This was how my recent weekend in the Lake District went: climbed a fell (two, actually), took a lake cruise, explored a castle and gardens, walked parts of a long-distance path, slept in a cosy glamping cabin, enjoyed tea and cakes (several times), went to the pub (twice). And I did all this without once using a car.
My new best friend for the weekend was the Ullswater Bus, a dapper, shiny 16-seater and a new trial service that links hotels, campsites, landing stages and attractions around much of Ullswater (the valley and lake share the same name), with the aim of reducing car usage. As the Lake District’s second-largest lake (after Windermere), Ullswater annually draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to enjoy its water sports, lake cruises, Aira Force beauty spot, and walking and cycling routes. It’s the main starting point for Helvellyn, one of the Lake District’s most-climbed fells at 949m, and also offers the 21-mile round-lake Ullswater Way walking route.
Pooley Bridge, sitting prettily on the River Eamont where water flows out of the lake at the northern end, is a popular village, too – three pubs, four cafes, two giftshops, smart restaurant-with-rooms, deli, bookstore, village store. And all of this lies just 20 minutes from the M6 Junction 40 at Penrith.
Go exploring on the Ullswater Way
(Helen Pickles)
“If we do nothing, we’re going to see real problems in our lifetime,” asserts Daniel Holder, owner of the Quiet Site eco-friendly camping and glamping site above the lake’s north-western shore, and one of the scheme’s instigators. “The valley will become grid-locked. It’s a valley of small roads, the same ones in and out. It gets incredibly busy with cars in the summer. We need an integrated system, now.”
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Hence SITU (Sustainable and Integrated Transport for Ullswater), a voluntary group of local residents and parish councils, was born in early 2021. After creating the five-mile Eamont Way footpath that links Penrith Station to Pooley Bridge, the Ullswater Bus was the next target. Launched in July 2023 as a weekends-only scheme, and financed by community funds, Heritage Lottery, Zero Carbon Cumbria and Westmorland & Furness Council, its three routes are designed to tie in with the 508 Stagecoach service between Penrith and Windermere, and the cross-lake Ullswater…
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