My husband and I will be visiting the Lake District in September for three nights. We will be taking the train from Oban, so I know it will be a long travel day. We will be staying at Holly Lodge in Windermere, without a car. We plan on doing a half day tour with Mountain Goat tours to Beatrix Potter area, as the one tour we were interested in for an entire day was to the All Creatures area, and is not offered while we are there on Monday- Tuesday-Wednesday evenings.
It has been suggested that we wander on our own for the one day we don't have a tour - wondering how easy it is to get around, what we shouldn't miss, etc. The thought of spending a day on a tour bus without being in the beauty doesn't appeal. We are 70 years old, healthy and active, but not up for strenuous hiking - more strolling to enjoy the serenity and beauty. How long is the walk to other lakes or towns nearby?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Any restaurant recommendations?
Also, how is Holly Lodge?
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
900 posts
I just got back from the Lake District- and haven't written my trip report yet. we were there for 5 days.
If you are staying at Holly Lodge, you can easily hike up to Orrest Head. It's an easy paved but uphill trail. The start of the trail is at the end of high Street. Just across the street from Church street. It's very near the train station. The view is outstanding.
We took a taxi to Holehird garden, and then from there hiked through the public paths approaching Orrest Head from the North. then walked down to Windermere.
If you want to visit Ambleside, Grassmere or Keswick, you can take the 599 bus. There is a bus stop at the railway station.
We stayed in Bowness, near the water. We liked Bowness more than windermere because we were on the Lake.
We enjoyed the lake Cruise from Bowness Pier to Ambleside, but you will do that as part of your Beatrix Potter tour.
I assume you are having the tour bus pick you up from their Office by the train station in Windermere.
We also did the Beatrix Potter half day tour with Mountain Goat tours. I would buy a lunch meal at a Tesco Express or Booths Grocery store at the train station and bring it with you on the tour, if you are doing the afternoon tour.
You can take also an uber to the Bowness and the pier for less than the bus costs for two people.
We also did the All Creatures Great and Small tour with English Lake tours from Windermere and loved it. It was a long day, but we are fans of the show.
If you like theatre, check to see if "fourteen again" is playing at the Victoria Wood theatre in Bowness. It's next to the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. That's something you can do in the evening.
In Bowness, the high end restaurant is Porto. Reservations needed in advance.
In Windermere, we had lunch at Brown Sugar.
Posted by
Lake District, England
11950 posts
You don't take the 599 to Keswick, as that terminates at Grasmere. You take the 555- in September that is still on a half hourly frequency.
So 5 buses an hour as far as Grasmere.
In the winter (not summer) we even get open top buses on a few of the 555's to Keswick, because Kendal depot is providing them for the 78 up the Borrowdale valley.
If the Kirkstone Pass has reopened you can actually take the 508 Penrith bus up to Holehird, the other way I have done it is to get off the 555/599 at Troutbeck Bridge and walk up the skinny little road at the back of the hotel- which sees very little traffic.
With the evening buses and trains it is also viable to go to the Theatre or the movies (whatever happens to be on) at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal. The movie theatre in Bowness (the Royalty) has also re-opened and is even doing the odd live show- it's marvellous they have re-opened. It's also one of the very few theatres in the UK to have a theatre organ- usually used in the daytime, but sometimes before the show in the evening. It isn't original having been transplanted from elsewhere.
With the #6 bus you could even go to the theatre (if anything is on) at the Coro (Coronation Hall) in Ulverston, or the movies at the Roxy in Ulverston- a rare surviving single screen theatre- although the stalls are now the Laurel and Hardy Museum, so just the former Circle for the films.
On Beatrix Potter the Mountain Goat don't take you to the Armitt Museum in Ambleside- easy by bus. Their substantive exhibition on BP should be back by September- it is being loaned to Whitehaven Town Council for the 6 week summer season- in the new Art Gallery in the Town Council Offices. Quite a coup for Whitehaven, who also plan to have additional unique material, not at the Armitt or anywhere else.
Back at Windermere the little boats over to Wray Castle (not currently open) will still be running- so you can get the walkers boat over to Wray Castle and walk down the western shore of the lake then come back from Ash Landing or on the Windermere car ferry (or if you want continue down the western shore all the way to Lakeside for the 'steamers' back- https://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares/walkers-ticket
If you decide to go to Coniston or Hawkshead that is an hourly bus connection at Ambleside.
Posted by
OP
26 posts
Thank you for the suggestions - I will look into them. We are staying in Windermere due to the train station being so close without a car. How long a walk to Bowness from Holly Lodge? Do you recommend Holly Lodge?
Posted by
Lake District, England
11950 posts
It takes about 30 minutes to walk down to Bowness Pier. But the 599, 6 and 755 buses go down at least every 20 minutes, and cost £3 per person. Only in winter if I have just missed a 599/6/755 do I bother to walk down.
Buy a North West Explorer for £12 each on the first bus of the day and you can take as many rides as you want in the Lake District and far beyond (technically you can travel from Newcastle or Dumfries to Skipton, Bolton, Liverpool, Chester and Crewe for that £12).
If you are not going beyond Grasmere and have a National railcard buy a Windermere plus bus ticket with a single Off Peak Day Single train ticket to Staveley at Windermere station ticket machine) and the cost comes down to £8.55 each per day.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
3047 posts
Have you thought about catching a boat from Bowness down Windermere to Lakeside Pier and then doing the round trip on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway?
https://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares/yellow-cruise-steam-train
Alternatively do a cruise to the north of the lake.
https://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/cruises-fares/red-cruise
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
900 posts
How long a walk to Bowness from Holly Lodge?
Unless you really like walking, with your limited time, I'd take an uber to Bowness. The cost for us was £4.95 which is cheaper than the bus at £3 p/p or £6 for the both of you. Also, the road from Windermere to Bowness is a busy road. it's not scenic. Hotels, and shops along the way with a couple of green spaces here and there.
On your Beatrix potter tour, the tour will stop for 15 minutes at Wray Castle (it's closed, but the view is nice). There's no need to take a bus to it.
Also your tour will take you to Hawkshead, so there's no need to take a separate bus there either.
when we visited Hawskhead, with our tour, we saw that the line for the public bus was long and when the bus arrived it was already jammed back, so people did not get to board. It was also raining hard. So prepare for rain at any moment.