Accessing the Far Eastern Fells from Shap, using public transport.
Some of the quieter fells (due to their relative inaccessibility) are the areas around Kentmere and Mardale, as they begin to gradually roll downwards towards Shap and Tebay. Drivers tend to park at either Kentmere, Sadgill or Haweswater-but even the small grass verges and laybys in these areas are now filling up early on weekends and during traditional holiday periods.
Kidsty Pike from High Street
For public transport users it is possible to use Shap, Staveley and Patterdale as access points. As the point with least information available regarding public transport, I have chosen Shap as the starting place for this guide. However, these routes can be reversed or altered based on convenience. Accessing the Far Eastern Fells from Patterdale or Staveley will be the topic of a future blog to watch out for!
106 BUS TO SHAP
The 106 bus service, running on Tuesdays and Fridays between Penrith and Kendal, isn’t operated by Stagecoach and is therefore missed off most tourist information leaflets in the Lakes. (Timetable at bottom of page.) The quirky timetable doesn’t allow much time for day-walkers to do a ‘there-and-back’ from the same stop, but the Friday service from Penrith (12:00) to Shap (12:40) serves as a great starting point for a long, but manageable, walk over to Patterdale on a Summer evening with the option for a return bus to Penrith.
Walk: Shap to Patterdale: 14.3 miles, 3270ft ascent.
This walk takes in 6 Wainwrights and is within the fitness range of most fellwalkers - arriving in time for an evening pub meal and a stay at one of the campsites, hostels or hotels in the valley. Whilst I would definitely recommend an evening in Glenridding (one of my favourite Lakeland ‘tourist’ hotspots) the 508 service runs through Patterdale as late 20:30, returning you back to either Penrith or Windermere on the same day.
Fancy turning it into a two day adventure?
Pitched up in the Gatesgarth area.
For the more adventurous, this is an excellent opportunity to spend a night wild-camping (following guidelines from the LDNP and Leave No Trace principles.) Whilst I usually do not disclose camping locations publicly, those attempting to bag Wainwrights might look to follow the route above as far as Gatesgarth before finding somewhere suitable to bed down for the evening.
Walk: Gatesgarth to Staveley: 14.1 miles, 2290ft ascent.
Click the image to open the interactive OutdoorActive route plan.
https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-route/united-kingdom/gatesgarth-to-staveley/242671155/
From Gatesgarth, it is an initial ‘there-and-back’ to Grey Grag/Tarn Crag before returning up to the Kentmere Horseshoe. The rest of the walk is a long and enjoyable downhill walk all the way back to the railway station at Staveley. This 14.1m/2290ft walk bags 5 more Wainwrights, completing all of the tricky Far Eastern fells in a 2 day overnight trip.
If you find the first day challenging, cutting out the initial ‘there-and-back’ to Grey Crag/Tarn Crag reduces the distance and elevation gain to a much easier 9 miles and less than 1000ft of ascent.
Bus routes:
https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/buses/106/
https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/buses/508W/
https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/ZoneMaps/Cumbria/CNL%200222%20Summer%20Lakes%20Map.pdf (Stagecoach bus map doesn’t include the 106 as it is not operated by Stagecoach)
