Excursion D: Steam to the Hills

Highlights - Lakes Tour - Steam Train and Boat - Optional visit to Dove Cottage

We leave Lancaster and travel across the southern edge of the Lake District to Haverthwaite. There we take a steam train to Lakeside. The Lakeside and Haverthwaite steam railway is part of the old Furness Line which was built in the 1860s to serve the many industries in the area. Today it is an important visitor attraction that provides an insight into the industrial heritage of Lakeland.

From Lakeside we take the Windermere Steamer to Bowness. The cruise on Windermere, the longest lake in England, continues your journey into the heart of the Lake District.

On arrival at Bowness, we transfer back to the coach for a scenic drive to the village of Grasmere where we stay for just under 2 hours.

Grasmere is a justifiably popular village that is associated with the poet William Wordsworth. There is the option to visit Dove Cottage where Wordsworth lived from 1799 to 1808 and the Wordsworth museum (entry fee is £6.50 per person). Packed Lunches can be provided on request. Alternatively, lunch may be purchased in Grasmere.

Early afternoon, we depart to Glenridding via St. Johns in the Vale. We travel a scenic route over the pass of Dunmail Raise and alongside Thirlmere. This lake is a reservoir built to supply drinking water to the industrial town of Manchester. We continue with a beautiful drive alongside Ullswater, a lake that provided the inspiration for Wordsworth’s most famous poem ‘Daffodils’, and follow the lake shore to Glenridding.

After a short stop in Glenridding, toilets, we travel up the narrow roads over the Kirkstone Pass, frequently closed in winter, to Windermere and our return to Lancaster. If time permits, we may make a stop at the historic Kirkstone Pass Inn for refreshments. At a height of almost 1500ft, the views from here can be stunning.