New bus services launched to help visitors see more of the Lake District

Two new bus services have been launched in the Lake District as part of an ongoing innovative sustainable transport programme to help protect England’s largest national park. The new services are part of the £6.9 million GoLakes Travel scheme, which aims to inspire visitors to the Lake District National Park to Drive Less, See More.

The X33 service links the central Lakes with the West coast, running from Ambleside via Coniston, Broughton in Furness, Duddon Bridge and out to Muncaster Castle and Ravenglass, and runs daily from 21st July to 9th September.

There are special deals available for visitors to Muncaster Castle and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway who have arrived on the bus. A combined day ticket for the bus and a journey on the railway travelling from Ambleside is £12.95 for adults and £6.50 for children. Visitors to Muncaster Castle who display their bus ticket receive 25 per cent discounted entry.

The X30 service makes frequent journeys from Hawkshead to Tarn Hows and also Grizedale Forest. There is space for two bikes on board giving the opportunity to get to the new black route and other trails at Grizedale car free. The service is currently running at weekends and then will run daily from 21st July until 9th September, and then weekends and school holidays until 4th November.

This service follows on from the introduction of a new specially converted bike bus running from Windermere through the central Lake District and up to Keswick and Whinlatter Forest, and the adaption of additional buses to carry bikes on the 599 route between Windermere and Grasmere.

Alistair Kirkbride, sustainable transport adviser for the Lake District National Park, said: “These new services are a continuation of the GoLakes Travel programme and are aimed at developing a more extensive public transport network around the central and south Lakes, encouraging visitors to leave their cars behind.

“The X33 in particular is a major boost, linking the Western Lakes and coast to the central Lakes for the first time.”

The GoLakes Travel programme is a £6.9 million initiative being delivered in partnership by Cumbria County Council, the Lake District National Park Authority and Cumbria Tourism to influence people to make fewer car journeys while visiting the Lake District. It aims to reduce the area’s CO2 emissions by to 11,000 tonnes by 2015.

The programme, which has been funded primarily through the Department for Transport, along with some matched funding, is focussed on the Central and Southern Lake District, including the towns and villages of Grasmere, Ambleside, Windermere, Kendal, Hawkshead and Coniston. This area has been chosen because it receives the majority of visitors to the National Park.

The programme includes nine interlinking projects which will deliver multiple improvements to travel infrastructure, such as improved cycleways, more and better bus stops, more frequent bus services, a low emission car hire network, the expansion of an electric cycle network, improved and more flexible ticketing and better transport information.

For more information on sustainable travel options in the Lake District visit www.golakestravel.co.uk