A “no-frills” Victorian guest house in the heart of Windermere

• 7 rooms including 4 en-suite • Complimentary continental breakfast • 37 Broad Street, Windermere
Call to book: +44 15394 43886 See the rooms

No online booking engine here, just a phone line and a front door. Call the house directly and sort your stay with the people who run it.

What guests score it

Rated across the review sites

Scores below are shown exactly as listed on each platform, with the review count and the date we recorded them.

TripAdvisor

4.3/5

based on 211 reviews

KAYAK

8.5/10

based on 978 reviews

trivago

8.6/10

based on 1,094 reviews

momondo

8.5/10

based on 999 reviews

Scores as of 1 October 2026. We do not hide the less flattering feedback: read the honest note under “Good to know” before you book.

The rooms

Seven rooms, four of them en-suite

We show rates over the phone only, so call for current prices and availability. Room photos below are from earlier years; the house has changed a little since, so call for current room photos if the look matters to you.

Double room interior, brown and gold bedding Double room interior, monochrome bedding

Interior photos may show earlier decor. Rooms may differ, please call for current photos.

Double Room

A classic double for two, in the main Victorian house. Ask about en-suite availability when you call.

Check rates

Triple Room, photographed by nobody yet. Sleeps three, in the same no-frills spirit as the rest of the house.

Triple Room

Room for three, handy for small families or friends walking together. No current room photos on file.

Call for current room photos and rates: +44 15394 43886.

Check rates
The breakfast room with a laid table and maritime pictures

Breakfast

Included, continental, book it the day before

A complimentary continental breakfast comes with every stay. The window is short, so the house asks guests to book their slot the day before.

8:30 to 9:00 AM, please book the day before

Guests consistently praise the breakfast. The half-hour window is tight, so tell the house your plans the evening before and you will be fed.

The house philosophy

Home from home, not stuffy

“At Green Gables we have a very simple philosophy: clean, comfortable accommodation at a reasonable price, more like a ‘home from home’ than a stuffy and strict place to stay.”

The owners, writing on the TripAdvisor About page for Green Gables Guest House

Green Gables is a Victorian guest house on Broad Street, in the centre of Windermere. Seven rooms, a white and green porch, and a sign over the door that has been there longer than most of the review sites. The house does not pretend to be a boutique hotel. It promises a clean room, a proper breakfast, and friendly people, and the guest feedback says those are the parts it gets right.

Local guide

Windermere and Bowness, on foot from the door

Green Gables sits on Broad Street in the middle of Windermere town. The lake shore at Bowness is about 1.1 miles downhill, roughly 15 minutes on foot, and the railway station is about 7 minutes away. Everything below is written for guests staying here, with honest notes on what is worth it and what to watch out for.

+ Getting here

By train

Windermere station is at the end of the Lakes line from Oxenholme Lake District, which is on the West Coast main line from London Euston. From the station it is about 7 minutes on foot to 37 Broad Street, mostly downhill. Check the branch-line timetable before you travel: services are hourly at best and the last trains are early in the evening.

By car

Come off the M6 at junction 36 and follow the A591 to Windermere. On summer weekends and bank holidays the A591 can queue badly, especially around Bowness, so allow extra time or arrive outside the middle of the day.

+ Must-see, free
  • Orrest Head. free The classic Windermere viewpoint above the station, with a panoramic view over the lake and the fells. Getting there: 20 to 30 minute walk uphill from the station. Best on a clear morning; go early to beat the crowds and the midday haze.
  • Bowness Bay and the promenade. free Sit by the water, watch the boats, and walk the shore path. Genuinely the best thing in town on a fine evening. Getting there: about 15 minutes on foot, downhill from the house.
  • Wray Castle grounds. free grounds National Trust woodland walks and lake views on the west shore. Getting there: a short drive or boat ride from Bowness. The castle interior has limited opening.
  • Holehird Gardens. free Quiet hillside gardens run by the Lakeland Horticultural Society, above the lake near Troutbeck. Getting there: near Troutbeck; allow a quiet half day. Best in spring and early summer when the rhododendrons flower.
  • Tarn Hows. free A short, easy circular walk around a beautiful tarn. Getting there: about 20 minutes by car. Best light early morning or late afternoon; gets busy midday in summer.
+ Worth paying for
  • Windermere Lake Cruises. paid Boats from Bowness piers, from 45-minute round trips up to full lake cruises of about 3 hours. Getting there: about 15 minutes on foot, downhill to the Bowness piers. Check the timetable the day before, last sailings leave early outside high summer, and queues form on sunny days.
  • World of Beatrix Potter, Bowness. paid The Potter characters brought to life. Getting there: in Bowness, about 15 minutes on foot downhill; allow 1 to 2 hours. Best for families and rainy days; book online ahead in school holidays.
  • Windermere Jetty Museum. paid Boats and the story of the lake, right on the water. Getting there: at Bowness, about 15 minutes on foot downhill; a solid wet-weather option, 1 to 2 hours.
  • Brockhole on Windermere. free grounds, paid activities The Lake District visitor centre between Windermere and Ambleside: free gardens and lake shore, paid extras like treetop trails, archery, and boat hire. Getting there: a short drive toward Ambleside. Good with children, allow half a day.
  • Hill Top, Near Sawrey. paid, book ahead Beatrix Potter's farmhouse, National Trust. Getting there: across the lake near Sawrey; a small house, so visits are short, combine with the Sawrey village walk. Timed entry sells out days ahead in season, book before you travel.
+ Food and drink, plus what to skip

Eat well

  • Broad Street and the town centre. Pubs, cafes, and takeaways. Getting there: within a few minutes of the door. Good for an easy first night when you arrive late.
  • Bowness. The bigger choice: pubs with lake views, fish and chips by the bay, and hotel restaurants. Getting there: a 15-minute walk downhill, or a short taxi ride back up at night.
  • Booths supermarket, Windermere. The local favourite for picnic supplies before a fell walk. Getting there: in Windermere town, a few minutes from the door. Stock up the evening before an early start.
  • Book dinner ahead on Friday and Saturday nights in summer. Walk-ins can wait a long time in Bowness.
What to skip. The piers and the busiest corners of Bowness have the usual tourist-trap pricing on snacks and souvenirs. Walk two streets back and prices return to normal. Breakfast at the house is included and well liked, so there is no need to pay for it elsewhere.
+ Getting around and the pitfalls
  • Parking. Green Gables has on-street parking and there is a public car park opposite the house. Broad Street parking is limited and enforced, so use the spaces the house points you to rather than improvising.
  • The A591. The main road through Windermere and Bowness to Ambleside jams on summer weekends. If you are driving to Grasmere or Keswick, leave before 10:00 or after 15:00.
  • Bus 599. The open-top bus runs Windermere to Bowness, Ambleside, and Grasmere in season. A cheap way to see the valley without parking stress.
  • Trains. The branch line to Oxenholme connects you to the national network, but the last departures are early. Do not plan a late return from Manchester or London by train.
  • Phone signal. Fine in town, patchy on the fells and in the valleys. Download offline maps before a walk.
+ Safety
  • The lake is cold all year. Swim only where it is clearly safe and supervised. Cold water shock is the real danger, even on warm days.
  • Fell weather changes fast. Carry a map, a charged phone, a waterproof layer, and more water than you think you need, even for short walks like Orrest Head. Turn back if the cloud comes down.
  • Stick to marked paths after dark. The lanes around Windermere have no pavements in places and drivers do not expect walkers.
  • Lock valuables. Standard advice anywhere: do not leave bags visible in a parked car.

Good to know

Honest answers before you book

An honest word from recent guest feedback

Some rooms show their age and shower temperature can be tricky. The 2026 guest feedback mentions this. Breakfast and the friendly staff are consistently praised. If any of this concerns you, please call and ask before you book.

Based on recurring themes in 2026 guest reviews, not on any single quote. No review text is invented or altered here.

+ What are the check-in and check-out times?

Check-in is from 16:00 to 21:00, and check-out is at 10:00. If you will arrive after 21:00, please call ahead so the house can arrange it.

+ Can I bring a pet?

No pets, please.

+ Where do I park?

There is on-street parking at the house and a public car park opposite. Broad Street spaces are limited, so ask the house where to put the car when you arrive.

+ How does breakfast work?

Breakfast is a complimentary continental spread, served 8:30 to 9:00 AM. Please book your slot the day before, the window is short.

+ Do I pay a deposit? What is the cancellation policy?

Please call to confirm deposit and cancellation terms: +44 15394 43886.

+ How much does a room cost?

We do not publish rates online. For current rates and availability, please call +44 15394 43886.

+ Are the rooms modern?

Some rooms show their age; if this matters to you, please call to discuss which room suits you best: +44 15394 43886.

House policies

The short version

Check-in

16:00 to 21:00

Arriving after 21:00? Please call ahead so the house can arrange it.

Check-out

10:00

Please leave the room by 10:00 on the day you depart.

Pets

No pets

The house does not take pets.

Parking

Street + car park

On-street parking at the house, plus the public car park opposite.

Breakfast

Included

Complimentary continental, 8:30 to 9:00 AM. Book the day before.

Deposit

Ask us

Please call to confirm deposit and cancellation terms.

Book direct

Call the house and book direct, no middlemen

Green Gables has no online booking engine and no public email address. Your call goes straight to the people who run the house, who will tell you current rates, which rooms are free, and what the deposit terms are.

Call to book
+44 15394 43886
Lines are answered by the house, not a call centre

Green Gables Guest House
37 Broad Street, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 2AB
Check-in 16:00 to 21:00, check-out 10:00, no pets

We cannot check the rates on every website on the internet, and we will not pretend to. What booking direct does mean is that your call goes straight to the house, with no intermediary taking a cut of your stay.

Call +44 15394 43886