Gazing through the window, I take in the scene as we wind along the road by Rydal Water – the cradle of fells, the pewter-blue lake to our left, the brilliant green trees.
The bus is bustling, and I glance around at my fellow passengers, from a group of walkers chatting to a man with a dog perched on his lap, who seems just as intrigued by the views as me. The summer rain patters against the windows and there is something so calm about this moment. Soon, we arrive in Grasmere. “Just as well we didn’t drive!” I say to my husband as we pass the overflowing car parks.
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Travelling car-free in the Lake District
I love the Lake District. But I’m also very aware of the impact I have as a visitor, with cars that clog up the national park’s roads and pollute the air. While I don’t drive, my husband is often frustrated at being behind the wheel, stuck in traffic. So we decided to try a car-free break in Ambleside, wondering whether this would allow us to experience the Lakes in a way that feels more in tune with the natural environment. The great fell-walker and guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright used public transport to get around the Lakes – and if it was good enough for Alfred, it’s good enough for me.
We took the 555, one of the regular buses that serves popular areas of the Lakes and links the town of Ambleside, where we’re staying, with the honeypot village of Grasmere. We join others carrying bulky rucksacks as we step off the bus straight into the village. A couple of years ago, we’d done this same journey but in the car, only to find ourselves anxiously circling the car parks and then driving back to our B&B without having found a space, deflated. Today, we don’t have to worry about that and already it feels liberating.
We amble through the narrow streets of Grasmere, shop windows glowing enticingly on this overcast morning. It’s busy – as it often is – in Grasmere, with a queue snaking into the street at the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop, the waft of spices drawing me in. Grasmere Gingerbread was invented here in 1854 by cook Sarah Nelson and became a much-loved treat, helped by the Victorian boom in tourism to the Lakes. My husband and I sit outside the shop clutching our warm slices of this tasty delicacy that’s somewhere between a cake and a biscuit.
But we don’t linger for long. Gingerbread devoured, we follow Red Bank Road, snaking towards the lake itself. It’s a little on the outskirts, but here is the place that always brings us to Grasmere: Faeryland, a tea garden right by the water. We order at the kiosk – the man behind the counter asks us about our day, and I tell him how we’re planning to hike Loughrigg Fell. We find a picnic table, pour tea into delicate cups, and share a slice of rich Borrowdale tea bread (“to fuel our hike”).
A swan saunters around the tables and colourful rowing boats bob gently on the water from where they rest near the shore, ready to hire for an hour’s row on the lake. Canada geese honk in the distance, and I can hear the babble of a nearby stream. The sun is starting to appear, and I get out my notebook and pen to write. It’s wonderful to be somewhere so serene in the heart of the Lakes and to have not sat in a car to get here.
Cumbria's carbon-neutral goals
Although Loughrigg Fell can be reached from here by walking beside the lake, we decide to catch the bus to White Moss Common, which is between Rydal Water and Grasmere and is a popular starting point for several walks. It seems a little strange to be getting a bus to a large car park, but as the bus drops us off after a short journey, I’m aware how simple this has been, and potentially quicker than driving. There is something so appealing about travelling by bus – being able to hop on and off with no parking worries.
Cumbria is aiming to become the first carbon-neutral county in the UK by 2037. This includes working with local businesses and communities to reduce their environmental impact. There is a push for visitors to leave the car behind and make more of travelling by public transport. Bus networks are important to local people, and to visitors wanting to avoid traffic jams and bursting car parks. A report commissioned by the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership found that in 2019 the county emitted greenhouse gases equivalent to seven million tonnes of CO2, and this included visitor travel in and around Cumbria.
Other national parks are promoting the use of public transport and cycling routes. Recent campaigns include 2023’s Visit Peak District & Derbyshire’s Car-free Adventures which offered discounts to visitors arriving by public transport and downloadable car-free itineraries. Outside the UK, the Lagos de Covadonga – two lakes in Asturias, north-western Spain – have restricted car-use during the summer when tourists have to book a bus to visit.
As well as reducing the environmental impact of visiting, using public transport also offers you more time to relish the landscape. “I’d never appreciated how beautiful it is along here,” my husband said as the bus took us along the busy A591, admiring the fells rising around us.
Walking Loughrigg Fell
One of the joys of Loughrigg Fell is how many walking routes ribbon its slopes. I’ve hiked here several times, and each trek is different. Today, we ascend what’s perhaps our favourite way – along Loughrigg Terrace, a path on the northern side of the fell. The views are brilliant; Grasmere dominates, with the verdant swell of surrounding fells stretching over to Helm Crag and the Fairfield group.
It’s then a steeper path to the summit, with the occasional bit of scrambling, the feel of the rock rough beneath my hands as I drag myself up. Soon, we emerge on to the summit, joining several other walkers gathered here. Spotting me fiddling with my phone, a fellow walker kindly offers to take a photo of me by the trig point. The long ribbon of Windermere glistens to the south, while the distinctive shape of the Langdale Pikes rises to the west. I nibble on some Kendal Mint Cake, my summit ritual.
We head on, descending to Ambleside. The route down towards Loughrigg Tarn is recommended, too, with the Langdale Pikes even more dominant over the water, and then following the foot of the fell back to Ambleside. This time we choose a more direct route. Being partially sighted, I find descents more challenging as it’s harder to see where to put my feet, so I take it gently.
After around an hour, we reach woodland and then the familiar rush of the River Rothay accompanied by the delicious petrichor scent of damp earth. We amble through Rothay Park on the fringes of Ambleside, and soon we’re into the town itself. This moment can feel quite strange – emerging into the bustle of a town centre having just been high in the hills.
Benefits of going car-free
Walks like this make sense without a car and Ambleside is an ideal base for public transport, with Windermere train station just a short bus journey away. Even if you do drive to get here, once you’re parked at your accommodation there’s often little reason to drive again.
We return to our B&B, and collapsing on to the bed, I feel exhausted but elated. It’s satisfying to have navigated from one place to another on this walk. It gives a sense of progress, of having traversed a landscape. The whole outing – from leaving the B&B in the morning to returning – took around five hours, including our leisurely tea in Grasmere, and the bus journey from Ambleside to Grasmere was only around 15 minutes.
Later, wandering past Ambleside’s Victorian slate buildings on the way out for dinner, I notice all the cars navigating the town and think about how much more I’ve enjoyed this trip using public transport. The Lake District is beautiful, and by leaving the car behind, we’re helping to care for the national park – and have had a more relaxing time, too.
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Top image: Lake Windermere from Loughrigg Fell. Credit: Getty
