Keswick….and the number 888 bus
As we had some spare time on our hands in July 2025 Ted and I headed across from Durham to Keswick in the Lake District for a two night break. These are the notes of the trip. Despite being fairly close to home we do not know the Lake District very well – poor public transport links (the need to travel via Newcastle and Carlisle) mean that it is difficult for day trips and the lure of places further away means we have largely ignored its attractions. Since we have been writing up our travels for this site our only visits have been a trip to West Cumbria in 2016 Broughton in Furness and stopping in Kendal and Penrith on our 2024 bus trip Pity Me to Chester and back for 50p. At some stage about fifteen years ago I recollect passing through Keswick and stopping for a pint but that’s it.
Each year from mid July to late September Wrights Coaches operate a direct service, the No. 888, several days a week from Newcastle to Keswick via Alston, a route which looked interesting and we wanted to try. So off we went.
A few hardy souls set off Newcastle on Monday morning. We picked up more passengers as we passed through Corbridge and Hexham (by which time concessionary passes were valid). Though the service runs during the school holidays Steve was the youngest on board bar one. Quite a few were travelling out and back on a day trip – there’s no way we would do the afternoon return journey after a couple of lunchtime pints.
After Haydon Bridge the bus leaves the Tyne Valley and the journey becomes more scenic. We passed through Whitfield and across Whitfield Moor and, an hour and a half after leaving Newcastle, we rolled into Alston, where we stopped for a thirty minute loo and coffee break.
Alston is an attractive and remote small town in the North Pennines. Colin and I visited once donkeys years ago, in the days when there was a summer Sunday bus from Stanhope. We set off tfrom Alston to walk along the former railway line down the South Tyne Valley to Haltwhistle – we gave up and hitchhiked for the second half of the journey. A quick look round made me think about returning some time for a proper visit – there are a few daily buses from Haltwhistle.
From Alston the bus climbed to Hartside Summit (1903ft above sea level), after which the Eden Valley comes into view below. We travelled through Melmerby and Langwathby , called into Pentith then on to Keswick arriving 3 hours and 20 minutes after leaving Newcastle. For more about the 888 see the Practicalities section, below.
For the rest of the day we began to explore Keswick, as usual focussing on the pubs, having done our research on the CAMRA website. On Monday we visited the pubs along Main Street and Lake Road – the Bank Tavern, Kings Arms, Dog and Gun, Lake Road Inn and the Wainwright Pub, all of which had a selection of cask ales.
By the end of the day it had been a little bit of a strange experience, as I ended up feeling out of place as a single bloke who likes a beer or two. During the day Keswick was full of day trippers and I found myself sitting alone amongst elderly couples eating vast meals and drinking halves of lager. By the evening the pubs were considerably quieter than I had expected during the summer season. Of these pubs I most enjoyed the Wainwright. It is a little less dominated by food and the layout, including seats at the bar, meant than on both visits I ended up to chatting to locals and visitors.
It transpired that, for three weeks each July, Keswick hosts the Keswick Convention, a large gathering of conservative evangelical Christians. It attracts large numbers and the participants fill up virtually all the guesthouses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. This means there is no room in town for the jolly hikers, walkers and mountaineers that I had expected to be creating a good atmosphere in the pubs of an evening. I talked to a couple of bar staff – they both said that during the Convention everywhere was full of people eating during the day but the evening drinks trade was hopeless compared to the rest of the season, the Convention participants not being enthusiastic boozers in the main.
We were staying at the Kings Arms on Main Street which was fine, well located and friendly (and expensive- but so was everywhere else). Nearby was the Lake District National Park Visitor Centre in the moot Hall which had plenty useful information about the area for anyone wishing to explore more than the pubs. Needless to say the main shopping streets are absolutely full of outdoor shops – every brand is represented with every possible type of walking boots, outdoor wear and rucksacks. There are independent craft and souvenir shops aplenty and a good variety of local bakers and cafes –food-wise I particularly enjoyed a spiced cauliflower and onion bhaji pasty and, later in the Lake Road Inn, pork belly bites in honea sauce.
On Tuesday morning we explored more of the town then decided to see more of the local area by bus in the afternoon. We hobbled down from the centre of town to the lakeside along with the other day trippers. Many people were heading for launch trips around Derwent Water, others just out for a stroll and a look the scenery. It is impressive, even though cloud was covering the tops of the mountains. We found a couple of quiet spots in Crow Park above the lake just to sit and enjoy the view.
Stagecoach operate an impressive network of bus routes in the Lake District (see Practicalities). Looking at the timetable booklet we decided on a journey on the circular route from Keswick to Buttermere. Five times a day the No. 77 travels from Keswick via Braithwaite, Whinlatter Pass and Forest , Lorton, Crummock Water, Buttermere, Honister Pass and Seatoller then returning to Keswick along Borrowdale. (the 77A operates 7 times daily in the opposite direction). It is a fine journey along minor roads through excellent scenery. We set off at 1230 and after 70 minutes we broke our journey at Seatoller. We took a break for a pint just outside the village in the Glanamara Hotel – it was empty at lunchtime but the beer was fine.
From Seatoller through Borrowdale to Keswick there is also the number 78 – an open-top bus service running half-hourl – and we caught that. It was good fun, sitting on the windy top deck, trying to avoid tree branches as they dragged along the side of the bus. We would like to explore this stretch further – some good pubs and walks to be had once my mobility improves.
Dodging the tree branches on the top deck
On our return to Keswick we decided to visit the craft beer pubs we had identified – we had left them until now because two out of three were closed on Mondays. Craft Beer is a micropub in a shopping arcade. It was quite busy and friendly and we would have stayed longer had there been more than one (good) cask ale among the craft kegs. Nearby was the Keswick Brewery tap room, The Fox Tap with an outside terrace. We enjoyed our visit and the beers were fine – note that opening hours are limited (1400-1900 Tues – Sat). Finally, we visited the Crafty Baa – sister micropub to one in Windermere that we stumbled upon last year . The decor and artefacts are bizarre, the punters are friendly and the beer was good.
Over the two days we had enjoyed a good variety of beers. Some places stocked national cask brands but most also had some local beers. Of them, we particularly enjoyed Tirril Brewery Borrowdale Bitter and EUPA, Ulverston Laughing Gravy and Keswick Brewery Bitter.
And that was that. On Wednesday morning we were at Keswick Bus Station watching full double deckers from Carlisle, Workington, Lancaster and Kendal pull in with that days load of trippers. We headed first for Penrith then caught another bus to Carlisle. From there we returned to Durham by train.
It was an interesting trip, though we may have picked the wrong time of year and wrong days of the week. Some pubs, for example several in Borrowdale, are closed on weekday lunchtimes and the town suffered from a plethora of day trippers and the effects of the Convention. A further visit in the future, perhaps on a spring or autumn weekend is on the cards.
Practicalities:
(a) Newcastle to Keswick Bus.
The No. 888 from Newcastle to Keswick operates on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from mid-July until late September and is operated by Wrights Coaches. Details of times and fares are at www.wrightscoaches,co.uk. The service is cash only with no advance booking. Concession passes are valid after 0930 (all day on Sat.and Sun). The current £3 maximum single fare does not apply. to this route. In 2025 a single costs £20 and a day return £30. The Bus and Train User Blog says ‘this ranks as one of England’s most stunning bus rides crossing moors and mountains and passing through forests and incredible hairpin bends along the way.’
(b) Stagecoach in the Lake District
Information is available on the national Stagecoach website www.stagecoachbus.com and on their app. Stagecoach produce a comprehensive timetable booklet: See More of the Lakes: The Lakes by Bus, The booklet is widely available throughout the area. In Keswick there was a huge pile by the entrance to Booths Supermarket adjacent to the bus station, and also at the National Park Visitor Centre.
Photographs All photographs are by Steve Gillon
Copyright The text and photographs are Copyright © Steve Gillon, 2025.
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