THE 555 TO KESWICK
Taking in the dramatic landscapes of the Lake District from the top of a double-decker bus.
There’s something surreal about seeing the dramatic landscape of the Lake District from the top deck of a bus. As you pass the towering fells, picturesque dales and glittering lakes, it’s easy to forget that the 555 is just a normal bus route. Schoolchildren get on, chatting among themselves on their way home, commuters tap away on their phones, and the journey is punctuated by the ding of the stop-request bell. It just happens that this bus travels through some of the most beautiful countryside England has to offer. It’s this blend of the everyday and the remarkable that characterizes the 555.
You don’t have to ride for long to understand why the Lake District receives more than eighteen million visitors every year. The route begins in Lancaster, but many take the bus from Kendal, a vibrant market town and a good place to stock up for the journey (the town is home to the famous Kendal mint cake, the preferred energy source for hikers and climbers). The bus leaves from the kind of utilitarian bus station that can be found in many English towns, but soon Kendal’s guesthouses and hotels give way to a breathtaking landscape of glacial troughs, craggy peaks and sheep grazing in enclosures. This is, after all, a working landscape, and the bus runs past farms just as often as it does the vast lakes that give the national park its name.
From Kendal, the bus travels north through the county of Cumbria, skirting the edges of lakes as though the route were designed to showcase their beauty. Determined motorists could drive without stopping and make the 30-mile (48 km) journey to Keswick, where the route terminates, in less than an hour. They would, however, miss out on the opportunity to see the lakes unfold at a more leisurely pace—as well as the vantage point afforded by the top deck of the bus.
Windermere, the largest lake in England, is a popular spot to disembark and fish, kayak or paddleboard. Many people catch the bus here too, having taken the train from Manchester, Penrith or other cities in the northwest of England for the weekend. Bus services from Windermere run regularly to other Lake District towns, but these picturesque villages can be victims of their own success. Those who venture to Hawkshead, Coniston or Ulverston for weekends and school vacations might struggle to navigate the crowded, narrow pavements lining busy roads. Others might use Windermere as a base to visit nearby attractions, such as the World of Beatrix Potter, a museum dedicated to the author of the Peter Rabbit children’s stories.
GETTING THERE Catch the 555 from Kendal Bus Station or from one of the many stops between Lancaster and Keswick. A single ticket costs £2 ($2.50) and can be bought on the bus using cash or card. The bus service runs every ten minutes during the summer and every thirty minutes in the off-season.
SEE & TOUR The Castlerigg Stone Circle is a half-hour walk from Keswick, nestled in view of Helvellyn and High Seat mountains. Alternatively, there is a 6-mile (9 km) walk from Keswick’s Market Square to Walla Crag, a 1,480-foot (450 m) climb that rewards the hiker with stunning views over Derwent Water.
STAY The Inn on the Square, in the center of Keswick, offers a convenient base camp for anyone wishing to explore the lakes. Each of the inn’s “Herdwick” rooms has superb views over Keswick and the surrounding countryside and includes a large photograph of local Herdwick sheep above the bed. Dog-friendly rooms are available.
WORTH KNOWING Helm Crag, a fell that can be seen from Grasmere, goes by various nicknames that derive from the angle from which it is viewed. As Alfred Wainwright noted, those looking from the vantage point of Tongue Gill call it “The Old Woman Playing the Organ,” while those looking from Dunmail Raise call it “The Howitzer.”
It’s a short trip from Windermere to Ambleside, a picture-postcard town of country pubs, traditional tearooms and winding lanes. It has a particular draw for walkers, many of whom come from around the world to “bag” a Wainwright, the act of climbing one of the 214 peaks listed in Alfred Wainwright’s definitive Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Almost all of them are more than 1,000 feet (300 m) tall, including Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak, which is well over 3,000 feet (900 m). Those looking for a more leisurely way to get around town can take horse-drawn carriages in the summer months.
Grasmere is the next village worth exploring, in a valley nestled among soaring fells that is a point of pilgrimage for poetry lovers. The bus stops near Dove Cottage, a museum dedicated to William Wordsworth, who lived there for eight years, during which time he wrote some of his most memorable poems. He is buried in the village church. Travelers can also sample the wares at Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread shop, famous for its Victorian-era half-biscuit, half-cake dessert that’s a unique mixture of spicy and sweet and unlike that sold anywhere else.
After Grasmere, the 555 continues for a half hour to its terminus at Keswick—another popular destination for walkers and close to Castlerigg, one of the oldest stone circles in Europe. For those who wish to extend their journey through the lakes, however, the 554 bus route continues from here to Carlisle, the last city south of Scotland, passing Bassenthwaite Lake on the way. Alternatively, you could always catch the 555 on its route back to Lancaster and do it all again.
GETTING THERE Catch the 555 from Kendal Bus Station or from one of the many stops between Lancaster and Keswick. A single ticket costs £2 ($2.50) and can be bought on the bus using cash or card. The bus service runs every ten minutes during the summer and every thirty minutes in the off-season.
SEE & TOUR The Castlerigg Stone Circle is a half-hour walk from Keswick, nestled in view of Helvellyn and High Seat mountains. Alternatively, there is a 6-mile (9 km) walk from Keswick’s Market Square to Walla Crag, a 1,480-foot (450 m) climb that rewards the hiker with stunning views over Derwent Water.
STAY The Inn on the Square, in the center of Keswick, offers a convenient base camp for anyone wishing to explore the lakes. Each of the inn’s “Herdwick” rooms has superb views over Keswick and the surrounding countryside and includes a large photograph of local Herdwick sheep above the bed. Dog-friendly rooms are available.
WORTH KNOWING Helm Crag, a fell that can be seen from Grasmere, goes by various nicknames that derive from the angle from which it is viewed. As Alfred Wainwright noted, those looking from the vantage point of Tongue Gill call it “The Old Woman Playing the Organ,” while those looking from Dunmail Raise call it “The Howitzer.”
The jetty of the Lingholm Estate on Derwent Water, with Skiddaw Mountain in the background. Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, spent her summer vacations at Lingholm and wrote some of her best-known stories here.
Rydal is a small village between Grasmere and Ambleside, close to the edge of Rydal Water. The lake was a favorite of William Wordsworth, who would picnic on its banks; Rydal Mount, the poet’s home for more than three decades, is open as a museum.
The 555 leaves every thirty to sixty minutes, depending on the season. In total, the route passes four lakes—Windermere, Rydal Water, Grasmere and Thirlmere—and terminates close to a fifth, Derwent Water, in Keswick.
Ye Olde Fleece Inn is a traditional pub in the center of Kendal, a picturesque town on the River Kent, halfway between Lancaster and Keswick. The pub dates to 1654 and is a good place to try local Cumberland sausage, served with mashed potatoes, onion gravy and garden peas.
The view from Catbells, a fell in the north of the Lake District. The path points toward Derwent Water, in Keswick, the terminus of the 555, and the 3,054-foot (931 m) Skiddaw Mountain. Bassenthwaite Lake can be seen in the distance.
