Van Life, Photography & Walks in the Lake District | A Bowness-on-Windermere Hiking Adventure.

My mornings in the Lakes are seemingly slow, especially since the hour has sprung forward. The sun rises and the light emerges in a way that you don’t even notice it appear — it just softens slowly, quietly.

Parked up in the heart of Bowness, I walked down to the shores of the lake and watched the world stay hushed for a while as the skies turned pink and then blue. These are the kinds of mornings I chase — unhurried, raw, and full of the kind of light you only really get far away from a city. Being here in the van, camera on standby, boots by the door, makes everything feel so overwhelmingly close. As easy as it is to get trapped in the feeling of needing to explore everything and rush to the next lake and see more, this trip was about wandering. Always following my feet and the light, seeing what unfolded when I stayed still long enough. And of course, photographing the way it all made me feel and how the uk landscapes unfold and grow in spring.

Bowness-on-Windermere is such a gem for slow van travel. It’s got everything you need within walking distance, coffee shops, lakeside walks, and that blend of wild and cosy that makes you want to stay longer than planned. I parked up in a transient spot near the Aquatic centre with visitors coming and going all day, I sat still by the lake at Cockshott Point with golden light spilling over the hills one moment, then crystal-clear reflections dancing on the lake the next.

There’s something so grounding about being based here. You can leave the van parked and walk for hours in almost any direction. The paths are well-marked, but the magic is in the detours of the little woodland tracks, hidden shorelines, quiet benches for watching the boats drift by.

If you’re an avid walker like I am, then walking from Bowness up to Ambleside to then start a hike isn’t something you consider a big distance. After a short, flat 6 miles to take in the views of lake windermere, I stopped for a snack before hiking Stock Ghyll Force and then even further up to Wansfell Pyke. At the top, the lake unfolded below me like a painting. I followed a different path back down the other side of the mountain to the A591 which leads right back to Bowness.

I also Hiked the Red Screes as a circular route - you can see more of this hike in this blog post here.

I think that’s what I love most about van life in the Lake District, the slowness. The freedom to follow your curiosity. To wake up and choose stillness or movement, to be guided by weather, mood, and light.