The Lake District- a 2-3 day trip in May

Has anyone done Keswick without a car? I know Rick says it can be done, but is it going to be a major hassle without one?

We've done Lake District inn-to-inn walking holiday tours without a car using train and/or bus access to/from our starting/finishing points. We accessed the Lake District with Train service to Windermere via Oxenholme. But Windermere is the southern Lake District.

You could try train to the Penrith Train Station which is on the West Coast Main Line then bus to Keswick but we do not have personal experience on this route. You can also reach places like Pattedale and Ullswater by bus from the Penrith Train Station. Patterdale is a good jump off point for a Helvellyn and Striding Edge walk.

Hi Ashley, Rick's advice to stay in Keswick as a home base in the Lake District is spot on. Keswick provides easy access to all Lake District attractions you may be interested in, some closer than others. I'm sure the area can be enjoyed without a car but I found having a car whilst there quite convenient. I stayed 2 nights and managed to visit the Castlerigg Stone Circle (do NOT miss), Wordsworth's Cottage in Grasmere, and Beatrix Potter's house/gallery in Hawkshead (cute town too). Keswick is beside the lovely Lake Derwentwater. The Lake has a nice easy walking path that has several good picnic spots. Have a beautiful trip!

We have been to the Lake District many times both with and without a car. Both are easily done!
Definitely spend 3 nights...that will give you 2 full days there and you really do need it if you want to see much of anything.
Getting off the train in Penrith you'll take the 888 bus to Keswick - about $8. It's a nice ride but not as pretty as arriving from the south. I would suggest instead taking the train to Oxenholme and entering the Lakes from the south. The route is much more beautiful and you'll see more villages, lakes, and countryside. It does take a considerably longer time but I think it's worth it. You'll have to decide! Once you get off the train in Oxenholme there is a direct public bus, the 555, straight to Keswick that goes right up the A591 road. The further north you get, the more beautiful the landscape becomes! The public buses that run along the major routes in the area, like the A591, all have places to put luggage and are designed for both locals and travelers.
Once you are in Keswick, I would recommend stopping first by they Moot Hall tourist office on the main square of town. They are a wealth of information and can give you a detailed bus route map. You can get just about anywhere on the public buses.
When we stay at a B&B in Keswick, we always stay at the Herdwick House B&B. It's just a few minutes walk from the town center. You can walk from the small bus terminal by the supermarket to the B&B (about 15 minutes to walk) or you can get a taxi (about 3 minutes). A double ensuite is 70 British pounds which is smack on your budget. Ben and Alex are lovely people and will make sure that you have a good breakfast and a plan for your day before you leave in the morning. They really want their guests to have a good experience in the Lakes and since you have only a short time there they will make sure to help make your visit a good one!
I prefer the northern part of the lakes to the southern end. It's less crowded and more picturesque! The most scenic parts are along the A591 and to the east of this road out into the hills. Since you have a short time I would recommend Buttermere, Grasmere, Hawkshead, and Coniston. If you like to hike and walk then a walk around the lake at Buttermere is not to be missed. If you enjoy hiking then going up Haystacks is one of the best hikes in the area.
If you are on Facebook I recommend three pages to join...
- I Love the Lake District
- Lakeland, Molly & Afar
- The Herdwick Sheep Fan Club
Each one of these pages is used by people who live in and love the Lakes. If you follow these pages, then by the time you go in May you'll have a great sense of the area and can even ask about conditions and recommendations before you leave from people who know the area extremely well!
If you want a good book to understand the area better then I recommend A Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks. His family has been farming in the area for generations and he gives a wonderful account of the lives of the farmers who work this land. A very interesting, worthwhile read!

The 2nd and 30th May are Bank Holidays, so the Lakes will be very busy over these weekends.

I personally would not travel to the Lakes without a car, particularly after the troubles they have had recently with the weather affecting some routes. Your budget which I think is less than £70 a night is low for decent accommodation.

I will just add that Castlerigg is definitely walkable from Keswick. It is very uphill, but I'm old, stopped a number of times and it was fine. The views from up there are unbelievable. Really, if you are there, you must go. The Tourist Information Center has maps of the area and will draw you out the route. I don't think it's 3 miles, maybe round trip it's that distance. Googlemaps says 1.6 miles and that sounds more like it. The hardest thing is the uphill, not the distance.

Traveling with a toddler? I would rent a car. Three nights in the Lake District is enough. I agree with the others that you may need to up your budget.

Hi again Ashley...
Pam's post to you above regarding the route to Castlerigg made me realize that there is something I recommended that I should not have! The A591 has been completely washed out by storms in December just north of Grasmere. It's completely impassable and may not be repaired by the time you arrive in May. The route from Penrith is probably your best bet.
Regarding Pam's post above...the railway footpath that most people take to walk up to Castlerigg Stone Circle has also been destroyed in several places by flood waters, including the steel bridge you need to cross to get across the river. The tourist office will recommend an alternate route I'm sure but, unfortunately, the best way to get there by foot from Keswick is no longer possible.

OH my Anita, I did not fully realize that about the old RR bridge on the footpath. Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing something about the bridge. Too bad as it was a very nice vista up and down stream from that bridge. Yes, the alternate route thru town to where it starts to really go up hill is not as scenic or peaceful but still, it is a doable walk and the reward at the end is worth it!

Keswick is a nice convenient town with easy walks along with the more difficult ones for which the Lake District is known. There's a bus making a loop through some of the most scenic areas, you can get on and off to explore further. Also a passenger boat that runs regularly around the shore of Derwentwater, so you can get off, hike awhile, and get back on later. A car makes it easier to get around, but the local buses also work and are used by many.

We stayed at Badger's Wood Guest House up a street that has several other B&Bs, liked it a lot. Your budget may indeed be on the low side.

Castlerigg Stone Circle is wonderful, we visited by car so I don't know about the bus or walking alternatives. Also don't know what effect the recent storms and flooding had, this is something to look into carefully before you go. Our visit was several years ago.

If you have a toddler, my advice is to rent a car. Be aware that many roads in the Lake District are narrow, have no shoulder, and are lined with stone walls. Keswick is a great home base. Rick lists some B&Bs on Stanger Street that might meet your budget--but you'll need to book soon as they fill up fast. I was in the Lake District last fall and it was spectacular, but it's hard to see everything without a car.

Chiming in here.

We're planning to be in Keswick May 17-19, after the Jazz Festival 12-15 May and before the bank holiday and the Beer Festival 3-4 June. (Hopefully, they will have started shipping the beer early.) At this point, we're going totally on Public Transport (train to Penrith, bus to Keswick.) The standout local buses that tour around Keswick are the 77 (anti clockwise) & 77A (clockwise). Staying above a pub in downtown Keswick before and after stomping through the fells. We rented through Air B&B but we found after that they rent directly online too. After our stay, we're busing to Carlisle via a different bus before we head to Hadrian's Wall.

Links that helped us:

buses in the area: http://jplanner.travelinenortheast.info/planner

derwentwater boats: http://www.keswick-launch.co.uk/timetable_summer.htm

hikes: http://where2walk.co.uk/category/lake_district/

Have fun!
D

Wow- Thank you all so very much for all the information. I have a lot to sort through...and I may follow up some more as I do so....thanks a million.

Ashley

Hi Ashley (from a fellow Austin-ite),

My husband and I spent 3 glorious days in the northern Lake district last May. We stayed in Keswick which is definitely a very CENTRAL location for exploring the area. Like one of the other people who commented on this thread, we stayed in Badger's Wood B&B on Stanger street. MARVELOUS friendly hosts, and breakfasts to die for!!

The scenery is spectacular!! We had a car, which made our trip possible. In a nutshell, this is what we did in the area:
One day we followed Rick's tour around
Derwentwater Lake which is really tremendous. We stopped to hike up to several waterfalls,
had a great lunch at the Fish, got a kick out of the Bowder Stone, and really enjoyed Lodore Falls.

The other
day we drove south through Grasmere (Chocolate shop and Gingerbread shop) and Windermere, down to the Kendal
area where we had a great time touring the great homes and gardens of Levens Hall (the topiary is amazing), and
the Sizergh house and gardens. (This road may not have been restored from the winter floods yet. You would need to check carefully).

We finished up hiking to Aria Force and checking out Lake Ullswater. Gorgeous!!

Enjoy your visit!

Regards,
Virginia

No car is necessary for staying in Keswick. Someone has detailed getting there from the train by bus already, so I will focus on what to do in the environs of North Lake District with Keswick as the home base.

• Castlerigg is incredible AND just a short walk up hill from the town, on a lovely loop through farm areas with sheep, and back down through woods and into the back of town (with a view of the church and the town that is out of an old photo). This was my favorite walk/day/experience.
• Get on the boat and take it across to the Cat Bells stop, walk up the very steep mountain with others for such a view of all Keswick and the Lake. Once done climbing down, walk back around the lake. So lovely.
• To visit Wordsworth's home, take a bus, enjoy the house/museum, have tea there in the small town.
• I hear that you don't need to visit Wordsworth or Beatrix Potter, and if you do not have those strong literary connections, fine. If you want to visit Beatrix Potter's home, you will need to take a longer bus and make a change-- just allow the time.
• Dog & Gun Pub!

Let me know if you need any more specific suggestions. This was my favorite venue on our three week tour of England.

Cleo