Lake District

Arriving by Plane.

The closest airport is Manchester, which is connected to the area by a fairly regular direct train service taking around 2 hours.

Arriving By Train.

The West Coast Main Line runs along the Eastern edge of the Lake District, with stations at Penrith and Oxenholme (with connections to Windermere). Virgin Trains run regular express trains to these stations from London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and are probably the best way into the area. TransPennine Express run slower trains from Manchester and Lancaster along the south of the Lake District to Barrow-in-Furness, and onward along the coast to Carlisle. Even if these slow trains aren't necessarily the quickest way into the Lakes, the route is quite scenic and market towns like Ulverston along the way are quite pleasant places in themselves. As usual, times and prices are available on the National Rail website.

Arriving By Coach.

National Express run a coach every day from London and Birmingham to Windermere with a journey time to London of around 8.5 hours.