Newby Bridge

Newby Bridge is a hamlet on the River Leven, close to the southern end of Windermere, and takes its name from the bridge. Wikipedia places it several miles west of Grange-over-Sands, on the A590 between Barrow-in-Furness and the M6 near Kendal. It is the quiet end of the lake, and the fells around it are low.

Why base here

The case for Newby Bridge is the foot of Windermere and the two lower hills beside it. Gummer’s How, a 321m outlying fell above the east shore of the lake, is about 3km away in a straight line. Whitbarrow, the limestone hill and national nature reserve that Wainwright included in The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, starts at Mill Side about 8km off in a straight line. The railway halt belongs to the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, a heritage line that Wikipedia says runs from Haverthwaite through Newby Bridge to Lakeside, on a branch the Furness Railway opened in 1869.

On foot versus by car

Neither walk starts from the hamlet itself, so a car is the usual way to both. The higher ground is further off. The Old Man of Coniston is about 13km away in a straight line, Orrest Head about 14km and Tarn Hows about 14km, and all three are better reached from the towns that sit beneath them. Without a car, the lake is the route north. Wikipedia records that Windermere Lake Cruises sail from Lakeside to Bowness and Ambleside, which puts a walker at the head of the lake and the central fells by boat. Check the operator for what runs on the day.

Practicalities

Newby Bridge halt is on the heritage line, which Wikipedia notes connects with the lake sailings at Lakeside. Stagecoach Cumbria runs the number 6 and X6 buses, which Wikipedia lists as linking Newby Bridge with Barrow-in-Furness, Bowness-on-Windermere, Grange-over-Sands, Kendal and Ulverston. The A590 is the road in. WalkLakes describes the start for Whitbarrow as an informal layby that holds about half a dozen cars, so arrive early or park elsewhere.

Who this base does not suit

Anyone who wants high fells will find nothing here above 321m, and the nearest big days start 13km or more away. Walkers without a car who want hills from the door should choose Ambleside, which the lake boat reaches and which starts its own climbs from town. For the Old Man and the Coniston fells, Coniston is the better base, and for a first view with a station beside it, Windermere.