The railway company was at a nonplus. Who'd want to go to Birthwaite? So, they changed its name to that of the nearby lake, the largest in England ... Windermere.

Visitors walked or rode about two miles down to the lake from the station, to sail on a paddle steamer called the Lady of the Lake.

In 1869, the Furness Railway finally reached the very shore of Windermere, at Lakeside, almost at the southern tip of the lake. They bought shares in the steamboat company, eventually taking it over completely. They treated the boats as an extension of the railway. Passengers got off the train at Lakeside, and simply walked across the platform to board the boat, and sail up the long, narrow lake to Bowness and Ambleside.

This is still possible, although the railway is now in private hands and operated by enthusiasts as the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. The line was cut by road improvements in the 1960s, so the trains only run about three miles to Haverthwaite, rather than joining the main line at Greenodd, as they used to.

Steam train rides are still available. The locomotive might be the recently restored No. 20, one of the few remaining examples of an original Furness Railway engine. It's claimed to be the oldest working restored standard-gauge engine in Britain; now in its original form and livery, it was rescued from a children's playground and restored, returning to service in Spring1999.

When Lady of the Lake was taken from Windermere, the tradition began of naming the boats after birds; Swan and Teal, Swift, Tern, Raven and Cygnet.

Two designs were popular. One was a long, slender, flush-decked design, such as the Swift, which was broken up several years ago. This boat was built in 1900 and transported to Lakeside in segments, for assembly on the lake.

An example of the other design is still in service. The Tern was built in 1891 and, again, brought to the lake for assembly in kit form. It's about the same length and beam, but with a canoe-type bow and stern. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy during World War II as HM Training Ship Undine. She didn't go to sea, but remained on Windermere for mine-laying training, doubling as a patrol vessel, guarding Short's flying-boat factory at White Cross Bay, just north of Bowness.

Originally steam-driven, she was re-engined with diesels in 1956.Some people missed the sight of Tern fussing busily down the lake, usually trailing black smoke from her funnel. The majority, however, welcomed the new engines. Under steam, Tern tended to cough gobbets of soot from the funnel, to the consternation of the passengers on the open deck.

Many passengers preferred to wait for the new diesel boats, Swan and Teal, which came into service in the late 1930s. These fine boats were regarded as the epitome of modernity. White, stately and above all, clean, their style recalls a contemporary art-deco poster. If a local school child of the time, who seldom saw the sea, was asked to draw a luxury liner, the result usually resembled Swan or Teal.

Sadly, an unsympathetic modernisation of these two boats has, in my opinion, almost completely disguised their original beautiful lines. Tern fared better. The awning covering the previously open deck is in keeping, and the new wooden wheelhouse on the foredeck (originally, the helmsman stood in the open, just forward of the funnel) blends into the background quite well. Sailing on Windermere in the fleet's oldest vessel is still a step into yesterday.

At Lakeside, visitors could always either admire the lake from its shores, or from its surface. Since 1997, when a new attraction was introduced, they can now get an idea of the view of the lake from its depths. The Aquarium of the Lakes is Britain's first fresh-water aquarium, and aims to show the progress of a Lakeland river from its source high on a mountain, through the lakes to its final destination in Morecambe Bay passing, on the way, the UK's largest collection of native fresh-water fish.

A tank re-creates the depths of Windermere itself, showing the underwater plant life, as well as the fish and diving ducks. There are also frogs and toads and other river- and lakeside life on display ... including a pair of playful otters. The climax is an 'under-water walk', to enjoy a 'fish-eye view' of the lake.

In a tank specially chilled to simulate the frigid depths of the lake, we can see the beautiful and rare Arctic Char, believed to be the only specimens on public display anywhere. They normally live right at the bottom of the deep lake, and potted char was an expensive and much sought-after delicacy. Fishing for char was once an esoteric art practised by a select few.... in fact, folklore once said that char could only be caught by spinning from a boat.... with a golden lure!