Outdoor tourist attractions in England could reopen from 12th April and my second excursion was on the 21st to Penrith, using the line from Newcastle to Carlisle, where there is the choice of five directions to travel. Penrith is £32.10 from Chester-le-Street which is ok for a day return, but you can return within a month – much better than buying two singles, as you have to on some routes. (If there is no suitable fare from your local station, get a separate ticket from Newcastle, and feel free to email me for advice.) Unusually we were a bit late into Carlisle, but still in plenty of time for my Avanti train to London, next stop Penrith. I enjoyed a cup of coffee from “Caffeine Rush” which is a little trike dispensing coffee which I have used for over twenty years.
The train arrived in Penrith on time, and I had about thirty minutes before the Stagecoach bus 508 set off towards Windermere, just time to explore the ruins of Penrith Castle directly opposite, and the pleasant park, complete with crazy golf, surrounding it. I was just going to Pooley Bridge to join the steamer sailing at 1230, but would be returning from Aira Force down the west side of the lake, so the driver suggested I bought the Penrith and Ullswater Dayrider for £8.50 to give me unlimited travel, and cheaper than two singles.
Pooley Bridge has just gained a new bridge to replace the stone one dating from 1764 which collapsed following Storm Desmond in 2015. The new bridge opened in 2020, and the pavement is marked with the names of many families and businesses. I could not tell which way the river was flowing, but Ullswater drains into the River Eamont, then into the River Eden through Wetheral and Carlisle and out into the Solway Firth. The pier for the Ullswater Steamers is just outside the village (indeed the 508 bus stops southbound only right outside). Diesel powered nowadays, the boats are crewed by friendly and professional crews which made the cruise a pleasure.
The vessel for the first cruise down the length of the lake was the MV Western Belle, latest to join the five heritage vessels on Ullswater, built in Great Yarmouth in 1935. The Western Belle cruised on Tamar and Yealm river excursions in Devon for 50 years. She joined the fleet of the “Steamers” in July 2011. A pair of RAF fighters zoomed overhead and I observed to my neighbours that this was the most tranquil of the lakes. The deck was covered with canvas, affording some shelter, and the journey to Glenridding via Howtown took just less than an hour. A quick pint of Hobgoblin at the Glenridding Hotel, and I was back to the pier to join the MV Lady Wakefield to Aira Force. Built in 1949 in Dartmouth, she worked on the River Dart before her arrival at Ullswater in 2007 where she was fully restored and renamed by HRH Princess Alexandra.
National Trust owned Aira Force is a series of waterfalls, and the are a series of walks going further up the river valley. I went only about half way up to avail myself of the popular (open air) tea room close to the bus stop on the way down. I made an extra bus journey down to Patterdale and back to get full value for my Dayrider, and the return bus dropped just me off at Penrith station for my return trains across the Pennines in the golden hour shortly before sunset.
Alex Nelson
alex@nationalrail.com
