Today I saw two sharks!  No, don't worry, not in Lake Windermere, it's still safe to swim there!  I went on an adventure to Lakeside, which is at the tip of the southern end of Windermere (the lake, not the town!).  I took advantage of residents fortnight and got discounted boat and aquarium tickets.

I set off in the cold, mist and drizzle and boarded the 10.45am boat from Bowness Pier.  It didn't matter that the weather was bad, I sat inside and gazed out of the windows, looking at the spooky patterns that the fog and mist made on the lake and surrounding hillsides.

45 minutes later we were docking at Lakside.  The Aquarium of the Lake is right there, just on the other side of the ticket office at the dock!  So I was straight inside and enjoying myself!  I picked up the quiz to help me enjoy the experience more (I'd recommend this). 

I hunted down various clues (hidden behind plastic snakes!) in some of the displays and also answered 10 quiz questions about some of the animals / fish / mammals / crustaceans etc.

I wandered saw creatures from the America, Africa, the tropical rainforest, English Lakes, Levens estuary, Morecambe bay and also went through an underwater tunnel (with fish from Lake Windermere) with all the fish swimming around, above and below me!  It was really enjoyable, and I would recommend it if you've got kids and it's a rainy day in the Lakes.

Stuff I can remember: sharks, rays, snakes, crabs, lobsters, pike, terrapins, otters, cod, pollock, turbot and much more!!

Some photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fetchsarahl/sets/72157626380452038/

I spent about an hour in there and then flitted through the gift shop and into Oscars Restaurant, located on the dock.  It was lovely to be able to sit overlooking the lake, in fact, the restaurant was overhanging the lake and it felt like I was *in* it!  The cafe did a range of freshly cooked food, from cakes and hot drinks to main meals and snacks.

I caught the 1.15pm ferry back (eating my packed lunch on the way!) and found myself back in Bowness by 2pm :)