By Train in Lake District

By Train

For schedule information, call National Rail Enquiries. Two train companies serve the region from London's Euston Station: take a Virgin or Northern Rail train bound for Carlisle, Edinburgh, or Glasgow and change at Oxenholme for the branch line service to Kendal and Windermere. Average travel time to Windermere (including the change) is 4 1/2 hours. If you're heading for Keswick, you can either take the train to Windermere and continue from there by Stagecoach bus (Bus 555/556; 70 minutes), or stay on the main London-Carlisle train to Penrith Station (4 hours), from which Stagecoach buses (Bus X5) also run to Keswick (45 minutes). Direct trains from Manchester depart for Windermere five times daily (travel time 2 hours). First North Western runs a local service from Windermere and Barrow-in-Furness to Manchester Airport.

Train connections are good around the edges of the Lake District, especially on the Oxenholme-Kendal-Windermere line and the Furness and West Cumbria branch line from Lancaster to Grange-over-Sands, Ulverston, Barrow, and Ravenglass. However, these services aren't useful for getting around the central Lakeland region (you must take the bus or drive), and they are reduced, or nonexistent, on Sunday.

Fares & Schedules

Information

National Rail Enquiries (0845/748-4950. www.nationalrail.co.uk). Northern Rail (0845/600-1159. www.northernrail.org). Virgin Trains (0845/722-2333. www.virgintrains.co.uk).