London to Lake District, Rail or Car?
 

Hi,

I am trying to decide the best way to get to the Lake District. I have a car (mini) reserved at the moment, but several people suggested taking the train to near the Lake District and renting a car there instead of driving all the way from London. Does anyone have any sugestions? I am trying to weigh my options. I will need a car in the Lake District because I will be staying in a rather remote area.

Both make sense - Mostly depends on what if anything you want to see enroute and how much time you budget for the trip.

If you just want to get to the Lakes the same day you leave London, I'd consider taking the train to Carlisle or maybe Manchester and pick up a car there.

But if you want to spend the whole day driving up, visit some scenic bits, and take some detours along the way (or if you want to take a couple of days for the drive), then I'd drive all the way.

The nearest station for the Lakes is Oxenholme, near Kendal. You can get a direct train there from London Euston -it takes around three and a half hours. You can also get connections from there to Windermere. To drive would take around 5 hours (around 280 miles to Windermere), depending on traffic and exactly where in the Lakes you are heading. Without detours, it is mainly boring motorway.

I don't know about the train to the Lake District but I just returned to london from a long easter weekend up there. The drive took almost 6 hours with little in the way of traffic delays. It is mostly boring motorway driving but the route takes you near many major cities, the Cotswolds, Stratford, Oxford, Blackpool, etc. If you have no interested in stopping in these places, and money is no worry, then I would take the train and hire a car up north. We avoided traffic but the route up to the Lake Dist is notorious for major traffic delays. If you drive, take the new M6 toll road which will help you to avoid some of the potential delays. Petrol should cost you about £50-£60 for the trip.

How long are you going for? Have you considered flying into Manchester or Birmingham or Glasgow? You could get a cheap return if you book ahead on virgintrains.com and pick up the ticket at the station (London Euston). 2nd class is fine and you don't need to take the optional insurance it offers. It is just a way of getting money off you, in my opinion.

Thank you so much for all of your helpful comments. I would love to take a train to the Lake Distict and rent a car there, but after weighing all the options, I am thinking that I should stick to my regular plan as I have checked the car rental options and it seems much more expensive to hire a car. As for taking a plane, it would require time and transportation to get to the airport and that would require time too. I think I will drive and make a stop along the way. I have already spent time in the Cotswolds. Does anyone have any ideas for nice 1-2 night stops in Derbyshire or elsewhere. I do not want to go too far out of the way. Also, if I do take the M6 with tolls, how much (roughly) should I expect to spend on the tolls? Thanks again everyone!

m6 toll road is £3 each way for the length of it (£2 at night). this new stretch has greatly decreased the chance of major delays on one of the most notorious stretches of motorway in the UK. However, it is a very small percentage of the journey.

If you are travelling at night, I would not bother with the toll. You must visit Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, but check it is open when you are going as I believe it does close for some of the year.