We absolutely love the Lakes Aquarium! We feel so lucky to have an aquarium in this beautiful area. Having visited aquariums in different parts of the country, we can say that this one might be smaller than some others, but it’s local focus definitely makes it worth a visit.
Here’s how we did it.
Where is the Lakes Aquarium?
Based at Lakeside close to Newby Bridge, the Lakes Aquarium is right on the western shore of Lake Windermere. Lakeside to Haverthwaite Railway is right next door. It’s also one of the main stops for Windermere Lake Cruises, and you’ll often see one of the huge steamers pulling up.
Lakes Aquarium Parking
Parking is super easy for the aquarium. There is a car park at the Lakeside Hotel, which also serves the aquarium, Windermere Lake Cruises and the Lakeside to Haverthwaite Railway.
Parking costs £3 for 2 hours or £5 all day. The machine only takes cash but you can use your card at the ticket office which is just at the edge of the car park.
Our Lakes Aquarium Visit
We hadn’t been to the Lakes Aquarium for years and years, and my youngest two children can’t even remember visiting before! So, a rainy Wednesday in half term seemed like the perfect time for a visit.
We arrived in time for the opening at 10am in an attempt to beat the crowds, and parked easily in the car park.
Then, the best news of the day for me: the lovely lady working on the Reception desk replaced my lost local discount card! What a result! This meant a little discount for me today, which when you’re taking three kids with you definitely helps. You can see all the ticket prices on the website here.
The route around the aquarium starts upstairs, a lift is available for pushchairs and wheelchairs. I would say if it’s at all possible, try to leave pushchairs at home as in some areas it’s quite tight for space.
The aquarium is divied into sections based on geography, with different areas representing different parts of the world. You move through the different areas, giving lots of different experiences and keeping it interesting.
The English Lake District
The first section on the way round is the English lake District, which was a nice introduction. The surprise star attractions here for us were the harvest mice! They were so fun!
Asia and The Otters
The Otters were my biggest memory from our last visit to this aquarium, so I was gutted this time as they were fast asleep in their little warm cubby hole! As we visited at 10am, and their first feeding time is at 11:30, they obviously weren’t yet awake.
I do highly recommend seeing one of their daily feeds if you can. Their living area is behind a big glass window, and their 11:30am feed is done by keepers who talk you through everything you might want to know about otters. I remember this was so interesting!
The Americas
Now here were some really cool fish! My teenager was like ‘I’ve been waiting for the actual aquarium fish’! Stars of the show for us here were the piranhas and the axolotls, but the whole area was just really lovely to look at and the tanks were all super interesting.
The Rainforest
The one thing that none of us expected to see at an aquarium were ants – but they were super cool! The Leaf Cutter ants spend all their time transporting leaves way bigger than them, and the network of ropes for them to travel along means you can see them close up. Another surprise hit!
We also enjoyed seeing the beautiful poison dart frogs and the geckos, and experiencing the rainforest creatures that were new to us.
Africa
Our absolute favourites in the Africa area were the Elephantnose fish, where we spent ages watching them in the tank.
We also loved the tortoises, I find them fascinating and could watch them ambling around for hours.
Recreated Lake Windermere
This area creates a journey both above and below Lake Windermere, which is unique to this aquarium. First of all you travel across a walkway taking you across the top of a big tank, where you can see all the fish from above.
You then go down the stairs/lift and continue the journey underneath the tank, which is filled with fish that you would find in Lake Windermere. This was a massive hit with the kids, who loved being able to see so much. The tunnel means you get to be really close to the fish, some of which are huge!
At the Seashore
The final section of the aquarium is a recreation of Morecambe Bay, the most local seashore to the aquarium. We enjoyed seeing all the mussels and anemones in the rockpools, and the starfish that was just like we would see on the beach.
Round the final corner was a tank that you can see in from above, and from the sides. To see it from above, you go up the steps of a recreated ‘boat’ complete with steering wheel. This is a hit with younger kids!
The best view of the tank though, comes from the side, where you can see all the rays up close. I would say this is where we spent the most time out of the whole visit!
As usual at the end of a visitor attraction, the exit is through the gift shop. This shop is really quite lovely though, and we spent a little bit if time browsing before we left.
We finished the trip with an ice cream from the cafe on the train platform, and we were lucky enough to see the steam train on the Lakeside to Haverthwaite railway leaving as we ate them – a perfect end to a lovely morning!
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West Windermere Way: Lakeside to Newby Bridge