This is one of our favourite family outings and one that we have been visiting now for about fifteen years.
If you are wanting to visit Lake Windermere I would recommend that you use this train as you will find parking so much easier than at Bowness.

The little Cumbrian village of Haverthwaite is next to the river Leven and is the terminus for the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway; it is off the A590 south of Newby Bridge. It can be reached by leaving the M6 at either junction 35 or 36, the A590 is a good double carriageway road and the journey to the railway is quick and easy taking about 30 minutes from the motorway, there are brown leisure signposts to help.
For anyone with a sat nav the post code for the railway is LA12 8AL.

If you have young children with you the first thing that they will notice is Thomas the Tank engine - or a replica of him, that stands on the car park by the engine shed. The large engine shed is free to enter ( a collecting box is there for donations towards the work that is done by the volunteers there) and contains a number of working engines, and some under repair or restoration; this shed seemed to create a lot of excitement for some of my male visitors and children !!
The last time we were at the station there was also an old Bedford Fire Engine outside the shed.

Even if you are not using the train I would recommend you go to the station simply to eat at the restaurant on the station. This food here is nothing like the railway food that is the butt of many jokes but incredible home cooked food which is fairly reasonably priced. On a cold day the fire is lit in the restaurant and it is really cosy.

It is the sound of the whistle and the tell tale smoke that really gets the people on the station excited. Jumping up and down with excitement as they rush to get on the bridge over the line to be the first to see it ( no that's not the kids but their dads!!), there is something very satisfying seeing the train chugg into the station, even the engine driver with his smutty face and lopsided cap looks authentic, and you are transported back to another era.
The trains are all very well maintained, and for older people like me, bring back old memories of transport past. Some of the carriages have tables and others are just seats, there are no refreshmesnts served on the train so if you think you or your children may need a drink take one with you, or they can be bought from the station.
The journey starts off taking you passed some old dissused trains, some in process of repiar and into the lovely Leven Valley, driving past fields of sheep, streams and houses were people are only to happy to wave back to you on the train.

As you near the end of your journey the stream running alongside you gradually gets bigger until you realise that you are approaching the beautiful Lake Windermere.

We have had some wonderful day's at Fell Foot - there is lots of room for children to play ball, lots of walks, an excellent play ground with some of the 'coolest' - to quote my 12 year old son, playground equipment you'll see anywhere. A lovely little cafe sits at the edge of the lake that sells scrummy home made cakes, snacks etc with tables inside and out. Last year on a lovely sunny day we sat outside eating chocolate shortcake and scones as my son and son in law hired a rowing boat that they took out on the lake.(They certainly gave us a laugh!!)
The National Trust run a little gift shop there that sells some high quality gifts, postcards, games etc.