It was Sunday happiness. On a stunning spring day, I stood at the top of St Sunday Crag above Ullswater and was greeted with views that left me giddy with excitement: snow-covered Helvellyn across the valley, Fairfield along the ridge, Blencathra to the north and glittering Ingleborough. in the far south. But as spectacular as the views were and the exertion (the endorphin buzz of 2,760 ft) was only part of my exhilaration. My four-day walks in the Lake District, sometimes in the rain – in fact, mostly in the rain – were even more enjoyable because I didn’t have to think about my car.
The usual “Can I park near the start point?”, “Will there be space?”, “How do I get back?” (if you’re doing a linear walk) and actually asking “Will it be there when I come back?” The question didn’t bother me. I was making the entire journey – from my front door – using trains, buses and my own two feet.
Many operators offer self-guided walking excursions in the Lake District (including luggage transfers), but small, highly personal Muddy Boots Walking Holidays has designed its two new packages to be car-free from the start. A journey based in Ambleside and Langdale (including Loughrigg Fell and the iconic Langdale Pikes) uses bus links to Windermere station. My Ullswater tour ends with a 30-minute bus ride between Penrith station and Pooley Bridge at the northern end of the lake.
Admittedly, this may mean slightly longer periods of time; While waiting for my connection to Penrith I spent quite a long time admiring the architecture of Carlisle train station. However, within 30 minutes of the Penrith bus dropping me off at Pooley Bridge (literally opposite the 17th-century Crown Inn where I was staying), I had pulled on my boots, put on a hat and set off on a six-mile warm-up walk, half ready for the challenge. The next day on the 22 mile Ullswater Way.
Over breakfast, I watched the weather in Lakeland change from sleet to puffy clouds and back again, and I added waterproof top pants to my backpack. The first three miles were slow as I was variously distracted by spring lambs, a small “honesty hut” providing food for hikers (better stocking buckets…) and a quick coffee at the Silent Site eco-principal campsite.
Then, with the lake far below and few people on the road, I paced through dappled forests, open hillsides, and swampy pastures. As we approached the rocky summit of Gowbarrow Fell (modest but exposed), a family coming down gasped: “It’s brutal out there!” And good luck!” Oh my God, what a rush, I thought. Minutes later, as I hugged the summit’s Trig Point to stay upright, I remembered reading that Gowbarrow meant “hill of the wind.”
In the afternoon, after stopping to admire the Aira Force waterfall (the Victorians increased its “awesomeness” by adding a rustic stone bridge) and spying William Wordsworth’s daffodils floating shyly around Glencoyne Bay (in reality, it was his sister Dorothy who wrote) First about them first), crashing into the lively bar of Glenridding’s Ullswater Inn, my base for the next two nights.
As the next day turned blissfully blue, I abandoned my original plan to take the Ullswater ferry across the lake (albeit very pleasant) for some quiet walks in Martindale. Muddy Boots offers smart options for short, long, challenging, light, cruises, days off, etc. to suit your mood, muscle aches, and weather. It was a sunny Sunday and the namesake Crag was calling.
Most people were heading towards Helvellyn (Glenridding is the most popular starting point for the falls) but I walked down the Grisedale valley towards Grisedale Tarn and encountered almost no one. I was captivated by the splendor of the peace and tranquility – the steel-grey rocks of Eagle and Falcon Crags to my right and the gentle gurgling of the water falling from the lake as it began its descent into Ullswater.
But the next stage was a relentless upward climb towards a hill that seemed to remain stubbornly in the distance. When I finally reached the top, I almost tumbled over to the far side, shocked by the view; valleys and hills, rocky ledges and shadowy valleys lay around me. It was as if the view was waiting to surprise me.
At the summit, half a mile away, lunch was shared with just a handful of friendly people – far fewer than at Helvellyn, I thought smugly – then it was sadly downhill until the cheerful Ullswater Inn. It’s too late for the popular Yorkshire pudding.
If I had an extra day, I could take a ferry across Ullswater to connect with the Ullswater hopper bus to explore Lowther Castle, or take the 508 bus over the Kirkstone Pass to Windermere for a lazy day – both the pier and the bus stop are minutes away from the Inn.
Instead I embraced the rain and walked along the return section of the Ullswater Way, on the quieter, eastern side of the lake. Few walkers venture into the south-eastern part of Ullswater; The narrow lakeside road veers inland at Howtown halfway and soon ends. I wandered in and out of woodlands filled with moss-covered rocks, rounded rocky headlands, and watched ducks playing a furious game of chase in the lake. Looking back, St Sunday Crag and Helvellyn were lost in mist, adding a damp romanticism to the valley; I could see why Turner painted it.
Then we came to the dreary moors of Barton Fell and Askham Fell, with its lonely ring of stones. The fog was rolling around, and although I could clearly see the lake and the bright white lighthouse of The Crown Inn, I didn’t linger there. The team at the bar welcomed me like a lost explorer; I had only traveled 13 miles, but it looked like I had swam most of it. I quickly drank two cups of tea, followed more slowly by a large glass of red wine. After all, I wasn’t driving anywhere.
Fundamentals
Helen Pickles was a guest of Muddy Boots Walking Holidays (01524 271580; Muddybootswalkingholidays.com), which offers four to six-night self-guided walking trips in the Lake District for £480 per person (sharing), bed and breakfast, including route notes. , OS maps with route markers, survival packs and luggage transfers. Transport was provided by Northern Railway, Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express.
How to visit the Lake District without a car?
Getting there by train
The Lake District has three main stations: Carlisle, Penrith and Windermere. Choose the first two for the northern regions, and Windermere for the central and southern regions.
Avanti (avantiwestcoast.co.uk), the West Coast Main Line operator with hourly services between London Euston and Scotland, operates Oxenholme (for the branch line to Windermere), Penrith and Carlisle (prices for London-Oxenholme from £33.50 starts) searches. TransPennine Express (tpexpress.co.uk) also calls at these stations with direct services from Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland (Manchester-Oxenholme fares start from £9.10).
Northern (northernrailway.co.uk), which provides an hourly connecting service from Oxenholme to Windermere (20 minutes, £7.50) as well as calls to Carlisle, offers services in the north of England (such as Leeds to Windermere, 10.50 from £) offers services. Seascale also provides a coastal service to places such as Ravenglass and Grange-over-Sands (mainline connections at Carlisle and Carnforth).
Getting there by bus
National Express (nationalexpress.com) operates from London to Penrith and Carlisle from £27.50 and from Glasgow to both destinations from £8.
Transportation by bus
A year-round bus network connects main towns, stations and larger villages, including valleys such as Borrowdale and Langdale. But you need to plan ahead; Popular routes may have more than one bus per hour, others may run every two hours or less, may be seasonal or available only on weekends.
Not every bus stop has a shelter. Always have waterproof materials on hand.
Useful routes include the 555 between Kendal and Keswick, the 599 from Kendal to Grasmere via Bowness, the 505 between Windermere and Coniston, the 508 between Penrith and Windermere via Ullswater, the 516 from Windermere to Langdale and the 516 from Keswick to Borrowdale to Seatoller There are 78 roads.
More remote areas or more challenging routes, such as the 77 Honister Rambler between Borrowdale and Buttermere and the 509 and UB1 services in the Ullswater area, are likely to be seasonal and/or weekend-only – although well used and popular with visitors. .
All these services are currently covered by the £2 bus fare cap (until 31 December 2024). Stagecoach also offers all-day unlimited travel from £9.50, plus bus and boat tickets from £14.50 (all-day unlimited coach travel plus a boat ride at Coniston, Ullswater, Derwentwater or Windermere). More information: Stagecoach Lakes timetable, stagecoachbus.com and traveline.info.
boating
Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater and Coniston Water have tour boats which are a handy and scenic way to get around. Prices vary: for example, Bowness to Ambleside is £17.50 return, Glenridding to Howtown via Ullswater is £10 for a single or £15 return, Derwentwater singles are £2.75 or for a day pass. Prices start from £13.50. Windermere also has a cross-lake ferry between Bowness and Far Sawrey; £1 single journey, walking.
bring a bike
Trains take bikes (no additional charge), but usually only a few per service: book in advance on Avanti and TransPennine Express; First come, first served with Kuzey. National Express buses allow these if they are folded or dismantled; Stagecoach’s 599 service between Kendal and Grasmere via Bowness has cycle racks. Bicycles are allowed on Windermere’s larger boats if there is space; £2 fee. Similarly, on Ullswater Steamers this is at the discretion of the captain; £3 fee.
Bicycles (including e-bikes) can be hired from popular locations such as Hawkshead, Coniston, Keswick and Ambleside. It’s worth asking if they can deliver.
Cycling between towns is done on busy roads, many of which have no cycle lanes; Try to find back routes. In valleys such as Borrowdale and Langdale, roads are narrow and require maintenance. However, there are some designated cycle routes (e.g. the west coast of Windermere) and numerous bridleways. More remote areas such as Ennerdale and Eskdale or the coast are good choices for traffic-free cycling. See Sustrans and the Lake District government website for more information.
Both Grizedale Forest and Whinlatter Forest offer good mountain bike trails at all levels. Or for more challenging routes try LakesMTB.