The Lake District is the last place I want to be in a car on a Bank Holiday Monday.  But today, with the numerous public transport links that exist within the National Park it’s possible to have a great week in the Lakes and leave the car at home.

          Now I know what you are thinking.  It’s either going to cost me the equivalent of a new Gore-tex jacket in bus fares, and then when I get off the bus there’ll be nowhere idyllic or challenging to walk.  Well rest assured, you’re wrong and wrong on both counts.

          For a start you can get a four-day explorer ticket giving you unlimited travel on buses within Cumbria for less than ten pints of beer.  And when you have finished your walk, you can have a couple of well-deserved pints because you won’t be the one doing the driving home!

          If you’re going to attempt a week’s break in the Lake District using public transport, then from my experience the best place to base yourself is in Windermere.  It might be the most touristy bit of the Lakes but it gives you option of arriving by train.  Many of the bus services call at the railway station and there are plenty of frequent services to other key towns such as Ambleside, Coniston and Keswick.  It also enables you to combine the boat trips with a walk and has the widest choice of accommodation.

          Whenever I have a public transport week in the Lakes, I spend Sunday locally in the Windermere area, buy a four day explorer ticket at the Tourist Information Centre for my travels on Monday through to and including Thursday, then treat myself on Friday to one of those minibus guided tours that operate across the area.  It’s surprising how quickly the week flies by.

          For those who’ve never spent a week in the Lake District on public transport before, here are the lessons learned from some of my mistakes.

1.       Plan ahead.  Plan in advance.  There’s an excellent publication available from the Tourist Information Centres called “Getting around Cumbria and the Lake District”.  It’s published twice a year and details time tables for train, ferry coach and buses within Cumbria.  This helps with planning your walking trips in advance.

2.       Use the less frequent service first.                  If you’re doing a walk using two bus services, try to use the less frequent service first, and walk back to the more frequent bus service.  Better still, bus out and walk back if you’re tackling a linear walk.  The last thing you need on a cold, windswept Bank Holiday Monday is to find that you’ve got to run the next two miles to ensure you get the last bus back.

3.       Double-check all the symbols.     Check the timetable and ensure you know what the symbols mean.  Some services only run on a school day, whilst others are weekdays only.  Don’t get caught out waiting for a bus that isn’t due to arrive!

4.       Familiarise yourself with the bus stops. When you get off your bus to start your walk, look for where the return bus will stop, or ask the driver.  If it is a quick dash to get the last bus, make sure you know where you’re running to.

5.       Keep travel tickets secure.         If you’ve bought an Explorer ticket, or a combined bus, boat and entry fee ticket, keep it somewhere separate and secure so you don’t lose it every time you take your map out of your pocket.

6.       Be realistic with connections.     All it takes is a stray sheep on the road or the head-on meeting with a lorry coming in the opposite direction to cause a delay with the bus you are travelling on.  If you need to connect with another service to get back, allow yourself plenty of time.

7.       Enjoy being a passenger.  It probably sounds silly, but don’t forget to look out of the window!  Too often as a driver I find myself looking ahead to where the bus driver is going, instead of looking to the left and right.  Sitting on a bus you can see over stonewalls and catch glimpses of views you’d never see as the driver of a car.  Make the journey part of the day too.

8.       Avoid the school buses if you can.        They’re identified on the timetable and the journey is longer because they make specific detours to the schools and stop more frequently to drop pupils off.  Some drivers may even give you alternative routes home instead!  If you can’t avoid these buses, sit near the door for a quick exit.  The kids all want the back seats anyway!

9.       Book early for the mini Bus Trips.         If you want to do one of the private mini-bus tours offered by several companies in the area, select your trip and book it as soon as possible.  The popular routes fill up very early.

10.     Go between June and the end of August.        Although many services operate throughout the year across the area, there are usually more buses servicing those routes, giving you more choice and flexibility throughout June, July and August.  So make sure you have up to date timetables.

          Now you’ve got the facts, here’s my guide to ten top walking areas accessible by public transport in the Lake District.  Ding-ding, fares please!

Orrest Head

Service:        None required after arriving at Windermere Railway Station.

          Well if you’ve arrived on a Saturday and dropped everything off at your accommodation, the chances are you’re itching to get out and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.  This is a popular beauty spot because of its closeness to Windermere and its spectacular views, witnessed without having to climb any great heights. Take the signed path opposite the Tourist Information Centre and follow the path up to the viewpoint.

Coniston

Service:        505 – Coniston Rambler (Ambleside to Coniston)

          Bussing to Coniston gives you plenty of options depending on the weather.  On a clear day, ascending the Old Man well worth the effort with easy access to the Coppermines valley route from the village.  Alternatively, why not take a ferry from the end of Lake Road across Coniston Water climb up to Carron Crag in the Grizedale Forest and return through Monk Coniston Moor?

Langdale

Service:        516 – Langdale Rambler (Ambleside to Dungeon Ghyll)

          You can’t go wrong with this route.  At the end of the Langdale valley this bus simply turns around and goes straight back to Ambleside.  It’s routes like this that give you admiration for those bus drivers who can throw such large, long, single-decker buses round those tight bends.  But get off at the end of the road and consider walking back.  The Cumbria Way follows Langdale along the Great Langdale Beck, as far as Skelwith Bridge (bus stop).  Or instead you could follow the Cumbria Way in the other direction and climb High Raise, returning past Stickle Tarn and Dungeon Ghyll Force, for the last bus back.

Loughrigg

Service:        505 – Coniston Rambler / 599 Open Top Service

          The beauty of using public transport is that not every walk has to be circular.  You could use a walk to link up two different bus routes.  Take the Coniston Rambler to Clappersgate and climb over Loughrigg Fell, to the summit of Loughrigg before either dropping down into Grasmere to catch the open top service back or you can walk to Ambleside along the River Rothay and use the quiet lane past Fox How Farm.

Esthwaite Water & Claife Heights

Service:        505 – Coniston Rambler (Ambleside to Coniston)

          Taking the quiet road from Hawkshead to Lakeside follows the western shores of Esthwaite Water, before a quieter lane bears left to Near Sawrey.  From here there are good tracks up onto Claife Heights with their extensive views over Windermere and Hawkshead.  Again, public transport gives you two options here.  You could continue walking through Claife Heights to Latterbarrow with its good views over Ambleside, and then continue back down into Hawkshead, or you could bear right and head down towards Windermere Lake and catch the vehicle ferry back to Bowness.

Brothers Water

Service:        517 – Kirkstone Rambler (Windermere to Glenridding)

          Alighting at Hartsop, the tranquil Brothers Water lies just at your feet.  There’s an energetic route up Hartsop Above How to the summit of Hart Crag and then ultimately the Fairfield plateau, where again public transport provides a variety of options.  You can take a route down to Great Rigg and down into Ambleside, or take St Sunday Crag and descend into Patterdale at the bottom of Ulswater.

Tarn Hows

Service:        505 Coniston Rambler (Ambleside to Coniston)

          From Hawkshead Hill, an amble along the lane to Tarn Hows provides one of the best views of the Tarn there is, with craggy views across to the Langdale Pikes in the distance.  From here it is easy to pick up the circular path around the tarns, and then rambling round to Coniston.  Energetic walkers can pick up the Cumbria Way to Skelwith Bridge and use the Langdale Rambler to return to Ambleside.  The National Trust operates a mini bus Service on Sundays to Tarn Hows.

Derwent Water & Ashness Bridge

Service:        555 Lakeland Link (Lancaster to Keswick) & 79 Borrowdale Rambler

          From the bus stops at Keswick I’ve explored Latrigg and Skiddaw, and there’s a great path around the eastern shores of Derwent Water.  But you can also get the Borrowdale Rambler on its journey from Keswick to Seatoller.  It’s great to use this along the eastern shore of Derwent Water, and then get off to explore Ashness Bridge, the Lodore Falls and Bowder stone, before walking back to Keswick around the western shore of Derwent water.  For those who don’t want to walk quite so far, why not combine the bus with a walk and one of the ferry landing stages on the western shore? 

          The National Trust operates a minibus to Watendlath on Sundays too.

Buttermere

Service:        77/77A – Honister Rambler (Keswick circular via Seatoller, Buttermere, Lorton)

          Get off at Buttermere and launch yourself up to the summit of Red Pike, via Bleaberry Tarn and the Saddle, and then follow the ridge up to High Stile and High Crag before dropping back down Buttermere Fell and the southern shores of Buttermere.  The views from High Crag extend down towards Ennerdale Water and across to Fleetwith Pike.  Or for a more level amble, you could navigate both Buttermere and Crummock Water in a simple figure of eight.

Grasmere

Service:        599 – Open Top Experience (Bowness to Grasmere)

          Grasmere is the end of the line for this service, (or the start depending on which way you are travelling).  The quiet lane around Grasmere’s western shore links up with a footpath that continues alongside the waters edge all the way around to the River Rothay and Rydal Water.  A circuitous route can be created by using the quiet lane near Rydal Water back towards Dove Cottage at Town End, which provides some good views of Grasmere village and lake.  Or, you could use the Loughrigg Terrace route to Rydal Mount, a where a good path climbs up onto Rydal Fell and Great Rigg, before bearing sharp left to descend to the northern end of Grasmere.

Useful Websites

Stagecoach Bus Operator (downloadable timetables) = www.stagecoachbus.com

National Trust = www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Cumbria Tourist Board = www.golakes.co.uk/info/transport.htm

Cumbria County Council Public Transport website (downloadable timetables) = http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/publictransport/busserv/timetables/default.asp

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