Independent Trails: Fact File

Independent Trails: Fact File.CUMW3

The Lake District ~ The Cumbria Way

Trail Facts

Total distance: 73 miles (117km)
Duration: 9 nights, 8 days walking
Minimum/maximum daily distances: 7 miles (11km)/14 miles (22.5km)
Season: All year
Starting point of holiday: Ulverston
End of holiday: Carlisle
Code: CUMW3

Itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Ulverston where your first nights accommodation has been booked.

Day 2: Ulverston to Lowick. 7 miles (11km).

Day 3: Lowick to Coniston. 8 miles (13km).

Day 4: Coniston to Chapel Stile. 8 ½ miles (13.5km).

Day 5: Chapel Stile to Stonethwaite. 9 miles (14.5km).

Day 6: Stonethwaite to Keswick. 9 miles (14.5km).

Day 7: Keswick to Bassenthwaite. 9 miles (14.5km).

Day 8: Bassenthwaite to Caldbeck. 9 miles (14.5km).

Day 9: Caldbeck to Carlisle. 14 miles (22.5km).

Day 10 : Depart Carlisle after breakfast

Extra nights/rest days

There is plenty to see and do around Coniston; a walk to the summit of Coniston Old Man, boat trips on Coniston Water on the elegant Victorian steam yacht 'Gondola', the Ruskin Museum in the village and the home of John Ruskin, the author, critic, artist and philanthropist who lived at Brantwood on the eastern side of the lake. Another possibility would be a trip to the little 17th century cottage, Hill Top, where Beatrix Potter wrote many of her books or the picturesque village of Hawkshead. Among the interesting buildings in the village is Hawkshead Courthouse, St. Michael's Church, the solicitors offices of William Heelis, husband of Beatrix Potter, that contains an exhibition of the illustrations from her children's books and the old Grammar school, where Wordsworth was educated; the desk on which he carved his name can still be seen.

If you prefer somewhere quieter Stonethwaite is a good choice for a rest day. There are many lovely walks in the hills around Borrowdale.
The old market town of Keswick is another good choice for an extra night. It is a bustling little town with plenty of shops, inns and cafes. There are boat trips on Derwentwater, or you could walk to the mystical Castlerigg Stone Circle, the fine viewpoint of Friar's Crag or climb Skiddaw, the fourth highest mountain in England.

If you would like somewhere quiet beyond Keswick for a rest day, consider Bassenthwaite where you could walk to the little church of St. Bega, which sits within a circular churchyard on the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake. This is reputed to be the most romantic spot in the Lake District and is where Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote the Excalibur story in his poem 'Morte d'Arthur'.

Many people take an extra night at the end of the tour in Carlisle and visit the award winning Tullie House Museum, the 12th century cathedral, the half-timbered guildhall that houses a local history museum and the vast medieval castle, with its ancient chambers, stairways and the dungeons that contain the infamous 'licking stones'. Here, parched Jacobite prisoners found enough moisture to stay alive, only to be brutally executed on Gallows Hill.

What's included?

9 nights accommodation in en-suite rooms with private bathrooms (where available) in selected hotels, inns and guesthouses.
Traditional cooked breakfast.
Door to door luggage transfer along the trail.
A set of maps with the route marked on and a guidebook to the trail.
An information pack containing an itinerary, detailed instructions on how to find your accommodation each night, town plans, information about facilities and places of interest along the trail and a kit list.
Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it.
Emergency assistance

Travel Information

Detailed instructions on how to get to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you on booking. A summary is given below.

Most convenient major city and International airport: Manchester Airport. There is a direct train service to Ulverston (2 hours 15 minutes).

Outward journey from London to Ulverston: Train from London Euston to Lancaster or Preston, then change trains for Ulverston (4 hours 20 minutes). Your first night's accommodation in Ulverston is a 5-minute walk from the station.

Return journey to London at the end of the holiday: Short walk or taxi to Carlisle railway station. Train to London Euston (4 ½ hours).

Return journey to Manchester Airport at the end of the holiday: Short walk or taxi to Carlisle railway station. Train to Preston or Wigan, then change trains for Manchester Airport (3 ½ hours).