← Kirkbride Marathon·2 nights

Keswick: Two Nights and a Seated Lap of Derwentwater

Two nights in the northern Lakes, with a 50-minute boat circuit of Derwentwater that gives views without a long walk.

Duration2 nights
TransitRoad to Carlisle, rail to Penrith, then Stagecoach X4 or X5 to Keswick
DepartsKirkbride

After the Kirkbride Marathon: Keswick

The Route: Kirkbride → Carlisle → Penrith → Keswick → Carlisle → Newcastle Airport Logistics: Road transfer to Carlisle, a short train to Penrith and a Stagecoach bus to Keswick. The connection has not been timed end to end, so allow a generous half day. Marathon Month: June Duration: 2 nights

Kirkbride ──(road)──> Carlisle ──(train)──> Penrith ──(Stagecoach X4/X5)──> Keswick
                                                                              │
Newcastle Airport (NCL) ◄──(Metro)── Newcastle Central ◄──(Northern)── Carlisle ◄┘

The Kirkbride Marathon ends at a hotel on a flat former airfield, and the Lake District is about an hour and a half away. Hills are the thing to think about. Keswick manages to be a lake town with a good deal of level ground, which is why it works for stiff legs.

June in Keswick is the start of the long summer timetable on the water. Daylight is long, but the Lakes are wetter than the Solway coast, so pack a waterproof.

Getting there

Take a prebooked car or taxi from Kirkbride to Carlisle, then a train to Penrith. From Penrith, Stagecoach runs the X4 and X5 buses along the corridor to Keswick. The operator confirms the route, but the full June connection from Carlisle was not timed, so treat Monday as a travel day with a half-day allowance. Ask your accommodation whether it will accept luggage before your room is ready.

Nights One and Two: Keswick

Choose accommodation on level ground in the town centre, ask about luggage and breakfast, and avoid streets that climb out of it.

The best use of the second day is the Keswick Launch, a boat circuit of Derwentwater that takes about 50 minutes. Stay on board and skip the long walk between landing stages. The operator's summer timetable covers June. An extra 17:00 sailing belongs to July and August, so do not plan around it. There are four steps to board, and wheelchair users cannot board in the chair. Sailings can be cancelled in bad weather, so keep a café as a fallback.

Getting home

Return by the X4 or X5 to Penrith, then rail to Carlisle and Northern's service to Newcastle Central, which takes around an hour and a half. The Metro then reaches Newcastle Airport (NCL) in around 25 minutes. Check the first and last trains against your flight.