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The little Cumbrian village of Haverthwaite is next to the river Leven and is the terminus for the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway; it is off the A590 south of Newby Bridge. It can be reached by leaving the M6 at either junction 35 or 36, the A590 is a good double carriageway road ... Read review
Advantages: Nostalgia, scenery, natural beauty Disadvantages: It has to end!!
...is the terminus for the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway; it is off the A590 south of Newby Bridge. It can be reached by leaving the M6 at either junction 35 or 36, the A590 is a good double carriageway road and the journey to the railway is quick and easy taking about 30 minutes from the motorway, there are brown leisure signposts to help.
For anyone with a sat nav the post code for the railway is LA12 8AL.
Originally ... ...carried passengers and goods from Lakeside to Ulverston and Barrow, then south to Lancashire. British Rail closed the line in the 1960's, and now the only part remaining is the stretch from Haverthwaite, through Newby Bridge to the terminus at Lakeside, run as a tourist attraction.
On this track steam and diesel locomotives make the 3½-mile run to Lakeside from Haverthwaite during tourist season and the steam locomotives have been beautifully ... more
LAKESIDE & HAVERTHWAITE RAILWAY
This is one of our favourite family outings and one that we have been visiting now for about fifteen years. If you are wanting to visit Lake Windermere I would recommend that you use this train as you will find parking so much easier than at Bowness.
As I said previously, we have used this train on many occasions, I now live relaively close to the station and when we have visitors staying with us it is always one of our first choices for places to visit. I have taken visitors of all ages who have all loved the experience - be it the older ones who rush to stand on the bridge with cameras in hand - all they're missing is their bobble hat and spotter jotter, or the young children who are always overawed by the whole experience, even the teenagers enjoy it.
The little Cumbrian village of Haverthwaite is next to the river Leven and is the terminus for the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway; it is off the A590 south of Newby Bridge. It can be reached by leaving the M6 at either junction 35 or 36, the A590 is a good double carriageway road and the journey to the railway is quick and easy taking about 30 minutes from the motorway, there are brown leisure signposts to help. For anyone with a sat nav the post code for the railway is LA12 8AL.
Originally this railway was a branch line of the Furness Railway and carried passengers and goods from Lakeside to Ulverston and Barrow, then south to Lancashire. British Rail closed the line in the 1960's, and now the only part remaining is the stretch from Haverthwaite, through Newby Bridge to the terminus at Lakeside, run as a tourist attraction. On this track steam and diesel locomotives make the 3½-mile run to Lakeside from Haverthwaite during tourist season and the steam locomotives have been beautifully restored to take the coaches of visitors from the Victorian station at Haverthwaite.
*I'll start my review at Haverthwaite Station*
There is a large car park, parking is £1.50 ( this is the one complaint I have about this attraction - I think that the car park fee should be returned if using the train) and on busy days there is always someone helping to guide you in. I must say though if there has been a lot of rain, there are quite a few pot holes and you do get a few puddles on the car park.
If you have young children with you the first thing that they will notice is Thomas the Tank engine - or a replica of him, that stands on the car park by the engine shed. The large engine shed is free to enter ( a collecting box is there for donations towards the work that is done by the volunteers there) and contains a number of working engines, and some under repair or restoration; this shed seemed to create a lot of excitement for some of my male visitors and children !! The last time we were at the station there was also an old Bedford Fire Engine outside the shed.
The station itself is a lovely Victorian building that is well maintained with beautiful floral displays and the addition of old luggage, trolleys etc to add to the feeling of nostalgia. The ticket office is rather small so queues can build up there at busy times, it does take debit or credit cards as well as cash and cheques. Before you go to the station I would recommend that you decide which option you want before you get there so that you can save time buying your tickets - your choices are a return train journey to Lakeside, a return train journey from Haverthwaite to Bowness with a sail on Windermere, or a sail to to Ambleside. You can also have a return train journey to Lakeside and a visit to the Aquarium of the Lakes.
Even if you are not using the train I would recommend you go to the station simply to eat at the restaurant on the station. This food here is nothing like the railway food that is the butt of many jokes but incredible home cooked food which is fairly reasonably priced. On a cold day the fire is lit in the restaurant and it is really cosy.
The station also has toilets and baby changing, and a gift shop selling the normal souveniers plus railway memorabilia, some of the items were a little pricy but there were plenty of smaller items that children could spend their pocket money on beware of the plastic whistles that sound like a train, believe me after half an hour with two children blowing them nerves do bein to wrangle!!. The station is always busy, people bustling around taking photographs, standing on the bridge waiting for the train or sitting eating ice creams.
It is the sound of the whistle and the tell tale smoke that really gets the people on the station excited. Jumping up and down with excitement as they rush to get on the bridge over the line to be the first to see it ( no that's not the kids but their dads!!), there is something very satisfying seeing the train chugg into the station, even the engine driver with his smutty face and lopsided cap looks authentic, and you are transported back to another era. The trains are all very well maintained, and for older people like me, bring back old memories of transport past. Some of the carriages have tables and others are just seats, there are no refreshmesnts served on the train so if you think you or your children may need a drink take one with you, or they can be bought from the station. The journey starts off taking you passed some old dissused trains, some in process of repiar and into the lovely Leven Valley, driving past fields of sheep, streams and houses were people are only to happy to wave back to you on the train.
A ticket collector, who we have always found to be very pleasant anf funny with the kids, comes and clicks your tickets with a hole punch. If you have younger children be prepared for a few minutes of darkness when the train goes through a tunnel. The journey is only fairly short, about 20 minutes but just long enough to be enjoyable and not so long that young children get bored. Dogs are allowed on the train but not on the seats.
As you near the end of your journey the stream running alongside you gradually gets bigger until you realise that you are approaching the beautiful Lake Windermere.
Lakeside is always busy, as well as passengers from the train there are passengers from the steamers and also car passnegers. The only thing to do at Lakeside is to visit the Aquarium, the Cafe at the Quay( this is very expensive for what you get) or go on a steamer to Bowness or Ambleside.
I am basing this review one one other option we found there that does not seem to be used very often, so take this tip from a virtual local,if you do go to Lakeside rather than opting for the big steamers across Windermere - unless you are desperate to visit Ambleside or Bowness - and try the little ferry to Fell Foot.
Fell Foot Park and Garden is a typical late Victorian garden belonging to the National rust, that is just across Windermere at Newby Bridge. A small ferry boat runs you to Fell Foot for about £1 a ticket, it is a short journey - about five minutes but well worth it.
We have had some wonderful day's at Fell Foot - there is lots of room for children to play ball, lots of walks, an excellent play ground with some of the 'coolest' - to quote my 12 year old son, playground equipment you'll see anywhere. A lovely little cafe sits at the edge of the lake that sells scrummy home made cakes, snacks etc with tables inside and out. Last year on a lovely sunny day we sat outside eating chocolate shortcake and scones as my son and son in law hired a rowing boat that they took out on the lake.(They certainly gave us a laugh!!) The National Trust run a little gift shop there that sells some high quality gifts, postcards, games etc.
Just make sure you have checked the times for return so that you don't get too enthralled at Fell Foot and miss the last train back to Haverthwaite.
The railway starts running the first weekend in April until the end of October. ( although there are Halloween activities in October and Christmas Specials in December)
I personally don't find the pricing too expensive for something so unusual and something that obviously takes a lot of money to maintain. The family tickets are especially good if you have three children ( children under five are free)
Return tickets to Lakeside are :-
£5.70 adult - £2.85 children Family tickets 15.50 for two adults and up to three children between five and fifteen.
If you are taking the steamer on to Bowness: the prices are :- Adults £13.50 - Children £7.20 Family rates - £37.20
If you are travelling that little further to Ambleside: you will pay :- Adults £18.70 - Children-£9.35 Family rate: £52.00
In my opinion this is a wonderful day out in a beautiful part of the country. It is entertaining and enjoyable for people of all ages, it is educational and informative for children and the money you pay is helping to keep these wonderful trains running for future generations.
