This 2-bedroom cottage is a duplex apartment occupying the top two floors of a Victorian house, set midway between Windermere and Bowness in Cumbria. It sleeps four guests and sits just 0.5 miles from the shores of Lake Windermere. The open-plan lounge and kitchen-diner is filled with natural light from a large bay window. Recent guests called it "beautiful, clean and spacious."

This is proper Lake District. Orrest Head, famously the first viewpoint Alfred Wainwright visited in 1930, is just 1.5 miles away. School Knott Tarn offers incredible views over Windermere at the same distance. You can board lake cruises or hire rowing boats directly from the Windermere shore. A steam train runs to Lakeside for a classic day out.

The apartment has two bedrooms, one king-size and one twin, sleeping up to four. There is one family bathroom with a bath and shower. A handy downstairs WC adds practicality. The kitchen has an electric oven, gas hob, microwave and fridge/freezer. A small front patio is perfect for morning coffee.

Fell Foot (National Trust) is nearby for paddling and picnicking. Ambleside with its independent shops is 5 miles away (around 12 minutes by car). Bowness-on-Windermere is walkable. The World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness is under a mile away.

This stay suits couples and small families wanting a well-located Lake District base. Walkable to two town centres and moments from the lake, it's hard to beat for position.