LAKE DISTRICT -- Hostels & Transport

LAKE DISTRICT

Within its 15-mile radius the Lake District is packed with more beautiful scenes than anywhere else in the world of similar size.

The Lake District, also known as 'Lakeland' or 'The Lakes' but never 'The Lakes District', comprises ranges of mountains that are small by world standards but severe and rocky and not to be treated lightly, interspersed with beautiful valleys, some with bare pastureland, others thickly wooded, and some containing small hills offering easy and moderate walks with delightful views. Almost every valley has one or more idyllic lakes, and halfway up the hillsides are small valleys containing tarns (small lakes). You can't be disappointed, except by the weather. It doesn't rain every day, but when it does, it's real soaking rain.

Keswick is a sizable and attractive town in the north, while Kendal and Penrith just outside the Lake District are good jumping-off points. The other small towns and villages are nothing special but make good bases to travel from. What they are most noted for is the wide range of hiking equipment you can buy, and you will probably need some rainwear!

The Lake District is bordered by Windermere, Pooley Bridge, Keswick, Cockermouth, the feet of the western valleys and Newby Bridge. Within this magic circle just 50 km in diameter, every view is delightful and there are footpaths everywhere. Outside it are some attractive spots but most of the scenery is unexciting.

You dont come here to visit museums, you come to walk. Easy, moderate or strenuous walks, all are delightful, but do not attempt the mountain tops without hiking boots, extra layers of clothing and good rainwear. If it is really wet you can take a bus tour from any of the main centres. If you drive, make sure you stop and walk frequently -- just stop in a parking area and follow any footpath sign.

There are many hostels all over the Lake District, most of them YHA. They are usually nearly all full. If you want to guarantee a particular location, book ages in advance. If you book in the week before, be flexible about where you stay. If they are all full and you have your own transport, the hostels around the fringe of the area make good bases. You will find the YHA hostels populated by school field studies groups, climbing clubs, serious hikers, families, and a minority of overseas backpackers. You can expect all Lakeland hostels to have good drying rooms.

How to get to the Lake District

If the Lakes is your primary destination in your visit to Britain, fly to Manchester instead of London as you can then get here directly and more cheaply. Nevertheless there are frequent trains also from London and the south. Trains from all these areas go to Oxenholme; try to get a train that makes a connection with the local train to Windermere (about once an hour). Otherwise, you can walk the 2 miles downhill into Kendal.

If you want the northern Lake District or are travelling from Scotland, trains on the same line (about hourly) stop at Penrith. Buses go to Keswick every hour (last bus at 2230, but only 3 a day on Sundays), or to Ullswater (4 buses per day).

If you travel by coach, there is one a day that leaves London at 1100 and Birmingham at 1400, reaching Windermere and Keswick in the evening. The return trip leaves the Lakes at 0835-0920 and reaches London by 1720.

Transport within the Lake District

The Lake District is relatively well served by bus services. Buses run on the central route Kendal-Windermere-Ambleside-Grasmere-Keswick every hour until about 1800, but only 5 a day on Sundays. From Kendal to Grasmere they continue until about 2200. On many other routes buses run every hour or two hours, but not often after 1800 and fewer on Sundays.

If you have a rail pass, you could take the line that goes from Lancaster round the coast to Carlisle. It passes Arnside then goes through some pleasant scenery but completely misses all the best areas. It could be used to reach the remote western valleys, but it does not run on Sundays.

THE SOUTHERN LAKES

A good jumping-off point just outside the Lakes is Kendal which has a hostel. You can get a bus from here to Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere or Keswick. Windermere is a town of little interest but at the start of beautiful lake scenery. There are frequent local buses to Ambleside and Grasmere. Also in Apr-Oct a YHA shuttle bus meets most of the trains, very convenient if you want to get to one of the YHA hostels that otherwise would involve a mile walk. Right by the rail station is:

Two miles from town on the road to Troutbeck is:

Ambleside is a small town situated at the head of Lake Windermere amid beautiful scenery and lots of walks from easy to strenuous. It is a good place to buy books and maps, or any hiking wear that you forgot to bring. It has a range of eating places and two excellent hostels. The YHA, in a fabulous location on the lakeshore a mile from town, is large and superbly equipped, catering for large groups and families but with plenty of space for all. Lake sailing trips go from right next door. The Backpackers hostel is also immaculate and lies close to the town centre, with views of mountains above the close-packed rooftops. It has a sociable atmosphere and is ideal for individuals.

Grasmere is a picturesque village, crowded in summer, with souvenir shops and cafes, all very tasteful and all very expensive. But it's on a frequent bus route and is the gateway to a wealth of walks. There are 5 hostels nearby, with walks from the hostel doors.

Close to the village is a large YHA mostly catering to groups and families:

A mile away, but in the direction of the best mountains, is a hostel ideal for individuals:

A mile outside Grasmere on the main road, buses stop at the end of the track to a superbly-equipped independent hostel. This is a convenient place to stop for the night when driving, or as a base for serious mountain activities. It has space to cater for both groups and individuals.

An ideal place for getting away from it all (shuttle bus comes here in summer) is

Hawkshead is a pretty village SE of Ambleside with expensive shops and restaurants, but amid delightful country with easy walks. Several buses a day from Ambleside come here. Outside the village is:

Coniston is a more average village where one of the most accessible peaks of Lakeland, Coniston Old Man, beckons. There is a hostel in the village:

and another a mile away, on the way up the mountain:

Between Kendal and Windermere, go 4 miles off the road into the hills and there is a camping barn:

THE NORTHERN LAKES

From all the hostels in this area, you can climb a mountain straight from the hostel door.

ULLSWATER

From Penrith is a short bus journey to beautiful Ullswater with its backdrop of mountains (5 buses a day) where there are two hostels. The first is by the lake and close to a village:

The second is up a rough track, the start of the climb of Helvellyn:

KESWICK

is the largest town in the Lake District and a good base. Its hostel is in the centre of town, beside a rushing river:

YHA's most remote hostel is partway up the mountain Skiddaw and can be reached on foot from Keswick:

BORROWDALE

Buses from Keswick run into the heart of the mountains at Seatoller and are adequate even on Sundays in summer, giving access to

If you want to get really close to the highest mountains, stay at a small hostel at the top of the pass:

THE WESTERN VALLEYS

These include some of the wildest areas, and are best visited as part of a walking tour as there are hardly any buses here. Hostels are:

THE FRINGE OF THE LAKE DISTRICT

The area just outside the Lake District is plain by comparison, but there are several hostels where you might have to stay if all the Lakeland hostels are full.

Kendal is a good example of a Northern England town, and easy to reach by any transport method, so it deserves a visit. But it is not the Lakes, and if you want a look at the Lake District, allow another day, using Kendal as a base (good buses and trains into the Lake District).

One of the most picturesque areas is Arnside, which has 6 buses a day from Kendal. This peaceful spot has some great easy and moderate walks, estuary views and much interest for birds, geology and botany.

Ulverston is a pleasant friendly town, overlooking Morecambe Bay with good walking country around. On the outskirts is a hostel with a friendly atmosphere:

Penrith

is a comfortable town, with a walk up a wooded hill to a viewpoint. We don't know of any current hostels there. But if you are travelling by road, a convenient place to stop is Shap, where you can hike to Haweswater, a less-visted part of the Lake District. There is a new hostel there:

Carlisle

is an interesting historic border town with a castle; its hostel is open only in midsummer.

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