Car Free Travel in the Lake District
The Lake District is the most visited National Park in the U.K., welcoming over 15 million visitors every year who come to climb the craggy peaks, swim in deep blue lakes and admire the mountain views. Despite these jaw-dropping natural landscapes, the abundance of tourism has contributed to the Lake District having quite a high carbon footprint due in part to the many cars travelling to and around the park.
We were invited by the Low Carbon Lake District Project to spend a day travelling more sustainably around the Lakes without a car — something of which we have to admit that we have done very little. The journey included trains, buses and boats, as well as travelling our preferred way — on foot — all with a toddler in tow. Nine hours later, we caught the train home feeling tired but fulfilled and positive about the possibility of travelling more sustainably in and around the Lake District, eager to share our journey and inspire others to do the same.
These trails were developed as part of the Low Carbon Lake District. The Low Carbon Lake District initiative is a comprehensive programme to help tackle climate change in the National Park, working to reduce greenhouse gases and prepare for the impacts of climate change. The project has received funding from the England European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. Find out more here.
Read on to see what we got up to over the course of the day so you can try this sustainable day trip in the Lake District for yourself.
Trains, buses and pub lunches
Our journey begins at Oxenholme Train Station, where we purchase our Lakes Day Ranger ticket for the day. The Lakes Day Ranger ticket allows you to travel within Cumbria by train and bus on a few different services, as well as a cruise with Windermere Lake Cruises from Ambleside, Bowness or Lakeside. We started by taking the train from Oxenholme (Kendal) to Windermere (10.20am to 10.40am), where we then had 25 minutes before catching the number 6 bus (11.05am) from Windermere Train Station to Newby Bridge. The train station is right by Booths so we popped in to grab a few snacks and supplies for the day while we waited for the bus. The bus journey to Newby Bridge essentially runs down the whole eastern side of Lake Windermere and takes around 25 minutes. When we got off the bus (at around 11.30am), we crossed the bridge and headed straight for the Swan Inn pub for lunch.
The Swan Inn is a beautifully designed pub with a locally-sourced menu and great options for little ones as well. It has a lovely vibe, excellent food and loads of outdoor seating right on the river. I ordered a chicken and stuffing sandwich with chips and Harvey had the lamb kofta, we also got some calamari to share and Aífe had some pasta with tomato sauce from the kid’s menu while making friends with a little girl on the table opposite. With our bellies full, we hoisted on our rucksacks and headed off for the next leg of our journey.
The West Windermere Way
From the Swan Inn pub, we followed the river to join up with the new West Windermere Way; an accessible trail along the western shores of Windermere that will eventually join up with the existing Windermere West Shore Way that goes all the way to Wray Castle. The trail is buggy, bike, wheelchair and horse-friendly and has plenty of benches for picnics along the way. Between Newby Bridge and Lakeside, where we walked, it’s only around one mile long and follows the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway — a traditional steam train that takes you through the beautiful scenery of the Leven Valley to Lakeside.
We loved walking this part of the trail and are excited for when the full West Windermere Way is complete so we can cycle it with our bike trailer all the way to Wray Castle. It is ideal for kids walking themselves who can admire all the beautiful wildflower and look out for the steam train which passes regularly. This one-mile stretch of the trail probably takes between 15-30 minutes depending on your pace and whether you wait for the train at the bridge!
A Boat across the lake — Windermere lake cruises
We walked leisurely to Lakeside where we would be taking a boat across the lake. All we had to do was go to the ticket booth who issued us a ticket for the boat, included in the price of our Lakes Day Ranger tickets. We arrived at Lakeside at around 2pm and had 45 minutes to wait before the next boat. If you have a little time to wait, you could factor in a trip to the Lakes Aquarium which is home to hundreds of species of fish and other wildlife from the Lakes and beyond. We didn’t have quite enough time to go to the Aquarium but had plenty to occupy Aífe at Lakeside with the many ducks, birds and boats on the lake to admire, and the little toy boat she loved playing on.
When the boat arrived, we embarked and got ourselves a cup of tea for the journey across Windermere, which takes around 40 minutes. The journey is beautiful as you sail past some exceptional old houses and gardens, whooshing along the lake’s blue water with hills rising on the horizon. I really love a boat journey — there’s something both exciting and nostalgic about it. The boat had a kind of timeless feel about it, with red velvet booth seats and wide windows that look out on the landscape. Aífe loved it too; pointing out the window the whole way there at different birds, trees and the buoys she kept spotting bouncing on the water.
the world of beatrix potter and windermere views
Arriving back in Bowness was like stepping back into a busy metropolis after the peace and quiet of the western side of the lake. Bowness really is bustling, with loads of cafés, restaurants and shops to wander in and out of. We decided to head to the World of Beatrix Potter which is a really fun and interactive kid’s attraction that brings to life the magical world of Beatrix Potter through the characters of her books. There’s also a café there where you can enjoy afternoon tea, lunch, hot drinks and cakes, as well as a lovely garden and gift shop.
We could have caught the bus from Bowness back up to Windermere, but instead we decided to stretch our legs with a walk over Brant Fell to Windermere. From the centre of Bowness, you head up the steep hill next to The Arts Bar until you reach a gate into a field. Continue up the hill onto the Dalesway then bear right to head up the stone steps into the woodland and continue up the fell to the summit. It’s a little steep to get there, but the views are marvellous over Lake Windermere, Bowness and Windermere town itself. Aífe fell asleep on the journey up and so Harvey and I got a little time to relax and reflect on what had been a wonderful day in the southern Lake District.
I have travelled extensively in the Lake District over the past couple of years as I have been researching for my next guidebook, but it felt like a whole new way of seeing the National Park when travelling by train, bus and boat. The Lakes Day Ranger pass made it both more economical and easy to travel via public transport, and our toddler loved every part of the journey — pointing at ‘moomoos’ out the train window, singing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ to our bus neighbours and admiring the blue waters and buoys of the boat. For a toddler, travelling via public transport makes them more involved in the journey, rather than just being strapped in the car seat, and seeing her soak in every moment brought a lot of joy to both myself and Harvey. It was a really eye-opening experience on the many ways of travelling around the Lake District which we will certainly be utilising in the future.