Explore Beatrix Potter country car free with newly extended ‘Cross Lakes Experience’

Visitors can see a different side to the Lake District this summer, with the newly extended ‘Cross Lakes Experience’ – a flexible bus and boat ticket providing a unique ‘hop on, hop off’ service which spans Windermere, Coniston and the spectacular Lakeland scenery in-between.

With daily services now running until October*, the Cross Lakes Experience gives passengers the chance to jump aboard a range of services offered by Windermere Lake Cruises, Mountain Goat, Stagecoach and the Coniston launch. A new section linking Wray Castle with Tarn Hows has now been added for 2015, giving passengers easy access to this picturesque tarn and beauty spot left to The National Trust by Beatrix Potter.

The extended route for the Cross Lakes Experience is being supported by ‘See More: Cumbria and the Lake District’, a green travel initiative which is helping boost the quality of visitor travel to key destinations across the Lake District and Cumbria.

Tarn Hows isn’t the only Potter-inspired location on the route either. The Cross Lakes Experience visits a series of locations synonymous with the renowned children’s author including her 17th century farmhouse, Hill Top, which has been preserved by The National Trust as a time-capsule of her fascinating life. Then there’s the option of a short mini-coach trip to Hawkshead, as well as Wray Castle itself, where the writer famously holidayed as a teenager.

Other stop-off points on the Cross Lakes Experience include Torver, Brantwood and Coniston village.

Ian Wilkinson, from Windermere Lake Cruises, says, “The Cross Lakes Experience is a great, value-for-money way of seeing the Lake District landscape from a completely new perspective. With regular daily services throughout the summer, passengers can sit back and enjoy spending time with their loved ones without the worry of driving and parking at each location.”

Robin Tyson, Marketing Manager at Mountain Goat, comments, “Integrated transport is hugely important to visitors of the Lake District. The Cross Lakes Experience provides great access from Bowness Bay to Hill Top, Hawkshead and beyond. The flexibility of the services make it an ideal day out for all.”

Nicola Parker, Programme Manager for See More, says, “The Cross Lakes Experience is a fabulous example of different businesses working together to provide a seamless service, where different modes of travel become an integral - and enjoyable – part of the holiday experience. We’re particularly pleased to support the new Tarn Hows extension, which will have an extra special appeal to international visitors who want to follow in the footsteps of the globally renowned children’s author Beatrix Potter.”

*The full Cross Lakes Experience including the Wray Castle-Tarn Hows extension will operate 23 May-4 October 2015, while a slightly reduced route will continue until 1 November 2015.

Special family tickets (2 adults and 3 children) are available. For instance, it costs £32.60 for a return family ticket from Bowness to Hawkshead. Passengers can also choose to do shorter sections of the route if they prefer, with prices for a return cruise across Windermere (Bowness-Ferry House) starting from £2.75 for children and £4.60 for adults. Full timetables and prices are available online.

• For more information about the Bowness - Ferry House section of the Cross Lakes Experience, please visit this webpage