Windermere is a long, narrow lake in the Lake District, in the northwest of England, and it is the largest lake in England — about 17 kilometres from end to end, but never much more than a kilometre across, so it looks more like a wide river between hills. It is one of the most visited places in Britain: boats carry tourists up and down it, and there are hotels and walking paths all around. The name also belongs to the small town at the lake's edge, so 'we stayed in Windermere' means the town and 'we sailed on Windermere' means the water. Careful readers of British writing will notice people do not usually say 'Lake Windermere', because '-mere' already means lake — saying both is like saying 'lake lake'. You will still hear 'Lake Windermere' from visitors and see it in tourist advertising, so it is not wrong enough to correct anyone over, but locals tend to say just 'Windermere' or 'Windermere lake'. Worth knowing that 'largest lake in England' is a careful claim: lakes in Scotland and Northern Ireland are much bigger, and Windermere is largest by surface area while another Lake District lake, Wastwater, is deeper.