Everything is closer than it looks
The Lake District is compact. From Keswick, Cockermouth and Grasmere are both about a quarter of an hour’s drive, Ullswater and Ambleside under twenty minutes, and the coast around forty. A day out here does not mean writing off the day.
Distances below are road estimates from the Moot Hall. The bus routes are the ones on the transport and parking page, which has the timetables and fares.
Under twenty miles
A Georgian market town at the meeting of the Cocker and the Derwent, and where Wordsworth was born. The X4 and X5 run there from Keswick.
Wordsworth House~14 miles · X4 / X5
Over Dunmail Raise on the 555, which carries on to Ambleside, Windermere railway station and Kendal.
Thirlmere, on the way~15 miles · 555
The quiet northern side of the Skiddaw massif, reached round the fells rather than over them.
Ireby and Caldbeck~15 miles
The second largest lake, with its own steamers. The 509 runs from Keswick through Threlkeld to Pooley Bridge at the northern end.
Helvellyn, between the two~18 miles · 509
The Cumbrian coast
West of the fells the land drops to the Solway Firth and the Irish Sea. Maryport and Workington are about twenty-three miles from Keswick, Whitehaven twenty-six, Silloth twenty-nine — call it three quarters of an hour to an hour by road.
The X4 and X5 run west from Keswick through Cockermouth to Workington, which is the simplest way to reach the coast without a car. It is also where the C2C cycle route begins its 137 miles across to Sunderland — the railway path out of Keswick is part of it.
You can see the whole of it from high up: the Solway, the Scottish hills beyond it and the Isle of Man are all visible from Skiddaw on a clear day.
Twenty miles and beyond
The nearest railway station, on the West Coast Main Line, and a market town in its own right. The X4 and X5 connect the two in about forty minutes.
Getting to Keswick~22 miles · X4 / X5
The nearest coast, on the Solway Firth. Reached on the X4 and X5 west through Cockermouth.
~23 miles · X4 / X5
The largest lake, and a railway station. The 555 runs the length of the central lakes to reach it.
~25 miles · 555
The county’s only city, with a castle and a cathedral. The 553 and 554 run north from Keswick past Bassenthwaite.
Bassenthwaite, on the way~30 miles · 553 / 554
Doing it without a car
Five routes leave Keswick and between them reach most of this page. Single fares are £3.
- X4 / X5 — west to Cockermouth and Workington, east to Penrith and its railway station.
- 555 — south to Grasmere, Ambleside, Windermere station and Kendal.
- 553 / 554 — north to Carlisle, past Mirehouse and Bassenthwaite.
- 509 — east to Threlkeld, Pooley Bridge on Ullswater, and Penrith.
- 77 / 77A / 77C — the Honister Rambler, round to Buttermere and Cockermouth.
Timetables, fares and the live tracker are on the transport and parking page.
All of it is a World Heritage Site
The whole of the Lake District was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017 — not for one building or one view, but for the way farming, industry and two centuries of writing and painting shaped a whole landscape together.
Start your trip here
Plan your perfect escape with our Keswick guide. From places to stay and things to do, where to eat, explore and unwind.