Hi, I'm going on a walking/hiking group trip in late May, 2026 with Road Scholar. We'll be staying in HF Holidays country houses, spending 3 nights in Sedbergh, 4 nights in Keswick and 3 nights in Malham (in that order). I'll be flying in and out of Manchester, and I'm looking for a few home base suggestions for my free nights before and after the trip. I have 4 nights before, 5 nights after, and I'll be using public transportation. I'm interested in more solo walking and just poking around in nice towns. Any favorite places or lodging suggestions would be most welcome!
Posted by
Lake District, England /On Pilgrimage
11742 posts
Well public transportation to Sedbergh on Thursday 21 May runs from Kendal- the Western Dales bus S1 at 1111 or 1326- https://www.westerndalesbus.co.uk/index.php?TIMETABLES:S1_T_Kendal_Shuttle_Tuesday_and_Thursday
Get off at Maryfell in Sedbergh for the HF House. I assume Road Scholar themselves take you to Keswick then Malham.
So Kendal is an obvious base for the 3 days- a fair sized town. All buses to the Lake District are based in Kendal, so services run to all points from Kendal Bus Station. Kendal is a lovely old town with lots of corners, a ruined castle and a couple of museums to explore.
From Manchester Airport trains run every 3 hours direct to Kendal, all other hours take a TransPennine train (for Glasgow or Edinburgh) to Oxenholme, change for the shuttle train to Kendal and Windermere, or take the 41/41A bus every 30 minutes into Kendal Town Station. On Sunday 17 May there is no scheduled rail engineering work on that line.
On a Sunday that bus is the hourly #40 at 46 minutes past each hour- 0946 to 1746.
It depends on your budget as Kendal has everything from budget hotels to luxury hotels like the Kendal Green Hotel (I wish).
My own 1st choice when I have to stay in Kendal (due to an evening event at Windermere) is the Lyndhurst Guest House, in a quiet side street overlooking the river- https://www.lyndhurst-kendal.co.uk/
I've looked and the Lyndhurst can fit you in for the Monday to Thursday (but not the Sunday night).
Across the river, at the former K village (the old Shoe factory) is a Travelodge- one of the budget options.
On the stagecoach app buy a North West Gold 7 Day Megarider Ticket for £37 (currently)- all Stagecoach buses (so not the Western Dales bus to Sedbergh) between Chester, Dumfries, Newcastle, Chorley and Skipton (via Preston). Amazing value.
As the trip ends at Malham on Tuesday 2 June there is a bus out to Skipton- https://northyorkstravel.info/timetable/210sep23.pdf
For 5 days using public transport I think Skipton (lots of buses and frequent trains) would be better than staying up a dale, such as at Grassington.
From Skipton take a train to Leeds, for connections direct to Manchester Airport.
Posted by
London, UK
539 posts
Just to add. If you are ending your HF trip at the Malham location, they run a bus to Skipton on departure days. There is a small charge. (I was there last March.)
Posted by
OP
Northwest Corner, USA
42 posts
Just a belated Thank You to you both for your very useful info. I've been distracted by a family emergency, but am getting back to planning. Thanks again!
Grace
Posted by
Virginia
736 posts
Nine more nights (split) is quite a lot of time and there is much to see within easy range of Manchester. Rather than more of what you’ll be seeing and doing on the walking tour, that would be perfect (either before or after) for a visit to beautiful north Wales (base in Llandudno). And while it sounds like you’re not as interested in cities, Manchester itself has a great deal to offer especially as you are going there anyway, as does nearby Liverpool and the lovely city of Chester.
Posted by
California Central Coast 🐚
592 posts
What about Skipton? We just spent 4 nights in Skipton and enjoyed it far more than we expected. We had chosen it for the canal boat ride and access to Yorkshire Dales but ended up loving the town or, more so, the people. Such a friendly, easy going town. We enjoyed the Skipton Castle Woods walk very much. We also had a lovely time at Bolton Abbey and in Grassington. The walk to Linton Falls was a highlight. We enjoyed the bus rides around the Dales, spectacular views. We stayed at the Coach House Inn which was pretty basic but just fine for us.
Posted by
OP
Northwest Corner, USA
42 posts
@Katiecem, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Skipton so much. Our plans have morphed into flying in & out of London, 3 nights in York, then our 10 day walking trip, then 5 nights in Skipton, then back to London for a couple of nights & home. We're looking forward to Skipton even more!
Grace
Posted by
UK
16 posts
Whilst in Skipton, I recommend a day trip to Haworth, home of the Bröntes. Take a train to Keighley and transfer platforms to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for a steam train ride to Haworth. It's a pretty little village and you can visit the Brontë Parsonage and view some of their original works. If you have time and energy, walk from there to Top Withens for Wuthering Heights atmosphere.