WINDERMERE Lakes Cruises has earned a spot in the top ten list of England's best paid for visitor attraction, based on passenger numbers.

The latest Annual Visitor Attractions Survey collated by the national tourism body VisitEngland reveals there were 1,557,423 passenger journeys on the company’s 16-strong fleet of ‘steamers’, modern launches and wooden launches during 2016.

The results place the company fifth on the national list, ranking ahead of iconic attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey.

Windermere Lake Cruises is also one of only three northern attractions in the top ten, along with Chester Zoo and Flamingo Theme Park and Zoo in North Yorkshire.

The full list is:

1. Tower of London

2. Chester Zoo

3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

4. Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo

5. Windermere Lake Cruises

6. St Paul’s Cathedral

7. Stonehenge

8. Royal Academy of Arts

9. ZSL London Zoo

10. Westminster Abbey

Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said: “We’re proud to feature on this list of truly world-class attractions from across the country. We believe a cruise on Windermere is a quintessential Lake District experience and this is borne out by another strong set of annual passenger figures which place us in the top ten nationally. Of course, it is also a fantastic way of transporting passengers around the area in a sustainable way.

“Looking ahead, we need to keep broadening our appeal and attracting both new and repeat visitors. The recent award of World Heritage status for the Lake District is a huge opportunity to continue building this momentum and helping to drive forward our vital tourism economy.”