Picturesque town added to train journey despite not having a railway station
The move is part of an effort to encourage tourists to travel car-free across the UK
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A Lake District town has been added to train journey planners despite not having a railway station.
The move is part of an effort to encourage tourists to travel car-free across the UK.
Avanti West Coast said passengers can buy a single ticket covering travel by train and bus to and from Keswick, removing the need to make multiple transactions.
The tickets can be used for train travel to and from Penrith station, which is connected to Keswick by 30-minute bus services – which have doubled in frequency this summer – operated by Stagecoach.
Integrated single tickets cost an additional £2 on top of train fares.
Avanti West Coast executive director of commercial Sarah Copley said she hopes the ticket will inspite more journeys to the area. She said: “Whether you’re visiting the Lakes for the day or a weekend away, the integrated ticket means you have everything you need for your journey before you board, so it’s even easier to make greener travel choices.
“We hope it will inspire more people to ditch the car and take the train and bus before exploring the region’s beautiful scenery on foot or public transport.”
Read more: Best Lake District hotels
Cumbria Tourism managing director Gill Haigh added that enabling visitors to Keswick to book tickets that “transfer them from their point of origin right into the heart of the town” will contribute to the effort to make Cumbria “Britain’s most sustainable rural destination”.
She said: “Providing easy car-free connections not only supports this vision but also facilitates even more relaxing, enjoyable, inclusive and welcoming ways to visit.”
Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire managing director Tom Waterhouse described the scheme as “a real step change in helping people to visit this beautiful part of the world in a sustainable way”.
Keswick was previously connected with Penrith by rail but the former’s station was closed in 1972 as part of the Beeching cuts.
The town is both the most northerly of the Lake District’s towns, It is found at the northern end of Derwentwater and surrounded by large fells including Skiddaw and Blencathra, two of the most popular among walkers and hikers.