England's Lakes without a car?
 

Hi everyone - you all have been very helpful in the past and I'm hoping you can help this time! A friend and I (women in mid-20s) are planning to start off a two-week trip in June with a few days in the Lake District, taking the train from Manchester airport. We would really rather not rent a car, rather just walk and do busses. Would we just miss everything? We both like scenery but aren't really into a lot of intense hiking, so I was thinking we would stay in Windermere or maybe Ambleside.

You can manage pretty well without a car in the Lake District, especially around the area you are thinking of. There4 are plenty of buses and small tourist buses that connect a lot of points of interest. You can also get boats from one part of Lake Windermere to another. Ullswater is beautiful and you should try to see it if possible. Penrith is a pretty central place in that area.

Carolena

jent, the train will take you as far as Windermere and you can stay there but might prefer Grasmere or even Elterwater, near Ambleside, where we always base ourselves. We can do lots of walks from Elterwater or Grasmere without needing a car but we always rent one anyway.

If you want to read about our walks and see photos of the spectacular scenery check out my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34811293

There is a company in the lakes called Mountain Goat that can take you on day trips or walking tours. We see their small buses everywhere.

http://www.mountain-goat.com/

Thanks to you both - I feel better! I'd read so many posts that said you basically had to have a car in the Lakes I was getting worried. We'll be in Ireland at the end of our trip and I'm nervous enough about driving there!

moolyn - great pictures! They're making me excited to go back!

Four of the lakes have boat services which can be used for one-way trips, combined with walks:
www.conistonlaunch.co.uk
www.keswick-launch.co.uk
www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk
www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk
There is also the steamboat GONDOLA on Coniston which is run by the National Trust.

We enjoyed Ambleside as a base and walked out from our hotel every day, never using the car. Good deli/restaurant in Ambleside called Lucy's I think

Right, kiddiwinks.
Who can tell me how many lakes there are in the Lake District?

I'm not a kiddiwink, but I think it's the same as the number of lakes in Scotland

There are 16 lakes commonly regarded as such, but up to 74 if you include tarns and reservoirs.
Lakes:
Bassenthwaite Lake
Buttermere
Coniston Water
Crummock Water
Derwent Water
Devoke Water
Ennerdale Water
Grasmere
Haweswater
Hayeswater
Loweswater
Rydal Water
Thirlmere
Ullswater
Wast Water
Windermere

There is only one lake in the Lake District, Bassenthwaite Lake.
All the rest are meres, tarns etc.
Miss P. had the right idea because there is only one lake in Scotland, Lake of Menteith. All the rest are lochs.

My mother, daughter, and I spent almost a week in the Lake District a few years ago without a car. We were based in Ambleside and took Mountain Goat tours all over the district. I recommend them highly. Most were full-day tours with stops for picture taking and lunch. They use mini-buses, which can negotiate some of the higher passes (unlike large coaches), and I think you have much better views than if you were driving yourself. The driver/guides were personable and knowledgable.

ttt