How to take a train from London to Oxenholme station for the Lake District

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London to Oxenholme by train

There are two stations which have direct trains from London and offers easy connections into the stunning Lake District national park.

Oxenholme Lake District station offers connections into trains heading to Windermere station, which is adjacent to the town of Bowness-on-Windermere.
Penrith North Lakes station has an easy interchange to buses heading on to multiple destinations including Keswick and Ullswater.

Routes you can take to go from London to Oxenholme (connect for Windermere)

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

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Journey guides for travel to London

Route Information

Station Guides

The frontage of Euston station is being altered by building work

London Euston Rail Station Guide

Oxenholme Lake District Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

2hr 37min - 2hr 49min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

9 x trains per day

The journey times are typically around 20 minutes slower on Sundays.

Journey Summary:

Is the journey direct? = Yes

Is the journey scenic? = It is pleasing, but not outstanding

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at the destination? = before 08:45 on Monday to Friday; before 09:15 on Saturday; before 12:15 on Sunday

When is the usual approximate latest departure? = around 19:30 on Monday to Friday and Sunday; around 18:30 on Saturday

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance? = Yes

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale? = 12 weeks; see the Ticket Information

What are the child ticket terms? = aged 5 to 15 = 50%; aged 4 and under = free

Does the ticket include assigned seats? = Depends on the type of ticket booked, but reservations are included with Advance tickets; See the Ticket Information

Do rail pass users need to book reservations? = No, but they are available.

Is catering available on the train? = Yes - There is a bar/bistro car: And complimentary at seat catering in 1st class, which typically includes a full meal service.

What else is good to know?

See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

Travel Information

Final Destination: Glasgow

Most trains also call at: Lancaster

On Board - Summary

More information is available by clicking the on the 'train details', but the key things worth knowing when taking the Pendolino trains used on this route, are:

(1) These trains achieve their high end-to-end journey speed by tilting around curves in the railway line.
So if you are prone to motion sickness, taking preventative medication prior to boarding can be a good step to take.

(2) Also once the train has commenced its journey, if you have a seat reservation, you don't have to spend the duration of the train ride in the seat(s) you have been assigned, for your ticket to be valid.
If for any reason you want to move seats and the train isn't exceptionally busy, check whether alternative seats haven't been reserved during your journey - and if that is the case, you can transfer to them.

(3) Coach C on these Pendolino trains is usually set aside for travellers without reservations and this coach can often be less busy than the other coaches on the train.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

Avanti Pendolino (UK) Train Guide

Good to Know

There are additional Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Oxenholme.
However, those trains divert off the direct route to travel via Birmingham, so are around an hour slower.

When booking 'Advance Tickets' online, those other slower trains can be cheaper.

However, if you will be booking tickets last minute at the station, or using a rail pass, take care not to board a train travelling via Birmingham.
Though those other trains usually depart from London less than 20 minutes after these trains on the direct faster route.

Crossing the River Lune as the train departs from Lancaster

The brief glimpse of the coast

Heading into the hills north of Carnforth

Nearing the end of the journey

This is a pleasant journey through the English countryside, but the scenery on this trip isn't particularly special, the most dramatic views on the West Coast main line are just to the north of Oxenholme.

Though it's a route that saves the best until last, around 5 mins north of Lancaster, on the left there is a brief glimpse of Morecambe Bay.

The general guide to rail travel in Britain Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, taking popular journeys, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with rail passes.

Tickets

Book Early and Save: Yes

Tickets Available From: 24* weeks ahead for travel on Mon-Fri; up to 12 weeks ahead for weekend travel.
*This booking ahead period is longer than that offered by the majority of British train operators.

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance' tickets - though be aware that this type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans.

Though something to be aware of when booking tickets, particularly for journeys by Avanti West Coast with its extended booking periods, is that the more expensive Off Peak and Anytime type of tickets can be placed on sale before the Advance tickets will be available.
If that is the case, it won't mean that the 'Advance' tickets have sold out, instead you won't see them, because they haven't have been placed on sale yet.

Though you won't typically have to book months in advance to obtain the cheapest possible price for a London to Glasgow train journey, particularly if you won't be travelling at business hours.

Travelling on Saturday-Sunday

Maintenance work on the railway is periodically undertaken, particularly at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.

If you're looking up a journey less than around 10 - 12 weeks ahead and the cheaper 'Advance' tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the Avanti West Coast website.

Making an end-to-end journey will still be possible, though you MAY ultimately have to take a substitution bus service for part of the trip.
It's the confirmation of these alternative travel arrangements which can hold up the release of the tickets for sale.

Choosing a Departure:

There are likely to be significant differences in prices between departures on your travel date, it's often possible to save more than £30 by taking an earlier or later train.
When heading north, the trains which depart London in the middle of the day tend to be cheaper.

If you can be flexible with your travel times and dates, it's a good idea to use the Best Fare Finder service on the Avanti West Coast website.

Reservations:

When you book an Advance ticket for a London to Glasgow journey by Avanti West Coast trains journey online, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s) - because you will have to travel by that specific departure.

Because Off-Peak and Anytime tickets (usually) allow the freedom to choose between departures, you can request complimentary reservations when booking these tickets - find out more about this.

However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, seat reservations won't be available

That's because reservations at stations need to be booked at least a couple of hours ahead of departure - so also keep that in mind if you will be using a rail pass, including a Britrail or Eurail pass.

Receiving Your Ticket(s)

If you book with Avanti West Coast, you will have up to four options for receiving and using your ticket(s) are:

(1) Using e-tickets:
Book a ticket online and you will receive an e-ticket attached to your confirmation email.
Avanti West Coast allows multiple options for using these e-tickets, you can print them off OR download them to your mobile device, so when boarding you can access your ticket(s) on your phone and use it to open the ticket gates.

(2) Using m-tickets:

If you book using the Avanti West Coast trains app, you can activate your ticket within the app and use your mobile device to open the ticket gates.

(3) Collecting from the 'Fast-Track' ticket machines at the station.

You will receive a booking reference number on your order confirmation email and you can use this reference number to collect ticket(s) from a 'Fast-Track' ticket machine.
You will need to enter your reference number into the machine, so make sure you'll have easy access to it when you are using the machine.

You will also need to insert the specific credit or debit card you used when making the booking, so have that with you too.

Showing the email you have received to staff at the ticket gates won't get you on to the train, nor will this be valid if you can only show the email to the conductor when you are on the train.

If you forget to bring your ticket(s) with you to the station, but do have the card with you that you used when booking, you can use the machines to collect your ticket(s).
Take your time and take care that you have picked up all your ticket(s) and seat reservations.

(4) Opt to pay an additional charge to have your tickets posted to you.

More information is available here.

The potential to save by splitting tickets on Trainline

It can be worth looking up this journey on Trainline.

It can be possible to save money by using split ticketing, with the booking process being no more complicated than booking conventional tickets - find out more

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