Moving to the Lake District
Moving home can be a huge undertaking and moving to the Lake District is no different. We have put together some helpful bits of information of you during your move.
The lovely and picturesque Lake District National Park (which has been nominated for Unesco world heritage status, with a decision on the bid expected in 2017.) is in the county of Cumbria. The Villages and towns that are within the National Park include:
- Ambleside
- Broughton-in-Furness
- Coniston
- Grasmere
- Hawkshead
- Keswick
- Windermere
Cumbrian towns that are outside of the National Park include:
- Barrow-in-Furness
- Carlisle
- Cockermouth
- Grange-over-Sands
- Kendal
- Lancaster
- Maryport
- Millom
- Penrith
- Ulverston
- Whitehaven
- Workington
Housing
House prices within the National Park are slightly more expensive than other areas of Cumbria, which should be taken into consideration if you are planning on moving to the Lake District. An article in the Financial Times put it at around 18% premium for house price within the park: “There is already a hefty 18 per cent premium for homes within the boundary of a national park and an 8 per cent premium for properties within three miles of a park, according to research on housing in 10 of the UK’s national parks released by Nationwide Building Society last December. The average house price in the Lake District Park stands at £253,000, says Nationwide.”
The following links are not affiliated with us in any way. Go Lake District has no control over the content of the sites, and no endorsement of any of the products or services contained on the sites is implied.
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Estate agents
- Cumberland Estate Agents
- Cumbrian Properties
- Edwin Thompson
- Fish4Homes (no longer exists?)
- Hackney and Leigh
- Halifax Homefinder
- Hayward Tod
- Poole Townsend – Updated link
Schooling
You can find out the names of the many schools in the area in UpMyStreet and read reports on the schools by Ofsted (both links open in new window).
Public transport in the Lake District
Trains
The West Coast mainline runs to the east of the Lake District, connecting Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle with London and Glasgow. A direct train runs from Manchester to Windermere. Local trains call at Kendal, Staveley and Windermere. There is also a route following the Cumbrian coastline.
Buses
Towns and villages such as Ambleside, Windermere, Coniston and Keswick are linked by bus, with extra services in the summer. Find out more at: GoLakes Travel – buses (opens in new window)
Minibus tours and bus explorer tickets
There are many companies offering you the chance to sit back and watch the scenery. Take a look at our Minibus tours and bus explorer tickets page.
Steamers and launch trips
Taking a cruise is a great way to experience the beautiful Lake District views. Our on the water section has more details.
Public transport – useful links
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- Cumbria County Council bus timetables
- First TransPennine Express Trains
- GoLakes Travel
- Lakeside and Haverthwaite steam railway
- Manchester Airport Guide
- National Rail timetables
- NorthernRail
- Public transport in the Lake District leaflet by Mosaic including map (PDF)
- Ravenglass and Eskdale preserved railway
- Trainline for online tickets
- Traveline for bus, train and coach information
- Virgin Trains serving Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle
Helpful Moving House Links
- CompareMyMove.com – Easily get quotes and compare prices for your house move
- BAR – British Association of Removers – Help finding a professional moving service
- Pluscrates – Crate Hire for moving – Great source of packing crates/boxes for moving
- Halifax location finder – check for local amenities in your chosen area
By car
The average journey time from London and the south east is about five hours. It takes about one and half hour from Manchester and two hours from York.
The M6 runs to the east of the Lake District National Park:
- Take Junction 36 and then A590 for the southern end of the Lake District
- Take Junction 40 and the A66 or A592 for the northern end of the Lake District
If you’re using satellite navigation, check out the Postcodes for Sat Nav page on the lake district site.
Even A roads can be quite twisting so allow extra time for your journey and for finding a space in Car parks in high season. Example journey times are:
- Kendal to Keswick: one hour
- Windermere to Keswick: 40 minutes
- Kendal to Wasdale: one and a half hours
Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass between Eskdale and the Langdales have gradients of 1 in 3 and Honister Pass between Borrowdale and Buttermere is 1 in 4, making them some of the steepest roads in England!
Local organisations and projects
- Friends of the Lake District
- New Homes Bonus by South Lakeland District Council – (removed) to help communities with housing or local projects
- Nurture Lakeland
- Windermere and Bowness Chamber Of Trade
Local businesses
- Aktive 8 Outdoor clothing and equipment
- Books Cumbria
- Checkmate – a novel set in the Lake District
- Christine Hurford – 2D and 3D artist
- Crafty Shepherd – (removed) producers of local crafts and gifts (craftyshepherd.co.uk)
- Cumbrian Fellbred
- Cumbria Septic Tank Emptying
- FireFrost Jewellery – handmade glass jewellery
- The Fish Cellar – in Penrith
- Friars of Keswick – chocolates and sweets
- Fusion Glass Art – (removed fusionglass-art.co.uk)
- Hayes Garden World – at Ambleside
- Hitched in Cumbria Lake District wedding directory (updated from hitchedincumbria.co.uk)
- Holdens County Store mail order worms for fishing and compost
- Lake District Exposure – photography and courses (removed lakedistrictexposure.com)
- Love the Lakes Gifts – online store selling Cumbrian goods
- Made in Cumbria
- MyCumbria – discounts for residents including 10 per cent off at the cafe and shop at Brockhole – The Lake District Visitor Centre
- Rock and Run
- See Events Ltd – Team building and corporate events based in Staveley
- Designer hot tubs (removed)
- Septic Tank Emptying
- Stewardsons Country Clothing
- The Soap Co Keswick (thesoapco.co.uk)
- Waites Pressings in Barrow – Metal presswork and assemblies
- Wave Seat Company of Keswick for ergonomic computer seats
- Serious Tank Emptying
- Windermere and Bowness Chamber of Trade
Local communities
- Crake – (removed crake.org) communities between Coniston and Ulverston
- Threlkeld – village four miles east of Keswick
Local councils
- Allerdale Borough Council
- Copeland Borough Council (previously copelandbc.gov.uk)
- Cumbria County Council
- Eden District Council
- South Lakeland District Council
Local parish councils
- Cumbria Association of Local Councils – Parish Councils in Cumbria
- Rangers – this web page has links to Ranger maps which show parish boundaries within the National Park
Local media
A primary source and a lot of this information can be found here (source no longer exists).