Keswick has had no trains since 1972. Its station is Penrith (North Lakes), where Stagecoach's X4 and X5 buses leave from outside for Keswick.
Keswick has not had a train since the last one left its station on 4 March 1972. The line ran east to Penrith, and the first stretch of it out of town is now the Keswick to Threlkeld trail. The old station building still stands at the town end of the trail, by the car park signed for the leisure pool. Anyone coming to Keswick by rail gets off at Penrith (North Lakes) on the West Coast main line and does the last stretch by Stagecoach bus.
Trains from London Euston and from Manchester call at Penrith, and the X4 and X5 buses carry on to Keswick bus station. Avanti West Coast, which manages the station, says those buses leave “from outside the rail station”. The London, Manchester and Newcastle pages set out the day’s trains and how they meet the bus.
You can book the train and the bus as one ticket. Avanti West Coast sells an integrated rail-bus ticket that includes the bus from Penrith to Keswick bus station: search for “Keswick Bus (KWK)” as your destination in Avanti’s journey search.
The station is on Ullswater Road, with three platforms. The platforms are level with the main entrance, and there are lifts to platforms 1 and 2. Through the main entrance is the booking hall, with the ticket office, the ticket machines and, on the left, the customer information desk. Both platforms 1 and 2 have a heated waiting room, and the toilets, accessible one included, are on platform 1. The station sells no food or drink and has no public Wi-Fi, so bring what you want for the bus. National Rail’s station page flags any toilets or lifts out of use on the day.
Both the X4 and the X5 run from Penrith to Keswick bus station. On Stagecoach’s timetable the stop is listed as Penrith Railway Station, the call after the buses leave Penrith bus station in the town, so you board at the station rather than walking into Penrith. National Rail’s onward-travel sheet for the station shows Keswick against both numbers, from the stop it marks as A. Stagecoach says the X4/X5 runs seven days a week all year, bank holidays included, apart from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For which bus meets which train, use the route pages.
The bus pulls into Keswick bus station, a few minutes on foot from the Market Square and the Moot Hall. From there the car-free guide to Keswick picks up the local buses and the Derwentwater launch.
For a taxi, the rank is on the same side as the station, and a list of local firms is displayed by the front doors. National Rail advises checking availability before travelling and pre-booking if necessary, especially for a late arrival.
National Rail puts Penrith in step-free category A, which it defines as step-free access to all platforms. The lifts on platforms 1 and 2 have doors 1.1 m wide, and the station keeps ramps for getting on and off trains. Passenger Assist meets at the Customer Information desk in the booking hall. Avanti says turn-up-and-go help is available, though booking is recommended, and National Rail says assistance can be booked up to two hours before the journey starts. Staff help runs from early morning to late evening every day; the hours are in the panel. The accessible toilet on platform 1 opens with a RADAR key, and there is room to manoeuvre a wheelchair in front of the ticket machine.
National Rail notes that ramps cannot be deployed from the rear or side of a vehicle at the taxi rank, though they can in the short-stay accessible parking bays, so if you need a ramped taxi, tell the firm when you book.
Avanti West Coast runs the station car park: 121 spaces, four of them accessible, open 24 hours. When checked in October 2026, a daily ticket was £12.50 and a Saturday or Sunday ticket £6.50. National Rail notes that different rates apply to anyone not travelling by train, so check the tariff board before you leave the car. You can pre-book a space through Avanti or pay at the machine on the day. The drop-off point is for setting down only and has room for three vehicles.
Cyclists get 12 sheltered hoops on platform 1, enough for 24 bikes, covered by CCTV.
Each route has its own page with the day's trains, the changes and a link to times and fares.