Winter boost to evening buses between Lancaster, Kendal and the Lakes

The winter timetable, which started on November 4, would normally see a limited evening service on the 555 between Lancaster, Kendal and the Lakes.

But this year Stagecoach has extended the 7.40pm Lancaster-Kendal bus to Grasmere, leaving Kendal at 9pm. It returns from Grasmere to Kendal at 9.58pm.

The 8.40pm from Lancaster to Kendal, which last year extended to Grasmere only on Fridays and Saturdays, now runs through Mondays to Saturdays returning from Grasmere to Kendal at 10.58pm.

All these journeys operate via Bowness between Windermere and Ambleside. There is also a later last bus from Kendal to Milnthorpe and Lancaster at 8.15pm, returning from Lancaster at 9.30pm.

Tom Waterhouse, managing director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “These extra buses will be a boon to hospitality workers on late shifts and to anyone on a night out or who needs to return home late.

“With the Christmas party season almost upon us, taking the bus is a great move because nobody has to miss out by being the designated driver.

“And with adult fares currently capped at £2, there’s never been a better time to leave the car at home and travel by bus.”

The winter schedule brings new timetables on all Stagecoach’s Lake District routes. The times for the 505 and 516 are similar to last year, with a bus every two hours from Windermere to Coniston and Windermere to Dungeon Ghyll.

But there are more journeys on service 6 between Windermere, Ulverston and Barrow with up to eight buses a day, Mondays to Saturdays, and six on Sundays. All the Sunday buses and some weekday services start from Kendal.

The 755 between Heysham, Morecambe, Kendal, Windermere and Bowness has also been improved with more journeys than last winter.

Full details of the changes are on the Stagecoach website at https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regional-service-updates/cumbria-and-north-lancashire