and Expedia.