Photo: Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
The best holidays start the moment you sit down on the train. These Cumbria stays are within a walkable mile of a station — step off, stroll to your door, and let the car stay at home.
✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.64 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge, North West England
£543 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 1.02 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Bowness-on-Windermere, North West England
£1,037 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.74 miles from Windermere, Millerground Landing (Excellent water quality)
Windermere
✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.66 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge, North West England
£797 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.27 miles from St Bees (Good water quality)
Keswick
✓ Near a Train Station
✓ Traditional pub with cosy rooms in Penrith town centre
Penrith
✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.79 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Bowness-on-Windermere
✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.6 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge, North West England
£447 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
Appleby, North West England
£1,158 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.59 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge, North West England
£627 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 2.09 miles from Windermere, Fellfoot (Excellent water quality)
Ulverston and Lakeland Peninsula, North West England
£417 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
✓ Small intimate site on the edge of Hawkshead village
🏖️ 2.03 miles from Coniston Water, Monk Coniston (Good water quality)
Ambleside
✓ Near a Train Station
✓ On-site Cascades Health Spa and Leisure Club with pool and gym
🏖️ 1.94 miles from Windermere, Fellfoot (Excellent water quality)
Backbarrow
✓ Near a Train Station
✓ Superbly located in Carlisle's historic Court Square
Carlisle
✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 2.06 miles from Windermere, Fellfoot (Excellent water quality)
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge, North West England
£327 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
✓ Set in managed woodland with a compelling, enchanting ambience
🏖️ a few minutes' walk from Windermere, Fellfoot (Excellent water quality)
Newby Bridge
✓ Near a Train Station
Appleby, North West England
£477 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
🏖️ 0.87 miles from Windermere, Rayrigg Meadow (Excellent water quality)
Bowness-on-Windermere, North West England
£627 per break
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✓ Near a Train Station
✓ Tranquil woodland setting close to Lake Windermere's southern shores
🏖️ 0.97 miles from Windermere, Fellfoot (Excellent water quality)
Newby Bridge
✓ Near a Train Station
Appleby, North West England
£423 per break
Check availabilityThe stays above are mostly self-catering. For hotels and B&Bs in Cumbria, Agoda compare prices across booking sites.
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Itineraries
Haunted Britain
Arriving by train changes how a Cumbria holiday feels. You skip the parking hunt and the narrow-lane reversing, and you start the break the moment you sit down. BritStays currently lists 286 places to stay in Cumbria that are near a train station. Here's how to pick the right one.
Most of the choice is self-catering. There are 162 cottages, 88 hotels, 24 caravanning options and 12 camping sites. So whether you want your own front door or someone else making breakfast, you have real options.
Some facilities matter more when you travel by rail, so it's worth checking for them:
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge has by far the most choice, with 49 stays. Another 14 are in Bowness-on-Windermere and 10 are listed simply as Windermere. If you want the classic lakes break with plenty of choice, start here.
The cottages show the range. Campbell Cottage and Slate Cottage both sleep 4, which suits couples or a small family. Alexandra Cottage sleeps 5. Helm View sleeps 7, so it works for a bigger family or two couples. All four list EV charging nearby as well as being near a train station.
Keswick has 13 stays, and Threlkeld and St Johns in the Vale has 12. These suit you if you'd rather be based in the northern lakes. Penrith appears twice in our listings, with 14 stays each time. St Bees has 16 stays and gives you a very different base from the central lakes. Our data doesn't tag sea views or beach access, so read individual listings if being by the water matters to you.
Couples: Clarence Cottage in Appleby sleeps 2 and lists EV charging nearby.
Families: Hazelrigg Farm in Cartmel sleeps 6. Families who like camping could look at Windermere Camping and Caravanning Club at Staveley, which has a bar, takeaway food and a playground.
Large groups: Riverside House in Carlisle sleeps 16. Box Tree Escapes - The Roeburn and Box Tree Escapes - The Wenning in Carnforth sleep 10 each.
Hotels: In Carlisle, Travelodge Carlisle Central has a restaurant, takeaway food and disabled access. Cumbria Park Hotel offers disabled access, WiFi and parking. The Swan Hotel in Grasmere has a bar, restaurant and takeaway food, which is handy if you don't want to cook.
Only 38 of the 286 stays are marked pet friendly, roughly one in eight. Filter for this first rather than falling for a cottage and finding out later. It's also worth asking the owner about any extra charges or limits on the number of dogs.
If you're based around Windermere, Lake Windermere is the obvious draw. Nearby you'll find Wray Castle, Beatrix Potter's former home at Hill Top, and the National Trust's Townend. For families, The Lakes Aqua Park adds something different.
From Keswick, Derwentwater is on the doorstep. Keswick also has the Keswick Museum & Art Gallery, Knox Wood Wildlife Centre and the West Cumberland Railway Museum, which rail fans will enjoy.
Other places worth a day include Ullswater, Levens Hall and Eskdale Mill. Check how you'll get to each one before you go, as not every sight is close to a station or bus stop.
Book early if you need something specific. There are only a handful of stays for very large groups or couples-only cottages, and the same goes for pet friendly places and stays with disabled access. These get snapped up first, especially in school holidays.
If you're flexible, Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge gives you the best chance of finding something closer to your dates.
Before you confirm, check three things:
BritStays lists 286 stays in Cumbria near a train station. There are 162 cottages, 88 hotels, 24 caravanning options and 12 camping sites.
Windermere and Troutbeck Bridge has the most, with 49. St Bees has 16, and Penrith and Bowness-on-Windermere each have 14.
Yes. 38 of the 286 stays are marked pet friendly. That's a fairly small share, so filter for it early and book ahead.
Yes. Riverside House in Carlisle sleeps 16. Box Tree Escapes - The Roeburn and Box Tree Escapes - The Wenning in Carnforth each sleep 10.
68 of these stays are also near a bus stop, which makes car-free day trips easier. Check each listing to see if it has this.
Derwentwater is close by. Keswick also has the Keswick Museum & Art Gallery, Knox Wood Wildlife Centre and the West Cumberland Railway Museum.
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What's on at each, with tickets and places to stay within walking distance.
