Today, Monday 28th October, sees the start of the Stagecoach Winter timetable for the Lake District and, as usual, the company has issued a comprehensive booklet containing details of its services throughout the area. The 62-page booklet comes complete with a fold out map and plentiful information on attractions that can be reached by bus as well as, naturally, a full set of timetables.
The Summer edition caused consternation locally when it omitted a number of "peripheral" services including the 755 Morecambe - Bowness route. The BUG is therefore pleased to report that it has been reinstated in the new edition as has the 554 Keswick to Carlisle service. Service 563 (Penrith to Appleby) is still excluded although, like 554 and 755 it was never removed from the map.
What's Changed?
There are the usual service reductions for the Winter period. Service 6 (Barrow to Ambleside) loses its Sunday journeys and the 77 (Keswick - Buttermere) is completely suspended until the spring. The 78 (Keswick - Seatoller) is reduced from 2 buses per hour to one albeit with a slightly longer operating day and more journeys than last year.
There are the usual Winter reductions on the 505 between Ambleside and Coniston with the hourly summer service down to six journeys a day Monday to Saturday and three on Sunday.
 |
| A busy 555 at Windermere station |
Lancaster's link to the Lakes - the 555 to Keswick - sees the usual changes to the evening and Sunday timetable with the last two departures from Lancaster only proceeding beyond Kendal on Friday and Saturday nights and then only by connection. The Sunday journeys, whilst remaining at five per day from Lancaster, depart an hour later. This means that the first departure from the city is not until 1020, reaching Ambleside at 1220 and Keswick at 1314. Return trips, however, run at the same times as during the summer with the last through bus to Lancaster leaving Keswick at 1530 and Ambleside at 1619. Lancaster passengers fancying a visit to Ambleside can spend a maximum of four hours there in return for almost the same amount of bus travel whilst anyone going to Keswick must spend almost five-and-three-quarter hours on the bus to enjoy two hours and sixteen minutes in the town!
Service 755 does provide an earlier Sunday morning journey northwards, leaving the Battery at 0834 and Morecambe, Euston Road at 0842 but it would be a brave passenger from Lancaster who attempted to make the only possible connection, which is by service 1A arriving at 0840! (We did, however, have at least one member sufficiently brave to try this last winter and he reported that it worked!, but perhaps something for Stagecoach's planners to look at for next year?
The BUG is, however, pleased to see that some considerable time after it was brought to Stagecoach's attention the timing point on both the 555 and the 755 at "Pine Lake", the timeshare resort just north of Carnforth, has been given its correct, singular, description (There is only one lake - and that is a former gravel pit).
And whilst we are pleased to see that the 755 is back in the book we still think Stagecoach is missing a trick when it comes to generating some passengers for it. The Lakes by Bus booklet doesn't have a proper index or list of services, relying instead on a series of "Explore from...." articles for each of the major centres to promote available buses. 755 appears on the "Explore from Kendal" page but only as a means of visiting Windermere, also served rather more frequently by the 555.
Judging by the timetable, service 755 appears to have been designed to appeal to two distinct markets: passengers from Morecambe wishing to visit Kendal or the Lakes AND passengers travelling in the opposite direction to enjoy a day out on the coast in Morecambe. But "Lakes by Bus" makes no mention, other than on the 755 timetable itself, that Morecambe can be reached by bus directly from Windermere and Kendal and by connection from other places. As the booklet is the only promotion that the 755 receives its a shame that the services full potential is not highlighted.
Christmas and New Year in Cumbria
 |
| Service X5 at Keswick |
On the other hand, the X4 / X5 service on other days on the week is advertised as "Mondays to Saturdays excluding public holidays" and the BUG wonders whether "Sundays including Public Holidays" could mean "Sundays and Public Holidays", although that raises the question of Christmas Day and New Year's Day! Perhaps someone from Stagecoach will let us know so that we can issue a clarification!
New Year's Day has also been a no-go area for bus services ever since it became a public holiday in 1974. But again, Stagecoach has seen an opportunity for a service on that day catering for visitors to the Lakes on its 599 service between Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside with a one-bus, one-driver timetable offering five journeys a day, one of which runs through to and from Kendal. For 2020 the service is extended to Grasmere, requiring a second bus and driver. Six journeys will now reach Grasmere with two more running between Bowness and Ambleside. The second bus will provide an additional mornimg journey northwards from Kendal, although only one of the buses will return there in service.
The BUG is pleased to end this review on a positive note. "Lakes by Bus" is an impressive, high-quality publication. The very appearance of such a booklet and its widespread distribution and easy availability in both electronic and print format is very welcome, especially at a time when some other operators, including neighbouring Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancs, appear to have given up trying to tell their passengers where the buses go altogether other than via the internet.
The booklet is available in Lancaster at the Bus Station Travel Shop, the Visitor Information Centre at The Storey in the city centre and Lancaster Library. Or click the image below to take a peek online.
