Lake District question

Can you define reasonable?

At Keswick you connect onto the half hourly X4/X5 to Workington- it's about 90 minutes from Grasmere to Workington. Then bus or train up or down the coast.

Workington is an old industrial town. The 3 things in Workington are the ruins of Workington Hall (Mary Queen of Scots was there for 3 days as she fled Scotland, before being arrested and sent to Carlisle), Helena Thompson Museum and St Michael's Church).
On the way I would say to stop in Cockermouth, something of a food town, lots of artisan shops, Wordsworth House and birthplace (ish) of Fletcher Christian.
The choice then is to go north to Maryport and maybe Crosscanonby (Roman Army Museum/saltpans respectively) or South to St Bees and Whitehaven.
St Bees for St Bees Priory (an important former monastic establishment). Whitehaven for its various significant links to the United States (meet the current Honorary American Consul to the American navy at Richardson 's wine shop), the Rum Story museum, Beacon Museum and the harbour (once the 3rd most important in England), also the fine Georgian St James' Church.
Whitehaven was also home to part of the Danish fishing fleet in WW2 and had a Danish consul until recently.
Above the harbour is wonderful cliff top walking where once there were mines. It is now National Trust land, marketed as Whitehaven 's Heritage Coast. Although you won't find it without a guide Whitehaven also has a Wordsworth grave.
In Whitehaven probably Zest Harboruside and the Peddler are the best places to eat.
Come on May Day weekend and there are expected to be free heritage buses from Whitehaven to Cockermouth and St Bees.

If all of that is too far, settle for Cockermouth and go one way on the Cockermouth to Keswick via Buttermere and Honister Pass bus #77C.

Hi Stuart,

Can you define reasonable?

Ha! Good question. What you are describing fits my definition. Thank you!

I can see busing from Grasmere to Workington and taking a train north or south. We will be there on May Day weekend! I like the idea of taking the train from Workington to Whitehaven and then the free heritage buses to Cockermouth and/or St. Bees. I will do some research on the St. Bees Priory and the museums and church in Whitehaven. I will look into the northern options as well. Do you think it will be very crowded due to May Day weekend? If so we could do the trip on the Friday which might be less crowded than the Saturday-Monday. Thanks again.

Katie

It is certainly busy that Saturday and Sunday in Whitehaven, but a family festival busyness, for what is basically a local event. There will be a funfair, craft stalls and Made in Cumbria food stalls as well as the buses.
The atmosphere is fantastic.

But it's nothing vaguely like the former Maritime Festivals when about 400,000 people from around the world descended on a town of 25,000. That was mayhem and became untenable.

The weekend is called LN54 - the 54th anniversary of the Leyland National bus factory at Liilyhall. The now former bus factory is why the modern A66 road from Penrith to Workington exists. Before then it was an absolute cart track of a road, staggeringly bad. There are parts of the westbound road even now so narrow I straddle the centre line because it is so narrow overtaking is dangerous. Yet it used to be a 2 way road.

Visit the Grasmere gingerbread house since you’re staying there. It’s home to Sarah Nelson’s gingerbread. It isn’t like gingerbread in the U.S. We also enjoyed sticky toffee pudding in Cartmel.

Thanks! The gingerbread was already on my radar as was Cartmel for restaurants. We'll have to find some sticky toffee pudding as well.

Sticky Toffee pudding you'll find in Booths at Keswick or Windermere, also quite possibly Grasmere Village shop.
You will only just have missed Damson Day in the Lyth Valley, but the fruit trees may still be in blossom - depending how bad a winter we get. You'd need a taxi anyway as the Lyth and Winster valleys are not easy to access by bus.
You may be able to find Damson Jam, Gin or Wine.
There are lots of local speciality foods, many in Booths.
Rum Butter is another thing to try- probably the Cumberland variety, but if you can find Westmorland Rum Butter compare and contrast.
Cumberland Sausage is another- if it's not coiled it isn't the real stuff. Booths even do it in a bread roll as a take out breakfast. If you can get Wooodalls of Waberthwaite that is the best around. And try his bacon. It is wonderful.
The Kingfisher Chip Shop in Keswick is a good place to try it. He is also a butcher and makes his own.
There is a lot of rum used, and a lot of subtle spicing in local dishes, dating back to Whitehaven 's glory days. A really good Cumberland sausage should have a quiet after taste of Carribean spice. You shouldn't get it on initial tasting but as you chew.
Try to get some Herdwick Lamb- Yewtree farm in Borrowdale is your best bet, in the tearoom.
Rum Nicky is one local dessert, as is Damson Cobbler. Cobbler you won't find in a shop- it's a home made dish.
Cumberland Tattie or Tatie Pot (a one pot stew) is another good thing to try.
You won't here it much now but there is a Cumbrian dialect in tourist areas- in a broad speaker it can sound like a foreign language.

We just spent 5 nights in the Lake District - no car. We were based in Windermere.

I'm assuming from your post that you also will be using public transport - no car. We found the Stagecoach bus line between Windermere, Grasmere, Kessick quite convenient. Going further afield might require a change of bus, but there are connections to other locations. https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/explore-the-lakes-by-bus

I can recommend Mountain Goat for day tours - I'm sure many others will concur. They leave from the Windermere train station, but we picked up folks in Ambleside lodgings. They may pick up in Grasmere if requested.

If you are interested in a private driver, excellent, very accommodating, reasonably priced, I can recommend David Brook of Brook Tours. https://www.brooktours.co.uk He has some "set" tour suggestions or will personalize transport or a tour to a traveler's requests.

Stuart, So many choices of yummy food! Thank you!

ORD Yes, no car. Thanks for the info about transportation and Mountain Goat. We are planning on Mountain Goat day trip at least. Thanks for the private driver recommendation. We definitely have had occasion to use private drivers when we can't get to where we want to go by public transportation. Hidcote Garden's in the Cotswolds for example.

Katie

ORDtraveler

Also- If you don't mind sharing, what else did you do when you were in the Lake District?

Thanks

Katie

Keswick Pencil Museum - much more fun and interesting than it sounds! Keswick is a "cute" town. City Museum - not a must see stop, but an interesting stone piano - https://www.pianobook.co.uk/packs/musical-stones/
Grasmere - Gingerbread, Wordsworth House and Museum
Rydal Mount and Gardens - Wordsworth again
Hawkeshead - Wordsworth Grammar School
Ambleside - wandering
10 Lakes and Beatrix Potter tours
Coniston Water, The Ruskin Museum in Coniston, Brantwood House (John Ruskin)
some hiking

Hey, I've been to a Butter Museum. I'm not going to question a Pencil Museum.

Thanks for the response.

Katie

By the way you did ask for gardens on the west coast.

The Mountain Goat does run a very good tour to Muncaster Castle whose gardens should be looking great. However they miss out Eskdale watermill, Stanley Ghyll waterfall and The Japanese garden at Giggle Alley, Eskdale Green.
They also don't stop at the Roman Fort on the Hardknott Pass, and don't give an option to use La'al Ratty- the narrow gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway. They also miss out the wonderfully located Eskdale Church.

For someone coming through Eskdale I would recommend the Woodlands Tea Room at Santon Bridge.

Any bus tour has to make choices, no tour can include everything.

To do all of that you would need a private driver. I actually would suggest a driver one way, then train/bus (a very scenic stretch of rail line) the other.
From Muncaster Castle to Ravenglass it's a lovely walk through the woods and past the Roman Bath House.

For someone with a hire car that is a great one or two day trip out of the Central Lakes. On a two day road trip, depending on budget, I would suggest staying overnight at Irton Hall, although there are other options for a more frugal budget.
Adding in St Bees, Whitehaven etc it could easily be a 3 day road trip.

Another garden on the West Coast you won't find in a guidebook is Distington walled garden- accessible by bus every 15 minutes, but best by car.

Hi Katie -

It probably takes too long to get to for a day trip but the area around Arnside and Silverdale at the head of the Kent estuary is delightful, full of easy strolls and, if feeling intrepid, a climb to the top of Arnside Knott (easy by Lake Disrict standards but still uphill!) for ‘the best view in all England’ (NB Disputed - other views are available!). It’s just outside of the Lake District National Park but is not a million miles from Cartmel so you could make a trip of it. Holker Hall is a good bad weather option too.

John Paul Jones attack on Whitehaven in the American War of Independence was largely unsuccessful. One of his officers refused to set fire to the town arguing, not unreasonably, that torching poor people’s properties could be seen as counterproductive, while the attempt to set fire to the ships in the harbour was easily extinguished by the locals with no real damage done. More successful (or not depending how you view it) was the raiding party who rowed into the harbour to generally loot the place who only got as far as breaking into the local pub and, as is usually the case in these things, proceeded to get plastered and had to be escorted back to the Ranger, Jones’s ship. That said, the attack hasn’t been forgotten!

Ian

Stuart,

Thanks. I will have to look into the gardens you mention.

Ian,

Thanks for the tip about Arnside and Silverdale.

Katie

You see I don't think Arnside and Silverdale are too far at all.

Three routes there, and I suggest a combo-
1- Bus 6 from Windermere to Ulverston, hourly train from there along the wonderfully coastal scenic Furness line.
If you route Ulverston look for the old Furness Railway seats around town with their squirrels on. About two dozen of them so easy to find.
Also at Ulverston the Hoad Hill 'lighthouse', the Laurel and Hardy connection and the Canal. That's just for starters. Also the Victoria Cross memorials.
Dalton is another possible change point bus 6 to train with its castle. For excellent burgers try Kitchen Wizard (take out) at the bus stop at Tudor Square.

1. Train from Windermere hourly, changing back onto the coast line at Lancaster.
2. The 2 hour ride on the 555 to Carnforth, for the train above. That ride can sometimes be sped up by changing onto the 755 at Windermere

and Bus #51 from Carnforth to Silverdale is back (yea) via Warton (american connections, qv on the forum) and the Yealands.
At Silverdale there is also Leighton Moss RSPB- 50% off if using public transit.
At Arnside, if lucky there is also the tidal bore, an uncommonly good fish and chip shop, and the whole area is an AONB- area of outstanding natural beauty.

See the info at the AONB centre on the London bound platform at Arnside station.

Oh, and buses are back to Cartmel as well with the Monday to Friday #530 from Kendal.

So many wonderful days out easily accessible by transit in the South Lakes, this is barely touching the surface.
The 6 will also get you to Furness Abbey for instance.

So many wonderful days out easily accessible by transit in the South Lakes, this is barely touching the surface.

So little time. It will be hard to decide.