Car needed for Lake District?

The no car option in the Lake District is possible. The Golakes tourism website has transportation information:
http://www.golakes.co.uk
Look under the "Travel" tab for transportation options, timetables and cost.

You can also check the point A to B possibilities using them bus/public transit option of Google Maps for bus options. You may have to combine some walking with bus mode.

We drove around northern England a few years back, including several nights in Keswick. By the time we got there, two weeks into the trip, I was thoroughly spooked driving on the small country roads, even with an automatic shift We had met some nice people in a Durham pub who met up with us in Keswick and gave us a tour in their car (Brits can be very friendly and helpful), but this was our dumb luck. I also took a local bus to a nearby trailhead and walked above Derwentwater and around to another town where I got another bus back to Keswick. The local bus network is very good, and serves a lot of climbers and walkers, but you lose flexibility compared to driving. Here's another website that may help.

" (Brits can be very friendly and helpful),

(Of course we are. :-)

Personally, I don't find it scarey to drive on the left hand side in the UK. I've done it many times with stick and automatic. The hard part about driving is the navigation if you are traveling solo. Of course, I don't like waiting for buses. I have no problem with public transit when it is frequent and goes where I want to go when I want to go. But, if I am going to spend thousands of $$$ and precious vacation time to get to the UK, I really hate having my time governed by rural bus schedules.

Pam

Note that most bus service runs between Easter and the end of October.

Thanks everyone for the varies and helpful advice! Much appreciated! Jane

"Note that most bus service runs between Easter and the end of October." - b###s##t.
Most buses run for the benefit of the locals, and run 12 months of the year. Some buses in tourist areas run extra services in the summer for the benefit of tourists, 80-90% of which are from other parts of the UK.

I've spent a great deal of time in the Lake District both with and without cars for the last 25 years. Both ways work well!
The public buses in the Lakes are great and run around to most places you will want to go, even fairly out-of-the-way hamlets tucked amongst the hills. The plus side is that you can relax and let someone else drive, many of the buses have luggage racks, and the schedules are very easy to read. The negative side is that buses to some of the more remote places don't run as frequently as you might like, limiting your time. Some of the lines also end service relatively early in afternoon/evening so you may be forced to go back to where you're staying sooner in the day than you might like.

Cars are convenient but there are pros and cons as well. Some of the roads in the area are EXTREMELY narrow, lined on both sides with dry-stack stone walls that make you want to suck in your gut when passing trucks and buses. It can be a little nerve-racking. You have to watch out for lambs and sheep on the road in quite a few places. It can also be a little challenging to find parking in some places. The bigger towns generally have lots for day visitors. Smaller places can be challenging with limited space. We make sure to arrive early in some of the hiking spots that are more popular and that have smaller car parks. That said, there is a great sense of freedom when you have a car. You can stay as long as you want up in the hills, explore side roads to see where you end up, and stop to watch farmers herding sheep with their border collies. There is a lot to see that you definitely miss when using the bus.
I have to correct the statement above which says, "Note that most bus service runs between Easter and the end of October". The public buses run in the winter. Not to some of the places that are difficult to get to because of higher passes and snow, such as Buttermere and some places out on the coast, but they do continue up and down the A66 as well as to plenty of other places in the National Park. Here is a map of winter bus service in the Lakes.
If you are hiring guides for climbing they often will provide you with transportation to wherever you plan to go.
I recommend that you join a couple of Facebook pages that are populated by people who live in and/or love the area..."I Love the Lake District" and "The Lakes and Beyond" are two that I follow that are a wealth of information. People frequently ask questions about good guide services, best hikes, etc. and get great answers and recommendations.
I also recommend a visit to George Fisher in Keswick, the premiere hiking and climbing shop in the Lakes. It's been there over a hundred years and is an icon in the area. The Moot Hall in Keswick has the best tourist office you'll find anywhere - tons of information.
Have a great trip!

Your nervousness about driving in the UK for the first time is completely understandable.
Some travelers have candidly reported here that they found driving in the UK to be more stressful than they anticipated, and that the stress somewhat affected their trip experience.
Others have reported driving in the UK did not stress them out, at least not enough to affect the quality of their trip experience.

You, the prospective driver, are the best one to make the final decision on renting a car versus public transportation--weighing the ease or difficulty of utilizing public transportation against the potential stress that "driving on the other side" (with all its differences) might have on you and the quality of your vacation experience.

What I've done in the past in the UK is:
1) If trains go where I want to go, take the train.
2) If trains don't go there, but buses do, try to get a look at the bus schedules before you decide on buses.
3) If trains or buses won't work, consider van tours.
4) If none of the above work, renting a car is obviously a potential solution.
5) If renting a car, and it's your first time, you may want to "insist" on an automatic transmission; the reason I say "insist" is because--unlike in the US--a high % of cars in a rental lot, over there, have manual transmissions; and even though you have checked the box online for automatic transmission, don't assume it's like here and that of course they'll have an automatic waiting for you. So what you do is: I've had 100% good results getting an automatic in the UK by doing this: call the rental company UK phone number (not the generic #) a few days prior to the rental pickup date, to verify with a person that "Yes, I'm a Yank and really do need an automatic, you'll have one for me, yes?" And then they do.

My wife and I have done a couple of walking trips in the Lake District relying on public transportation and not needing a private car, but have not done any technical climbing in the UK. Anita's suggestion regarding the guide service helping with and/or providing transportation makes a lot of sense. At a minimum, ask the guide service for advice re the need for a private car. After all, your guide would also need to find his or her way to the trailhead.

You may want to look into the availability of taxi or car services if you only need occasional transport to somewhere remote. On our coast walking trip our overnight accommodation just leaving the Lake District was a bit off the walking path. Our booking agent set up a taxi car service that picked us up at the walking path and delivered us to the hotel, reversing the process the next day. (There was a red telephone booth at the end of the trail).

I'm a chicken when it comes to thinking of driving the UK roads. Having walked the country roads in northern England and Scotland, I am amazed at the skill of the UK drivers in that some of these roads are narrow (cars would have to slow down and possibly pull to the side to pass), often pinched between rock walls with curves. Fortunately as a walker, we can hear the cars coming and traffic is very light on these roads.

Remembering to drive left would be one of my concerns. At least London curbs are painted with "Look Right" or "Look Left" in the case of some one way roads. A friend experienced riding (as in bicycling) left in New Zealand where South Island traffic is very light. He said that after pulling over to enjoy the scenery, he often found himself riding on the right having forgotten that he wasn't riding in North America.

Bottom line may be a state of mind. If you expect driving in the UK to be a subjective hazard that you have control over driving may be comfortable to you. To the extent that it's an objective hazard, let someone else do the driving.