Public Transport

This page is intended to give a flavour of the public transport options that are available within the CAMRA Westmorland Branch in order to visit our pubs. As a rural area, public transport can be sparse and infrequent, and for many small villages in our area nonexistent.

The information is intended as a guide only, please refer to the appropriate sources of information before setting out as we cannot guarantee the information is up to date.

CAMRA Westmorland Branch firmly believes you should not drink and drive.

Trains

There are four rail lines that cross the Westmorland Branch area, though only two of them connect within the branch. Stops in Westmorland with a pub serving real ale within half a mile are shown in bold, stops outside the branch area are shown in italics.

Full details can be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

West Coast Mainline

London Euston-Lancaster-Oxenholme-Penrith-Glasgow Central

Not much use for travelling around the branch area, but one of the main methods of getting to and from the rest of the country. Oxenholme is more properly called Oxenholme Lake District and is the junction station for the Lakes Branch line. From Oxenholme it is a walk of about 2½ miles downhill to Kendal Town centre though the Station Inn is just 10 minutes walk uphill from the Station.

Note that the stations at Tebay and Shap closed in 1968. Trying to join or leave a train at these places is now likely to involve serious injury.

Lakes Line

Oxenholme-Kendal-Burneside-Staveley-Windermere

This is probably the most useful train line within the branch. It is much cheaper than the bus if you have to pay the bus fare. Note that Burneside and Staveley are request stops.

Furness Line

Lancaster-Silverdale-Arnside-Grange over Sands-Ulverston-Barrow in Furness

Again there is only one station within the branch on this line, but it can be used in combination with the X35 bus service to Grange over Sands, and is very useful for travel to the CAMRA Furness branch area.

Settle-Carlisle Line

Leeds-Settle-Ribbleshead-Dent-Garsdale-Kirkby Stephen-Appleby-Langwathby-Carlisle

Possibly the most scenic line in England, there are four stations within the branch, though both Dent and Kirkby Stephen stations are some distance from the places they serve. Dent station is the highest in England at 1,150feet above sea level, and is 1½ miles uphill from the Sportsman Inn at Cowgill.

The Moorcock Inn, which is just over the border in CAMRA North West Yorkshire Branch is 1 mile from Garsdale Station.

Bus

Westmorland is a rural area, and bus sevices can be infrequent. The services below are those that run several times during a weekday, though Sunday services can be very restricted. There are many services that run once a day, or once a week, which have not been listed as they normally cannot be used to visit the pub without large amounts of walking.

Places within Westmorland with pubs serving Real Ale in bold, places outside the branch are in italics. Places where there is a possible rail connection, which may involve a walk, are shown with a *.

Most of the major bus routes are run by Stagecoach, though some of the more rural and infrequent services are run by local independent operators.

With the exception of the 555, 563 and X35 routes the bus services stop before 19:00, and Sundays have a much reduced service.

Full details can be found at traveline.info.

A map of Cumbria Bus routes can be found here.

106

Kendal*-Tebay-Orton-Shap-Clifton-Eamont Bridge-Penrith*

Daytime bus service through the centre of the Branch. May need to change buses in Shap. Service shared between Stagecoach and Apollo, though the Stagecoach Explorer is valid on all. The Stagecoach buses show number 107 between Penrith and Shap.

108

Penrith*-Eamont Bridge-Yanwath-Tirril-Pooley Bridge-Glenridding-Patterdale

Daytime bus serving Ullswater. More Details here

516

Ambleside-Skelwith Bridge-Elterwater-Chapel Stile-Great Langdale

Daytime bus serving the Great Langdale valley. The Three Shires Inn at Little Langdale can be reached by a 1½ mile mountain walk from Chapel Stile.

For a map of the route see here.

517

Windermere*-Troutbeck-Kirkstone Pass-Hartsop-Patterdale-Glenridding

Summer only service over Kirkstone Pass.

Note runs daily only July and August, with just Weekend and Public holidays services from April to October and there is no service November-April.

Details here.

552

Kendal*-Low Sizergh-Heversham-Milnthorpe-Sandside-Storth-Arnside*

Daytime bus along the south side of the Kent Estuary. Levens can be reached from the Low Sizergh stop, which is called Heaves Hotel.

555

Lancaster*Burton in Kendal-Holme-Milnthorpe-Heversham-Low Sizergh-Kendal*-Staveley*-Ings-Windermere*-Troutbeck Bridge-Ambleside-Rydal-Grasmere-Keswick

Possibly the most useful bus service in the branch, the 555 is one of the longest bus routes in the country that stops at every stop on the route. Some buses do not go all the way from Lancaster to Keswick, and some may be numbered 554 or 556 instead. Levens can be reached from the Low Sizergh stop, which is called Heaves Hotel.

563

Penrith*-Temple Sowerby-Kirkby Thore-Appleby in Westmorland*-Sandford-Warcop-Brough-Winton-Kirkby Stephen

The bus along the A66. Run by Grand Prix and Kirkby Lonsdale Coaches, no Sunday service. We believe the Lakes Day Ranger pass is valid on this route, but are not sure about the Stagecoach Cumbria Day Explorer.

564

Kirkby Stephen*-Ravenstonedale-Sedburgh-Oxenholme*-Kendal*

The Black Bull at Nateby can be reached by a mile walk from southern Kirkby Stephen. The route passes Kirkby Stephen Railway Station. Not all buses call at Ravenstonedale.

Note that the Cross Keys at Cautley Spout is a temperance house.

567

Kendal*-Oxenholme*-Barrows Green-Crooklands-Lupton-Kirkby Lonsdale

There are other buses to Kirkby Lonsdale from Lancaster

599

Grasmere-Rydal-Ambleside-Troutbeck Bridge-Windermere*-Bowness on Windermere

An open top bus service. The 505 bus service from Windermere to Coniston also serves Ambleside and Troutbeck Bridge.

X35

Kendal*-Low Sizergh-Witherslack-Grange Over Sands*-Ulverston*-Barrow in Furness*

A subsidised limited stop bus service. It cannot be used for travel between Ulverston and Barrow. Levens can be reached from the Low Sizergh stop, which is called Heaves Hotel.

Boat

There are two lakes on the edge of the branch with a boat service on them, although this is more expensive than by bus.

Windermere

Lakeside*-Bowness on Windermere-Waterhead(Ambleside)

Boats plying the length of the largest lake in England. There are intermediate stops at Ferry House, Brockhole and Wray, though these are normal only visted on round trips.

Lakeside can be reached via the steam railway from Haverthwaite, which in turn is on the X35 bus route.

The Ambleside pier is at Waterhead, about a mile south of the centre, though all the Windermere to Ambleside buses stop here.

Details at http://www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk/

Ullswater

Pooley Bridge-Howtown-Glenridding

Boats plying the length of the second largest lake in England. Both Pooley Bridge and Glenridding are on bus route 108 and a combination ticket is available.

Details at http://www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk/index.shtml.

Day Passes

The following are some of the possible day passes that are available. Note that single fares on buses are expensive if you have to pay.

Kendal Day Pass

Valid on the Kendal Town Buses, routes 41-46.

Central Lakes Dayrider

Valid on Stagecoach buses between Bowness, Windermere and Grasmere (routes 555 and 599), and between Ambleside and Coniston on the 505 and between Ambleside and Great Langdale on the 516.

North West Day Explorer

Includes all the Stagecoach buses in Cumbria and Lancashire, plus selected others especially on shared routes.

Details of Stagecoach bus passes here.

Lakes Day Ranger

All train travel on the lines between Lancaster and Heysham Port, Lancaster and Whitehaven, Lancaster and Penrith and Oxenholme and Windermere.

This covers all the stations in Westmorland branch except those on the Settle-Carlisle line.

Also includes bus services in the Lake District and a boat trip on Windermere.

Current details are here.

Cumbria Day Ranger

All train travel in Cumbria, plus on the lines linking Cumbria with Preston, Dumfries, Lockerbie, Haltwhistle and Skipton. Also includes Lancaster to Heysham Port and Lancaster to Skipton.

Current details are here.