Parents can keep the kids enthralled this October half term with some spooky storytelling aboard a very special ‘Ghost Ship’ in the heart of the Lake District.

One of Windermere Lake Cruises’ historic steamers will be decked out in Halloween-themed decorations, as the UK’s first official Laureate for Storytelling, Taffy Thomas MBE, entertains passengers with his unique brand of spooky tales and folklore about lakeside locations.

Setting sail on Wednesday 30 October 2013, traditional storyteller Taffy will be marking some of the ghostly goings on in and around the iconic landscape down the centuries. So whether you’re a true believer or a hardened skeptic, his storytelling cabin is sure to be centrepiece of the cruise.

There’ll also be plenty of family games and themed activities including face-painting on board.

To make the budget stretch a little further, every child in fancy dress accompanied by a paying adult will be allowed on the Ghost Ship for free.

Taffy Thomas says, “The shoreline of Windermere is an ideal place to recount some ghostly stories and forelore. Travelling around the lake will truly help bring those tales to life, as I point out the real-life locations associated with a series of mysterious and unexplained happenings in the area over the years. It will be a unique experience not just for children, but for anyone interested in getting a whole new perspective on England’s most iconic lake.”

The Ghost Ship will set sail from Lakeside at the southern end of Windermere, before travelling north to Bowness and Ambleside. It will then make the eleven mile return journey down the lake.

The full timetable for departures on Wednesday 30 October is:

· Lakeside, 1.35pm

· Bowness, 2.30pm

· Ambleside, 3.15pm

· Bowness, 4.00pm (for final sail to Lakeside, arriving at 4.40pm)

For maximum flexibility, passengers can join the spooky spectacle for all or part of the journey, using Windermere Lake Cruises’ usual scheduled tickets.

Prices start from £10.00 for adults and £6.00 for children, aged 5-15 (based on Bowness-Ambleside, return). Under 5s are free. Family tickets are also available.

For more details, and to book online for reduced fares, visit:

www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Taffy Thomas, MBE is the artistic director at the Grasmere-based Northern Centre for Storytelling and has a repertoire of more than 300 stories, collected mainly from traditional oral sources. Awarded the MBE in 2001 for services to storytelling and charity, he became the UK’s first official Laureate for Storytelling in 2010 – a position he held for two years. Taffy is also a patron of the Society for Storytelling.

Windermere Lake Cruiseshosts more than 1.3 million passenger journeys annually on the country’s longest lake, according to official VisitEngland figures. The company operates 16 boats, including three steamers, nine waterbuses and four wooden launches.  Windermere Lake Cruises’ oldest and most iconic vessel, MV Tern, hosted the Olympic Torch as part of its nationwide relay in 2012, while Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Princess Royal stepped on board MV Teal as part of a special visit in July 2013. www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk / @Windermereboats

For more information about the ‘Ghost Ship’ please contact: Heather Sewell, 01539 825002 / 07795 487003 / hsewell@cumbriatourism.org