When to visit & Offers: A Perfect Weekend

Friday

We suggest arriving in Penrith around lunchtime: the 09:30 from London Euston gets to Penrith at 12:29. You can then take a look around the ruins of Penrith Castle opposite the railway station, or have lunch at Café Oswald’sin Cranstons, an award winning speciality food store and butchers, about 500m down the road right out of the station (pick up some Cumberland sausage while you’re there). Then take the 13:21 X50 bus, arriving in Keswick at 14:02. The bus stop is directly in front of Booths, an excellent local supermarket specialising in locally sourced produce. They also sell maps and guide books. If you haven’t ordered a Tesco delivery to your cottage, you can do your food run for the weekend here and have a coffee in the cafe.

Then take the 15:30 77A, asking to be dropped off at Manesty Holiday Cottages. The bus takes a spectacular route above Derwentwater: for the best views, sit on the left!

This will get you to Manesty at about 15:45. Settle in, then get your bearings by walking to the lake through Saltwell Park and back via Manesty Woods. Top tip: for the best views, don’t stick to the main path, but take the little paths that follow the shoreline.

Alternatively, if you’re working on Friday, take the 16:57 or the 18:30 train from Euston, arriving in Penrith 20:09 or 21:33. Connect with the 20:21 or the 21:41 X50 bus to Keswick, where you can pick up a taxi for the last 5 miles to Manesty.

For dinner, order a home cooked ready-made meal in advance from Cumbrian Way Food.

Saturday

For breakfast, stroll the ¾ mile to Grange Café. Then take the 78 bus from Grange Bridge to Keswick and explore the town on market day. Pick up food for a picnic at Bryson’s bakery on Main Street and take it down to the lakeshore to eat at Friar’s Crag, where you get excellent views up Borrowdale.

Return to Manesty on the launch, to either Lodore or High Brandelhow (for a short walk home) or Low Brandelhow or Hawes End (for a little longer along the lakeshore). Alternatively, get off the launch at Ashness, and walk up Ashness Lane towards Watendlath. Take in ‘Surprise View’ from where you can see Manesty and Keswick, and cross the picturesque Ashness Bridge, before dropping down via Ladder Brow to High Lodore Farm for afternoon tea. Then cross the valley to return to Manesty.

Have dinner out at the Borrowdale Gates about 10 minutes’ walk from Manesty.

Sunday

The day for Catbells. No need to set out early, as the path starts at Manesty and even at a slow pace it will take less than an hour to get to the top. On Summer Sundays the tiny school room of Newlands Old School in Littletown, attached to a pretty whitewashed church, becomes a café selling homemade afternoon teas. Then make your way to the Swinside Inn in Newlands for a pub lunch. Return to Manesty by the bridleway above the lake.

Spend the afternoon and evening preparing and enjoying the Hot Tub.

Monday

Hail the 77A as it goes past Manesty at about 09:35 and take a guided tour round Honister Slate Mines (they’ll look after your bags while you’re underground; book your tour in advance). Then either hop back on the bus at 11:43 or stay for lunch and try the Via Ferrata and Zip, returning to Keswick on the 14:08 or 16:08. This trip takes a scenic tour of Buttermere, Lorton and Whinlatter Forest, where you can also spend a couple of hours: there is an excellent forest visitor centre, Osprey World, a café and the high ropes course Go Ape. The 77A buses arrive in Keswick at 12:40, 15:08 and 17:08.

Finally, take the 17:10 X50 from Keswick arriving at Penrith station at 17:47, to connect with the 18:05 train which arrives in Euston at 21:24.