FIGURES out today from VisitEngland confirm that Windermere Lake Cruises is again officially one of England’s most popular ‘paid for’ visitor attractions, based on passenger numbers.

The latest annual visitor attractions survey collated by the national tourism body reveals there were 1,611,491 passenger journeys on the company’s 16-strong fleet of ‘steamers’ during 2017.

The results move the company slightly further up the national list when compared to 2016 - ranking it in fourth position, again ahead of iconic attractions such as Stonehenge, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

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

Furthermore, the attraction is ranked as the second most popular paid for attraction in the North West region, after Chester Zoo.

The full top ten paid for visitor attractions in England in 2016, according to VisitEngland, are:

1. Tower of London

2. Chester Zoo

3. Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo

4. Windermere Lake Cruises

5. Stonehenge

6. St Paul’s Cathedral

7. Westminster Abbey

8. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Gardens

9. Romans Bath & Pump Room

10.RHS Garden Wisley

Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said: “We’re always 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.

“We are particularly pleased with the increase in the number of international visitors in 2017. Last year’s award of World Heritage Site status for the Lake District has really help us to attract international visitors into the county.”