Lake District National Park Travel Forum

how far is it from Edinburgh to Windermere by driving? is it a good idea to drive or via train?

thanks!

It would be best to drive. From Edinburgh to Windermere should take about 2 - 3 hours depending on the time of year you choose to go. Once you get into the Lake District itself, there are only small roads and these get busy during summer and school holidays. You may also get stuck behind a caravan. However it's worth the drive.

Have you thought of driving around the Scottish Trossachs as an alternative? It's very beautiful, especially when the trees change colour in the Autumn, or the gorse and broom flowers in the Spring.

It's somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 miles. But, I'd drive it...and I have...for sure. It isn't a long drive because you can do it on mostly main roads and having a car is terrific for getting around the Lake District and seeing other nearby places like Grasmere.

You could get a cheap rail fare from Edinburgh to Oxenholme for as little as £1 on the megatrain website. You can then get a connecting train on into Windermere for only a few more pounds but the station is a bit of a walk from the lake so it may be worth taking a taxi.

http://www.megatrain.com/uk/

This map shows you where the station is in relation to Windermere and Bowness

http://windermere.urc.org.uk/Directions.htm

As to driving, sadly everyone else seems to have the same idea of driving round the rolling country lanes but when you are just one car in a long convoy then it isn't much of a driving experience. The road from Edinburgh to the M74 isn't much fun either with the A702 being constantly dug up and the A701 only slightly better (albeit with some stunning views).

If you go to www.multimap.com. select UK then click directions you can find the best driving route, esttimated time and a printable map.

But yes, depending on the time of day and time ofyear the roads might be very very busy. Depends whether you think you'll need the car when you are there; if not, think about the train.