Windermere, << WIHN duhr `meer,` >> is the largest lake in England. This beautiful body of water lies in the county of Cumbria, in northwestern England. The lake forms part of the famous English Lake District. The scenery surrounding Windermere inspired English Romantic poets William Wordsworth, Robert Southey, and Samuel Coleridge. Wooded hills rise as much as 1,000 feet (300 meters) high around the lake. The small islands in the center of the lake form a picturesque group. Windermere covers 5.69 square miles (14.7 square kilometers), and is from 30 to 200 feet (9 to 61 meters) deep. Its greatest width is 1 mile (1.6 kilometers), and it is about 101/2 miles (16.9 kilometers) long. The River Leven flows from Windermere into Morecambe Bay.
