Hill Country Bus Services in England
You may be more able to reach hill country by rail in England than other parts of Britain but that does not make its rural bus network any the less important so I have a few collected here. There remain many more that could be added so I have got some more collecting to be doing. In the meantime, I hope that you find the list helpful but, if you do need to look further afield, please take a look at my public transport blog or the English travel directory included in the Miscellany. For visiting the Yorkshire Dales, the Dalesbus website is well worth a look.
As well as additions, I also hope to keep what's here as up to date as I can. If there are any oversights, please do send me a message and I'll be happy to rectify things.
20/21/22/25 Keighley-Burnley/Burnley-Keighley
When I first caught sight of this service run by Burnley & Pendle, I thought it not to be of much interest. However, I was to realise later that its intersection with the Pennine Way near Ickornshaw (ick-korn-sher as the locals would have you say it) and Cowling more than made it useful. The hourly daytime frequency on weekdays and the two hourly one on Sundays certainly make it a valuable proposition for my Pennine Way project.
58 Macclesfield-Buxton(-Chatsworth)
This one passes right through the heart of the hill country lining the Cheshire-Derbyshire border. The frequency is hourly Monday to Saturday and less frequent on Sundays when two journeys extend to Bakewell and Chatsworth House.
60 Macclesfield-Rainow-New Mills-Disley
64 Macclesfield-Rainow-New Mills-Glossop
Both of these get bundled together because their routes only differ beyond New Mills and it is in getting you to places such as Rainow and Kettleshulme that these really prove their worth when you're heading in the countryside along the Cheshire-Derbyshire border. Saying that, they are really Monday-Saturday services with the only one on Sunday being more of a means of sending a bus to Macclesfield for the 58 service than anything else.
72 Buckden-Grassington-Skipton
Upper Wharfedale is a delightful spot to explore as I found on my first visit on a spring evening when sunshine unexpected took over from cloudiness. Kettlewell is a pure delight but it's but one wonderful location among many. So, it's handy to have a regular bus service to get you there and away without having to wonder about getting a car along narrow lanes.
Southbound Timetable
Northbound Timetable
73 (Barnard Castle to and from) Middleton-in-Teesdale to and from Langdon Beck
The service may be an infrequent one but it remains a useful means for getting into upper Teesdale and aids access to the hill country that stretches between there and Dufton in Cumbria. On Wednesdays, extensions to Barnard Castle are available and a 17:00 service from Langdon Beck runs upon prior request. This is empty countryside so a service like this is invaluable , even if it might be better for it to extend to Alston and other such places as well.
74 Grassington-Ilkley
There are a lot of nice places to explore along the part of Wharfedale served by this useful offering. While it is a subsidised affair, it can have its busy moments too as I was to discover not so long ago on a sunny Saturday; it is easy to see how it got filled to capacity with idyllic locations like Burnsall and Bolton Abbey awaiting enjoyment. You even might get to asking why small buses ply the way until you see where the buses are going and it then becomes more than clear why double deckers and full length single deckers could struggle to get around.
75/76 Darlington to and from Barnard Castle
95/96 Barnard Castle to and from Middleton-in-Teesdale
I have lumped these together for a number of reasons, the first of which being that they land you in the heart of Teesdale from the East Coast railway line. In spite of appearances to the contrary, you will find that the same bus runs all of the way from Darlington to Middleton, even if changes route number in the middle of the journey. It might make more sense to have Middleton buses running under one number and those terminating in Barnard Castle with another but that's not how it's done. Through tickets are available or, if you prefer, there's a day ticket available for £6.
75/76 Timetable
95/96 Timetable
78 Keswick-Seatoller
Also known as the Borrowdale Rambler, this service lands you right at the end of the dale for easy access to the central fells. Other than high season when it runs half-hourly on weekdays, the frequency is hourly. Weekday services start early in the morning and continue until the evening and, while Sunday services are more limited, the timetable remains more than usable. Open-topped double-deckers are in common usage during the summer, though use of the top deck might be for the braver of disposition given it follows a road, overlooked by trees most of the way, that is narrow and hilly in places.
80 Lancaster-Ingleton
For me, journeys to and from the Yorkshire Dales have nearly always gone around by Leeds, so much so that it is hard-wired into my brain by now. Exceptions have included a recent excursion going via Bradford and a return journey that took me around by Lancaster on the Leeds-Morecambe railway line. For getting to Ingleton, going via Lancaster does work because of this bus service. Service frequency is two-hourly until lunchtime and less frequent after that but that doesn't make it useless with its final departure to Lancaster at 18:50 (just don't get fooled by a bus arriving at around 18:15 that runs light back to Lancaster). There's no Sunday or bank holiday service so you need to be careful but increased patronage would be no bad thing with Ingleton being a pleasant spot along with High Bentham and pleasing spots in the Lune Valley.
108 (Stockport-)Macclesfield-Leek(-Ashbourne)
There is reason for those brackets: it is Stockport-Leek on Sundays and Macclesfield-Ashbourne on other days. The bus operator differs too but that is immaterial. Timings are a little sparse but it does allow me to get into Staffordshire's moorlands near Leek, getting it included on this list.
108 Penrith-Patterdale
Ullswater might be the attraction for a lot of the people who use this service but it's what sets off the lake so well that would be the draw for me. After all, Helvellyn is but one of them and there's any empty quarter to the east too. The service is advertised as being two hourly, which it mostly is, and starts out from the train station before calling at the town's bus station, negotiating narrow streets as it goes, and continuing towards Pooley Bridge, Aira Force waterfall and Glenridding on the way to its final destination. With all those on its route, it deserves to be better used than it was when I made use of the service. Mind you, that was in January when there is no Sunday service and the last bus back is at 17:10. In the summer, a later departure would be ideal though I am unconvinced that there is one but I do remember there to be a Sunday service in the high season.
118 Hanley-Leek-Buxton
218 Buxton-Bakewell-Sheffield
Because that's where a lot of the bumpy stuff is found, my main interest is the Buxton-Leek piece but there are reasons for mentioning the 218 here too. For one thing, Derbyshire County Council see fit to combine the 118 and 218 timetables but the Derbyshire Dales are well worth exploring too and Sheffield has more than its fair share of moorland on its doorstep. For those not in the know, Hanley is Stoke-on-Trent's city centre (such are the strong identifies of its component conurbations that defining where Stoke is can be a bit of a challenge).
144 Morpeth-Rothbury-Thropton
As far as I can remember, this Monday-Saturday service didn't always have this route and neither was it hourly either. That makes it far more useful than it used to be, never a bad thing given the hill country around its final destinations. Now, all that's needed for a day outing from further afield is for those rail connections to work.
173 Castleton-Tideswell-Litton-Bakewell
This bus service conveys folk through pleasing Derbyshire Dales countryside as it goes its merry way. Monsal Head is another of the places served but Tideswell has much to commend it too as do the two termini. As with many a rural bus service, having a copy of the bus timetable with you on a walk could help you get about without worry.
240 Sheffield-Grindleford-Bakewell
241 Sheffield-Bamford-Bakewell
242 Sheffield-Bamford-Castleton
It is the latter pair's passage around by reservoirs such as Derwent and Ladybower that earns their inclusion here with the first being included on the same timetable though it goes a different way. The service level isn't so regular so there needs to be some due care and attention but anything that makes getting from Bamford train station in among the moors has to have a use.
260 Edale-Castleton
This Sunday and bank holiday service might have its uses when it comes to shortening walks that otherwise would start from either Castleton or Edale and make use of days when the hours of daylight are shorter. For me, its real strength is an apparent connection with a 10:25 service 68 from Buxton. A bus operating one service can continue as another and I am left wondering if there is a possibility of starting from Macclesfield at 09:30 and, with a change in Buxton, arrive in Edale at 11:25, more than a full hour earlier than the rail alternative. To verify this possibility, I probably need to try it out but Hulley's run both the 68 and the 260 and companies often cut long otherwise empty runnings if they can.
267 Berwick-upon-Tweed to and from Wooler via Etal
464 Berwick-upon-Tweed to and from Wooler via Lowick
Wooler is a rather sizable little place with the Cheviots on its doorstep and does have useful bus services linking it to the outside world. This pair, operated on a council contract by local company Glen Valley Tours, almost provides hourly connections to the East Coast Mainline at Berwick. Saying that, there are no Sunday services and that makes it a bit tricky to get away after a weekend up there, unless you bring your own car or get a taxi. Another constraint is that the last bus is at 17:00.
272 Sheffield-Hathersage-Bradwell-Castleton
Very usefully, tickets on this hourly service are valid for train journeys and vice versa. It remains to be seen how long this arrangement lasts but it gives the sort of flexibility that is seldom seen in the world of public transport in Britain. It is the sort of farsightedness that makes scenic locations like the Hope Valley easier to explore, especially when train service frequencies are two hourly.
470 Alnwick to and from Wooler via Chillingham
473 Alnwick to and from Wooler via Whittingham
Another useful set of services that get you to and from Wooler, these are operated by Travelsure, another local company, on another council contract. An aspect shared with their Berwick-upon-Tweed counterparts is their regularity. The lack of a Sunday service and a last departure at 17:00 are other features shared with the 267/464. The fact that Alnwick itself is a few miles away from a train station (Alnmouth is the nearest), is another consideration but that won't matter if you're spending a few days in the area, something that it deserves.
505 (Windermere-)Ambleside-Coniston
During the summer season, this service started from Windermere but it's sadly not nearly as useful when Ambleside is the favoured starting point for the winter. Timings are not so useful for that longer day among the fells either so some enhancement for next year's summer season would be ideal. However, if you are already stationed in the area, then timings are probably fine for you and it will have its uses.
516 Ambleside-Dungeon Ghyll
The Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel is at the base of the well known Langdale Pikes so this service easily gets the moniker of "Langdale Rambler". In spite of the timetable stating otherwise for some services at the weekend, this service does restrict itself to Ambleside as one of its termini. It's less than desirable to have to change there after coming from Windermere and further away but that seems to be the way. Even so, the service itself is a useful one, particularly when you consider how much a hotel stay in Langdale might cost you and how good the hill country is around those parts.
552/553 Shrewsbury-Bishop's Castle
Some county councils don't do so well with providing a comprehensive collection of bus timetables and it seems that Shropshire is one of them. The result is that this timetable is a home made effort but I hope it remains useful nonetheless. The reason for its inclusion is Bishop's Castle's location in the heart of Shropshire's hill country together with its relative proximity to the Offa's Dyke Path. Add the fact that it pass the Stiper Stones as well and its usefulness becomes undoubted.
554/555/556 Lancaster-Kendal-Keswick-Carlisle
Because of its route and frequency, this service can be seen as part of the backbone of the Lake District's bus network. For this year's English summer school holiday season, that frequency is being upped to half-hourly between Kendal and Keswick on weekdays (Monday to Friday), which can have lots of uses if you could escape the crowds. For the latter purpose, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere can all be seen as gateways to hill country and the bus passes by the a goodly number of footpaths and other rights way leading to the likes of Helvellyn, Fairfield and many more fells, some less populated than those listed. Views from the top deck should be good too, so long as any route branding doesn't get in the way.
564 Kendal-Sedbergh-Kirkby Stephen-Brough
564A/564B Kendal-Sedbergh-Dent
These are probably what could be seen as lifeline services for the part of east Cumbria and North Yorkshire that they serve. They all also usefully call by Oxenholme train station while some call to Kirkby Stephen's station while others call to Dent's. No Sunday service is provided so you need not to miss the last bus back or you'll be calling on the more expensive taxi option.
581 Settle-Ingleton-Kirkby Lonsdale
The only occasion that I have to use this service was after a hike over Ingleborough from Ribblehead but Ingleton's proximity to delightful open hill country festooned with limestone pavement makes a service worth knowing. At either end, there are further public transport connections: by train from Settle or on the Stagecoach bus service to Lancaster from Kirkby Lonsdale. They make the Monday to Saturday service even more workable for a walk and there's service 80 to Lancaster too for even more flexibility.
599 Bowness-Windermere-Ambleside(-Grasmere)
In the summer, this runs every twenty minutes and extends to Grasmere. For this winter, the frequency is hourly and the service is restricted to daytimes from Monday to Saturday. It remains a useful complement to the 555 and, given the hill country accessible from Ambleside or Windermere, it merits a mention here. That extension to Grasmere makes it more noteworthy again.
X12 Ulverston-Coniston
Ulverston may not be uppermost on list of access points for the Lakeland fells but this bus service makes it one of them. Ulverston's having a railway station makes the X12 a good link for someone coming in from outside of the area and bus timings are not bad for that day of exploring the fells either and even might make it a better alternative to the 505 too.
