| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Coordinator: |
James Sellars
Tel: 07400920940
|
Next Outing:-
BUS PASS ADVENTURE GROUP
OUTING TO HADRIAN’S WALL
DATE: TUESDAY 2nd JUNE
TIME: 9.32am
The next outing of the u3a Bus Pass Adventure Group will be to Hadrian’s Wall.
We will catch the 9.32am 104 bus from Penrith bus station changing at Carlisle on to the HW1 bus for Hadrian’s Wall. Proposed timetable:
Penrith dep 09.32
Carlisle Bus Station arr 10.25
Carlisle West Tower St dep 10.42 xx.42
Lanercost arr 11.11 xx.11
Banks arr 11.14 xx.14
Birdoswald arr 11.20 xx.20
Gilsland arr 11.26 xx.26
Walltown arr 11.40 xx.40
If getting on at Penrith bus station please be there at least 10 minutes before the bus departure time. Alternatively, if it is more convenient you are welcome to catch the bus anywhere en-route to Carlisle. If you intend to do this, please LET US KNOW.
At Carlisle we will have to walk from the bus station to West Tower Street which is a little over a quarter of a mile. Although only a ten-minute walk we have only 17 minutes to do this.
There are many things to see and do on Hadrian’s Wall. I have some “Hadrian’s Wall Maps” which I will distribute on the day. These give information on the various places one can visit. The above timetable gives some of the possible places one could alight. You are welcome to do what you want however below are some possibilities:
OPTION 1: Visit Lanercost Priory (English Heritage: Entrance £7.20 if you have travelled by bus). Afterwards, get later bus on somewhere else. Buses are hourly (see above times).
OPTION 2: Continue on to Banks, the next stop. Walk back along the Roman Wall to Milecastle 54 then walk down and visit Lanercost Priory.
OPTION 3: Visit Birdoswald (English Heritage: Entrance £10.88 if you have travelled by bus). Afterwards get later bus on to Walltown.
OPTION 4: Alight at Gilsland and do the 3.5 mile circular walk to the Popping Stone where Sir Walter Scott proposed to his future wife.
OPTION 5: Alight at Gilsland and do the 4.6 mile walk to Thirwall Castle then on to Walltown, following the route of the Wall.
OPTION 6: At Walltown, visit the Roman Army Museum (£14.40 if booked in advance)
OPTION 7: Walk out to Walltown Crags and beyond where there are good sections of the Wall to be seen.
There are cafes and picnic areas at most of the above places. For further information about the above and the facilities they offer go to the appropriate website. Also, if you are interested in any of the walks mentioned I can provide maps. I myself will go on one of the walks probably the Walltown Crags one.
The return buses are hourly at the times shown below.
Return bus times:
Walltown dep xx.45
Gilsland dep xx.59
Birdoswald dep xx.05
Lanercost dep xx.14
Carlisle arr xx.41
Carlisle dep xx.06 xx.36
Penrith arr xx.55 xx.45
OUTING TO BUTTERMERE
DATE: MONDAY 18th MAY
TIME: 9.15am
The next outing of the u3a Bus Pass Adventure Group will be to Buttermere.
We will catch the 9.15am X4 bus from Penrith bus station changing at Keswick on to the 77A bus for Buttermere. Proposed timetable:
Penrith dep 09.15
Keswick arr 10.02
Keswick dep 10.30
Buttermere arr 11.21
To make the trip possible it is necessary to catch a pre-09.30 bus which means that bus passes cannot be used on this leg of the journey so we will have to pay the £3.00 fare.
If getting on at Penrith bus station please be there at least 10 minutes before the bus departure time. Alternatively, if it is more convenient you are welcome to catch the bus at the Railway Station or opposite Cranstons. If you intend to do this, please LET US KNOW.
At Keswick bus station the X4 comes in at stand 1 and the 77A goes out from stand 3. With nearly 30 minutes there there should be plenty of time to venture into Booths to make use of their facilities eg toilets and/or for coffee.
The Keswick-Buttermere bus route is circular. The 77 route is Honister-Buttermere-Whinlatter, the 77A is Whinlatter-Buttermere-Honister. We will catch the 77A out but group members may choose whichever bus they want coming back (see below).
At Buttermere, some possibilities are:
OPTION 1: Walk down to the lake before having lunch at the Croft House Farm café or the Bridge Hotel or the Court Hotel.
OPTION 2: The walk round Buttermere is a relatively easy 4.3 miles but it would be advisable to take a packed lunch with you.
OPTION 3: The Rannerdale bluebells. One way to see these is to stay on the bus to Lanthwaite then walk up the High Rannerdale valley through the bluebells then up and over and down into Buttermere village. Although only 2.3 miles the walk involves 650’ of ascent and descent so is reasonably strenuous. Again, a packed lunch is recommended. I shall be doing this and anyone is welcome to join me. If interested, please LET ME KNOW.
Return bus times:77A 77 77A 77
Buttermere dep 13.26 14.20 15.26 16.20
Keswick arr 14.19 15.18 16.19 17.18
Keswick dep 14.50 15.20 15.50 16.25 16.55 17.25
Penrith arr 15.37 16.07 16.37 17.12 17.42 18.12
PLEASE EMAIL DrKeithWalton@aol.com IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN COMING ON THIS OUTING OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION.
********************************************************************************
With many thanks
Keith
drkeithwalton@aol.com
***********************************************************************************
______________________________________________
Past Outings :-
Thursday 9th April. AMBLESIDE
9.45 X5 bus from Penrith Bus Station changing at Keswick on to the 555 bus for Ambleside. Options in Ambleside include alighting at Rydal for Rydal Hall and walking to Ambleside, visiting the Beatrix Potter Exhibition at the Armitt Museum, visiting Hayes Garden Centre or just looking around Ambleside or walking out to Stock Ghyll Force.
Monday 20th April. HEXHAM/CORBRIDGE
9.32 104 bus from Penrith Bus Station changing at Carlisle on to the 685 bus for Corbridge. It is possible to get off anywhere en-route eg Brampton, Haltwhistle or Hexham. In fact, one could get off in Brampton to see the Burne-Jones stained glass windows in St Martins church then catch the next bus on to Hexham or Corbridge to see the sights or visit the shops there.
Saturday 9th May. GRETNA
9.32 104 bus from Penrith Bus Station changing at Carlisle on to the 79 bus for the Gretna Shopping Village. In addition to shopping one can also visit sites such as The Old Blacksmiths Shop or walk a mile or two of the King Charles III England Coast Path.
Future program of outings:-
Monday 18th May. BUTTERMERE
9.15* X4 bus from Penrith Bus Station changing at Keswick on to the 77A bus for Buttermere via Honister. In Buttermere one can walk part or all the way round the lake or have a leisurely lunch. Alternatively, one can stay on the bus and alight at Lanthwaite Green to go see the Rannerdale bluebells.
( *note start time is before Bus Passes are operational. This is so we can connect with the 77A bus for a round trip. This will entail paying the £3 fare.)
Tuesday 2nd June. HADRIAN’S WALL
9.32 104 bus from Penrith Bus Station changing at Carlisle on to the HW1 bus for Hadrian’s Wall. Options here include Lanercost Priory, Birdoswald, Greenhead or Walltown and the Roman Army Museum. The bus from Carlisle is a smaller vehicle so it is essential that we know the size of our party beforehand.
Wednesday 24th June. MIREHOUSE
1