Great North Swim Travel Information
Travel and Parking
The Great North Swim will take place at the Low Wood Hotel and Marina on the east side of Lake Windermere. The Hotel and Marina is situated on the A591 which is one of the main routes into the Lake District and as such can become quite congested.
Although there will be parking available at the Low Wood Hotel we recommend that you look at one of the alternative options to make getting to and from the Great North Swim as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
Park and Sail
To encourage participants and spectators to leave the car, relax, enjoy their day and take in the fantastic scenery we will be operating a park-and-sail service from Bowness-on-Windermere directly to the Great North Swim!
Parking is available at the Windermere Steamboat Museum (Rayrigg Road, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 3HE), and for just £3 per car you can park here for the whole day and catch a regular boat to and from the Great North Swim.
The Park and Sail site is only a 15 minute boat ride from the Low Wood Marina so there is no better way to get you in the mood before the swim or relax after it, than to enjoy a cruise down the lake.
Please note – Unfortunately the park and sail service is not suitable for wheelchair users or coach/minibus groups.
By Car
Parking is available for £5 per car at the Low Wood Hotel. Users of this car park may experience congestion entering and leaving this car park.
Alternatively you can avoid the queues around the event site by making use of the ample public parking in nearby Ambleside. Only 15 minutes walk from the Low Wood Hotel.
By Train
Windermere Train station is at the end of the branch line and has direct trains that run as far south as Manchester Airport. You can transfer at Oxenholme (near Kendal) on the main west coast line access the Windermere line. The journey from Oxenholme to Windermere takes around 30 minutes.
For more information on train services visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or call 0845 748 49 50.
By Bus
The number 555/556 bus runs from Lancaster Bus station to Keswick, via Windermere and Ambleside. For more information on bus timetables visit www.stagecoachbus.com.
For more information visit www.greatnorthswim.org
