441km (274 miles) NW of London; 16km (10 miles) NW of Kendal; 89km (55 miles) N of Liverpool

The largest lake in England is Windermere, whose eastern shore washes up on the town of Bowness (or Bowness-on-Windermere), with the town of Windermere 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) away. From either town, you can climb Orrest Head in less than an hour for a panoramic view of the Lakeland. From that vantage point, you can even view Scafell Pike, rising to a height of 963m (3,210 ft.) -- it's the tallest peak in all of England.