Windermere, located in the lakes district, is the largest lake in England at 10.5 miles long. There is also a town called Windermere located a mile from the lake's shore. Windermere is the most popular area in the lakes district and has many attractions for visitors. It became a popular tourist attraction in 1847 when the Kendal and Windermere railway branch was built, which connected Windermere to the main rail system and made it more accessible to visitors.
Windemere is referenced in Recollections of a Tour Made in Scottland, A.D. 1803: "We had before seen the lake only as one wide plain of water; but here the portion of it which we saw was bounded by a high and steep, heathy and woody island opposite, which did not appear like an island, but the main shore, and framed out a little oblong lake apparently not so broad as Rydale-water, with one small island covered with trees, resembling some of the most beautiful of the holms of Windermere, and only a narrow river’s breadth from the shore." Windermere is used as a reference point in this text for audiences to compare an unfamiliar place to one that they are more likely to be familiar with.
Sources: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/places-to-go/explore-windermer…;