Wild Ennerdale

Finding Ennerdale

Ennerdale Water Public Transport

As a wild remote valley Ennerdale is not directly served
by public transport,
however buses do serve Ennerdale Bridge on weekdays
and
Buttermere daily.

Rail

Whitehaven (7.5 miles from Ennerdale) which is
served by
trains from
Carlisle and Lancaster .
Penrith (40 miles from Ennerdale) which has bus connections
to Ennerdale via Cockermouth.

Bus

From Penrith (Rail connection) X4 or X5 Stagecoach to Keswick and Cockermouth.
Then weekdays take Rosie's Travel 217 service to Ennerdale Bridge
(2miles from Ennerdale Water).
Alternatively take the Honister Rambler service from Keswick to Buttermere which runs from Late March to end of October and climb over Scarth Gap into Ennerdale Valley

Public Transport Links

Cumbria Bus Services - National Rail Enquiries - Traveline Northeast and Cumbria

By Road

Ennerdale Valley is served by two free car parks both at the western end of the valley.

Bowness Knott (NY110153 or CA23 3AU) is an ideal starting point to explore the valley on foot, bike or horse. There are a few seats only 100 metres from the car park which give a superb view up the valley, ideal for those who do not want to walk far.

Please avoid using the unclassified lanes past Croft Foot to and from Mireside as these are not suitable for cars.

Bleach Green (NY085153 or CA23 3AS) is an ideal starting point to complete the
"round the lake" walk. It isnot suitable for cyclists or riders as there are no suitable
bridleways or tracks to link into. There are a few seats along the lake shore which give fantatsic views of the lake and valley.

Please be aware that the roads leading to Ennerdale are narrow and have a number of blind bends. Ennerdale continues to be a productive forest and on occasion you may meet a lorry carrying timber.

There is no public vehicle access beyond Bowness Knott unless you are staying overnight at Ennerdale YHA or Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre. Please respect this restriction as visitor surveys have shown that vehicles are the largest detracting feature within the valley. Unauthorised access beyond Bowness Knott is a breach of the Forestry Commission bylaws and should you have an accident you may find you are not covered by your insurance.