THE countdown is on to one of the South Lakes’ festive calendar highlights.

The two-day ‘Windermere Christmas Celebration’ returns on December 8 and 9 and promises all the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas.

Traditional market stalls will dominate High Street, Victoria Street and Cross Street, attracting an estimated 10,000 people over the course of the weekend.

With live music across both days, activities for children including Taylor’s fun fair and festive food and craft stalls brimming with local produce, the event will showcase the very best of what the Lake District has to offer during this frosty but fun time of year.

Event director Kate Barton said: “It’s not just a benefit for the traders involved in the market themselves, but for businesses right across the town too – many of whom last year reported significantly higher footfall during the market weekend.”

Taking place between 11am-7pm on the Saturday and between 10am and 4pm on the Sunday, travel options include getting there and back by boat and by ‘goat’, with Windermere Lake Cruises and Mountain Goat bus tours stepping in to help keep congestion down on the roads.

Windermere Lake Cruises will operate services between Bowness and Ambleside, with a further four between Bowness and Lakeside. A free shuttle bus service will be laid to get passengers to the market. Parking will be available at The Glebe. On the Sunday, South Lakeland District Council is offering free parking in SLDC car parks.