The first Festival of the Lake is coming to Windermere Jetty Museum on 17 August. Organised by Lakeland Arts, the festival will feature captivating talks, live music, stalls, lake-themed activities and an opportunity to explore Windermere on a historic boat.
Throughout the day there will be a lineup of live performances, with Nobody’s Friend Shanty Group, Fiona Hanlon and Kev Kendal. Windermere Jetty Museum’s conservation team will be demonstrating traditional boatbuilding skills and talking about recent restoration projects and boat engineering. On the wharf, there will be the chance to learn something new and give rope and knot making a go. The Windermere Model Boat Club Exhibition will be on the boating pond, showcasing a selection of impressive boat replicas – there will be opportunity for everyone to have a go at sailing a model boat.
Families are invited to explore the outdoors, learn about boat building and discover the nature which surrounds us. Embark on an adventure with an explorer pack and follow the interactive trails and self-led activities around the museum. Watch the wildlife, identify native plants and animals, skim a stone, create some environmental art or pretend to be a pirate! For younger children, there will also be a sensory area to enjoy. Delicious local food and drinks will be available throughout from the Lakeshore Café.
Experience the thrill of sailing on the historic boat Amazon, with one-hour trips available throughout the day. Amazon is one of two boats which were used in the 2016 film adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s classic children’s novel Swallows and Amazons. Edwardian steam launch Osprey will also take visitors on regular cruises around the lake throughout the day.
Dotted around the museum, there will be a variety of lake-themed stalls to explore. Stallholders include the Steamboat Association, Friends of the Lake District, who are running a children’s colouring competition, and a Waterbird stall where a fascinating talk about the engineering of seaplanes will be taking place. There will be conservation stories from the Windermere Jetty Museum conservation team, including Ken Burdon on ‘Henry Segrave: British Pioneer in Land and Water Speed Records,’ and Ian Gee on ‘How Boats Were Built to Go Faster and Seaplanes Were Made to Take Off from Water’.
Tickets for the festival are available online. For more information, visit Lakeland Arts or contact the team at info@lakelandarts.org.uk
