How to have a Sustainable Weekend in the Lake District – Travel Edition

How to have a Sustainable Weekend in the Lake District

Travel Edition 

Everyday, we are reminded about the state of our beautiful Planet. Whether it be the Ice Caps melting in the North and South Pole, Bush and Forest Fires burning across Australia and USA to even whole towns been flooded and homes destroyed in the Lake District. The only way we can help prevent these terrible events from happening is by all of us doing our bit to save this incredible Planet. What I want to achieve in this first part of a four part series of blog posts is to open your eyes to just how easy it is to be Eco friendly when it comes to transportation whilst your visiting Keswick and the surrounding area. I want to show you that even though you are on holiday, you can still pursue the same Eco values you have at home. 

With 19 million visitors every year, the carbon footprint of the visitors travelling to the Lake District is staggering. The majority of tourists reach the area by car, a mode of transport which is damaging the planet in a variety of ways. However, this definitely isn’t the only way to reach and travel around the Lake District.

Train:

The Lake District plays host to 2 Train Stations, Oxenholme Lake District and Penrith North Lakes. There are over 50 trains a day calling into these 2 stations making very easy for you to get to the Lake District from all over the UK! Alongside this, trains run all across the South Lakes from Windermere to Kendal and also up the West Coast of Cumbria from Barrow to Carlisle showing of our more dramatic coastal views! Aside from walking or biking, taking the train is the most environmentally friendly way of traveling. In fact, compared to cars and airplanes, trains emit between 66 and 75 percent less carbon. Plus the train will take you through some of the beautiful South Lakes Countryside! If you want to arrive in the Lake District in Eco Style then Train Travel is the ECO-VIP way to travel! 

Electric Bikes:

In our opinion the best company for Electric Bike hire is E-Venture Bikes. E-Venture Bikes are the Lake District’s No.1 destination for E-Bike rental. If the idea of cycling up some of the Lake District steepest hills and passes to get the rewarding views is your idea of an awful day, or your idea of the perfect day is ditching the car and getting on two wheels to explore the local area then E-Venture Bikes has to be your first stop on your arrival! With an array of different Electric and Non Electric Bikes for you to choose from, E-Venture Bikes will have something for everyone! Perfectly located in the Centre of Keswick, next to Booths Supermarket. I have to say, the rise in Electric Bike use in the Lake District is staggering! This is great news! The less cars on the roads means less Greenhouse Gases being emitted out and destroying the beautiful and natural surroundings the Lake District offers! Please check out E-Venture Bikes: 

https://www.e-venturebikes.co.uk/

Local Buses: 

Yes, I know, they still realise Greenhouse Gases, however a majority of Buses across the Lake District can host a up to 40 -50 people on the bus at the same time meaning less cars on the road! Stagecoach operates an extensive network of bus routes throughout the area, going from Kendal to Carlisle, as well as going through some of the UK’s most beautiful landscapes like the Borrowdale Valley or even Honister Pass! Its open top buses are especially popular with tourists (In the summer of course!) and day tickets start from as little as £8.50. All the bus timetables for Cumbria can be found here.

Boat:

From Derwent Water to Ullswater, Coniston Water to  Windermere, all these vast bodies of water boast the use of transportation across them! Whether it be Launch or Steam Boat each Lake has it own originally way of sailing across them! Now, I know what your thinking, Steam Boats ain’t exactly good for the environment, and you would be correct, however, sustainability is not all about greenhouse gas emissions! All of the traditional Steam Boat companies are locally ran companies! Meaning you are supporting the local economy, which is great for the area but also, Sustainable! Many of the Steam Boat companies, Like Ullswater Steamers for example, invest a lot of that money back into making everything else surrounding the business as ecological as possible! They are so Ecological that they have even won National Sustainability Awards for the Eco Friendliness! There is no better way to see are beautiful area than by Boat! 

Our Top 3 Campsites in the Local Area

Rain, Wind or Shine, Keswick is still an incredible place to pitch your tent or park up your Caravan! We want to make sure however, that you are doing this in the right place! We want you to be waking up and having your morning cuppa in front of the best view possible, so we hope that you find this blog on our top 3 campsites in the local area useful!

Burns Farm Caravan and Campsite Park

Burns Farm is traditional, family run Campsite and Caravan Park, located on a quiet working farm, and situated 3 miles outside of Keswick and 15 minute’s walk from Keswick Climbing Wall in the beautiful valley of St Johns-in-the-Vale. The site is situated on a hill top which not only gives 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and peaks of Blencathera, Skiddaw, Latrigg and Helvellyn, to name a few. It also means that the campsite don’t flood and the sun isn’t restricted by the mountains giving all day sun all year round! The campsite offers amazing facilities and they are also a dog friendly! With Off Peak Season pitch prices start from just £20, we cannot recommend this campsite enough!

For more information and details about this awesome campsite please visit their website:

https://burns-farm.co.uk/

Castlerigg Hall Caravan and Campsite Park

Castlerigg Hall is a national award winning locally run Caravan, Camping and Glamping Park based in the heart of the Lake District with the highest quality facilities and staff. A perfect place to stay whilst you go off and explore all the Lakes, Mountains and Adventures which the Lake District has to offer! Being only a 20 minute walk from Keswick Climbing Wall, and the walk going via the 4000 year old Castlerigg Stone Circle, this campsite is an incredible well located one, with some of the best views in the whole of Cumbria being from your very own pitch! This is a campsite you simply cannot miss out on!

For more information about Castlerigg Hall please visit their website:

https://www.castlerigg.co.uk/

Castlerigg Farm Caravan and Campsite

Being only 10 minute’s drive from Keswick Climbing Wall, Castlerigg Farm Camping and Caravan Site is in a particularly beautiful part of the Lake District, away from the noise of towns and traffic, and an ideal location for walking and relaxing. With exceptional panoramic views of the surrounding fells, the site looks down towards Derwent Water and in the distance Bassenthwaite Lake. Keswick town is approximately a 25 minute walk down through the woods or a 5 minute drive by car we are a family site, catering for families and couples so are not suitable for noisy groups of any sort. For the consideration of all campers we have a rule of silence after 10.30 pm so everyone should get a good night’s sleep. Alongside all this, Castlerigg Farm Campsite is home to “The Hayloft Café”, a brilliant locally run Café/Restaurant which serves up deliciously made, locally sourced meals! The Hayloft is something not to miss if you stay at this campsite!

For more info please check out their website:

https://castleriggfarm.com/