gkrnjlr

Hello! My sister and I are going to go to London next year and are really wanting to take a trip to the Lake District for a few days along the way to Edinburgh. She's a genealogy buff and has tracked our family back to Cumbria and Low Lorton. We think it'd be neat to see the area.

I have found that we can take the train to Oxenholme, but what do you suggest, without renting a car and driving, (instead of going to Oxenholme) for the easiest way to get to these areas?

Any suggestions or ideas? This is all totally new to me so please don't yell at me for asking a dumb question!

Thanks!

stut

If you don't want to drive, there's a surprisingly good bus network, with a couple of railway lines skirting the outside. From Oxenholme, a branch line continues to Kendal (a market town on the edge of the Lakes, where I prefer to base myself when I go up there, as I find the whole dusty B&B thing in the area rather tedious) and on to Windermere - another good base. For Low Lorton (between Keswick and Cockermouth) you can also access via Penrith.

Windermere railway station then connects you to the bus network proper (as does Kendal bus station).

This map gives you an idea:

http://providerfiles.thedms.co.uk/ea...055083_1_1.pdf

(although note that the bus services are much more widespread in the tourist season)

and you can use Traveline to plan your journey:

http://www.traveline.info/

There are a number of rover tickets that combine rail, bus and ferry. A good guide to getting around is on the tourist board website:

http://www.golakes.co.uk/travel/by-bus.aspx

Of course, there are also long-distance walking and cycle routes if you feel like being more active!

gkrnjlr

Great information! Thank you so much! You've given me a lot to research and consider!
We are planning on going in September. I hope that's a good time of year that won't be too hot or too rainy.

big_mac

It won't be too hot.
It might be too rainy, but you can't really avoid that risk at any time of year.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/w...mate/gcty8njjs

Don't expect buses to be very frequent - and check in advance if they run in the evening or on Sundays.

There is also a train service that runs around the coast (change from the mainline at Lancaster or Carlisle). It's quite scenic in places, but it's not a quick journey, nor on a particularly nice train.

rcspeirs

Bus service to Low Lorton is very infrequent. To use it, you need to be in either Keswick or Cockermouth. If you need to be in Keswick or Cockermouth - Oxhnholme/Windermere is not the place to start. Take the train to Penrith, then the bus that heads to Workington (via Keswick and Cockermouth).
You're heaeded for a beautiful spot, but you'll need military planning to use the sparse bus service.

rcspeirs

Too rainy??? Manage your expectations. Rain is always possible in the mountains, and if you don't get any treat that as a bonus.

stut

It's a Lake District - it rains a lot, or else the lakes wouldn't be there...

I wouldn't describe the main bus services as sparse - most are hourly from 7am to 10pm (the busier ones, like the 555, running every half hour). The one to Low Lorton is less regular:

https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/...1823102835.pdf

but a taxi journey from Keswick or Cockermouth isn't prohibitive. (Perhaps it's a question of perspective - I'm used to relying on an hourly bus service, and one that runs 4 times a day, so see the main Lakeland ones as pretty solid...)

Agree that it's easier to access Low Lorton from Keswick or Cockermouth (but I still find Kendal a better base for the area as a whole). Personally, I don't like Keswick at all, particularly in high season. Cockermouth is a nice little town, hopefully recovering well again, having been hit by bad flooding over the winter.

farci

Check here for typical weather in September.

It depends on your definition of hot but I can safely say the weather, to put it kindly, is best described as 'changeable'. It's all those mountains and, er, Lakes

Arctic Troll

Most of the bus services in that part of Lakeland are operated by Stagecoach, and you can find details of all their summer services here: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos...ct-this-summer. They do a PDF and printed Lakeland guide with all the bus timetables in it.

If you are intending to stay around Low Lorton, then making Keswick your base might be the best bet, although it does get busy in summer. The best station for Keswick and the North Lakes is Penrith, as the X4/X5 bus stops outside the railway station. It's possible to get to Keswick from Kendal and Windermere on the 555 bus too, which also runs every 30 minutes during the day, although it takes quite a bit longer.

Daytime buses around Keswick tend to be OK- the bus from Keswick to Low Lorton runs every two hours during the day, which is hardly sparse, but does require organisation- but after about 5pm you're largely reliant on taxis.

As for weather, it's often said up here that if you can see the fells it's about to rain and if you can't it already is raining. And if you don't like the weather it doesn't matter because it'll change in twenty minutes. Pack layers, it can be nice and warm and sunny during the day but by the evening it will be chilly.

I love this part of the world. I'm sure you will too.

HIDDY

I'd alight for the Lake District at Penrith station. Oxenholme station is further away from your destination and a bit out in the sticks. I remember being glad I had my bike when I was last there. I agree Keswick is a tourist trap/hub but as you don't have transport of your own it'll be a better place to find accommodation and transport to take you the short distance to Low Lorton.

I've been to the area many times over the years and had all sorts of weather although it's no coincidence that Keswick is such a great place to buy rain wear!!

antichef

As you will gather, travel by public transport can be tricky in remote areas. Is your aversion to hiring a car because of inability to drive or worry about traffic and congestion?

It might be a good idea to hire in the area for two or three days of getting around a very rural area in a limited time efficiently. I doubt you will have the worries of driving in a city on the other side of the road for the first time where you are going!

mad_rich

I have to agree. I'm in the Lakes 2-3 times a month, and there's absolutely no way I'd try to get around by public transport if I could help it.

If you're staying in one place, and that place happens to be well served (such as Windermere or, at a pinch, Keswick), then it might be OK. (But still, check the bus / train times on your day of departure and arrival to see how convenient they are.)

But if you want to travel around, it's madness to try it by bus if you have the option of a car. Even if you stick to the main bus routes such as the 555, you will be thinking to yourself 'Let's stop there, it's on the way' before realising that 'there' is 20 minutes walk from the bus stop and you end up having to spend more or less time 'there' than you'd like.

As far as places to stay. Agree that Keswick, Ambleside and Windermere are busy tourist spots. But tourists are there for a reason. Good location, lots of facilities.

Kendal is certainly less touristy, and is outside the National Park, but it's just a provincial UK town. It's perfectly fine, but there's not a great deal to recommend it. It's like visiting New York and staying in New Jersey - not really what you came for.

Weather - prepare for everything. You can get lovely warm, dry days or cold, wet and horrible. The only thing you won't get at that time of year is snow. (But maybe hail!) You'd need to check the forecast a couple of days out. It can often be very different 5 miles away.

gkrnjlr

Lots of information here, thank you all!

IF we were to rent a car it'd be from London (Victoria area, most likely.....or LHR if need be?) but with 1...being in a different country; and 2...not knowing our way around (assuming Siri would be able to help us if we did drive).

After reading all of this it does seem like a rental car would be the best way to get to Low Lorton and the other areas. I need to talk to my sister to get her take on driving. If we were to drive this how many days would you suggest spending there (and where would you recommend staying?).

Another question....what are the requirements for renting a car in the UK (traveling from the US)?

Thanks!

rcspeirs

Rent a car in London to drive to the Lake District? Crikey - No! That's how to ruin the trip within minutes.
Use the train to cover long distance and avoid the very crowded motorway network - it's congested all the way from London until about Preston.
You can rent from the big name major rental companies in Lancaster or Carlisle. They're nearer the station in Carlisle, but Carlisle does mean going about 20 miles too far then backtracking.
Either return the car to where you picked it up - or a one way rental to Edinburgh (avoid the city - drop at the airport) will take you through very pleasant Borders scenery. No traffic worries until you reach Edinburgh.
You need a licence that is more than a year old and to be above 25 - expensive age based supplements for young drivers. Automatic transmission needs to be specifically orders - rental fleets are mostly manual. Damage control is far stricter than North American visitors are used to.

Arctic Troll

Car rental companies have offices throughout the UK, you'd be able to get a hire car at Carlisle, which is the nearest city to the North Lakes. Europcar, Avis, Hertz all have offices in Carlisle, close to the railway station. It's not the nicest drive from London to Carlisle up the M6, the train would be much nicer, but it depends on budget.

In terms of accommodation, it depends on your budget. At one end of the scale you've got somewhere like Armathwaite Hall by Bassenthwaite and at the other you've got little farmhouse B&Bs in the small fell villages.

You'd probably want at least two days/three nights to really see what you've come to see, the roads are very slow in the Lakes and you can't get anywhere in a hurry.