Every stage of the Westmorland and Furness Way starts and ends somewhere you can reach without a car, and every overnight town has somewhere to stay. The pinch points are Milburn (tiny, with almost no buses) and the long middle of Stage 4. Book beds early for Bowness in summer and Appleby in Horse Fair week, and use the railway to split the longest days.
Getting to the Start and Home From the Finish
Alston (start) has no mainline railway. The usual approach is by bus from Hexham, on the Tyne Valley line between Newcastle and Carlisle; some services also link Alston with Carlisle and Penrith. Services are limited — especially in the evening and on Sundays — so check a current timetable on Traveline before you commit to a travel day, and consider arriving the night before so you can start Stage 1 early.
Furness Abbey (finish) is on the edge of Barrow-in-Furness. Barrow station is on the Cumbrian Coast / Furness line, with trains to Lancaster that connect to the West Coast Main Line. From the abbey it's a short walk, bus or taxi into town. If you walk the route south to north, simply reverse this: arrive by train at Barrow and leave by bus from Alston.
Public Transport at Each Stage Point
| Place | Stage | Rail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alston | Start of 1 | No (bus to Hexham) | Limited buses; arrive the night before. |
| Milburn | 1 → 2 | No | Very sparse community bus; plan a taxi to/from Appleby or Penrith. |
| Appleby | Mid-stage 2 | Yes — Settle–Carlisle | Best place to split Stage 2. |
| Kirkby Stephen | 2 → 3 | Yes — Settle–Carlisle | Station is a walk from the town centre. |
| Sedbergh | 3 → 4 | No (bus to Kendal/Oxenholme) | Fewer buses in the evening and on Sundays. |
| Burneside / Staveley | Mid-stage 4 | Yes — Lakes Line | Use these stations to split Stage 4. |
| Bowness / Windermere | 4 → 5 | Yes — Lakes Line (Windermere) | Best-connected point on the trail. |
| Ulverston | 5 → 6 | Yes — Furness line | Frequent trains towards Lancaster and Barrow. |
| Barrow / Furness Abbey | End of 6 | Yes — Furness line | Short hop from the abbey into town. |
Because so many stage points sit on a railway, the trail works very well as a series of weekend trips: travel in on a Friday evening, walk a stage or two, and catch a train home. Timetables change, and rural lines are sometimes closed for engineering work, so always check before you set off.
Where to Stay Along the Route
The natural overnight stops are the stage towns themselves. Alston, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen, Sedbergh, Bowness/Windermere, Ulverston and Barrow all have a mix of B&Bs, inns with rooms, guesthouses and self-catering. Milburn is the exception: it is a small village, so many walkers either book the nearest farmhouse B&B well ahead, stay in nearby Dufton (a long-established walkers' village with a pub and youth hostel, just off the route), or take a taxi to Appleby or Penrith for the night.
Villages part-way along stages — Garrigill, Dufton, Ravenstonedale, Staveley, Far Sawrey, Satterthwaite, Bardsea — have a handful of pubs, inns and B&Bs between them, and are useful if you want shorter days. Supply is thin, though, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. Our itineraries page shows which splits work in practice.
When to book early
- Bowness and Windermere fill up from Easter to October and at weekends all year.
- Appleby is effectively fully booked during the Appleby Horse Fair in early June — avoid splitting Stage 2 there that week.
- Sedbergh gets busy during its walking and book festivals.
- Single-night bookings can be hard to find at weekends in peak season; ask whether the host accepts them before planning around one place.
Camping and Hostels
There are farm and holiday campsites near most stage towns, and a couple of youth hostels along or near the line of the route. Camping lets you carry your bed with you, but remember the extra weight on the 25- and 27-mile stages. Wild camping in England generally requires the landowner's permission — including in the national parks — so rely on campsites and ask locally before pitching elsewhere.
Luggage Transfer and Taxis
As a trail that opened only in September 2026, the Westmorland and Furness Way doesn't yet have the mature baggage-transfer network of long-established routes like the Coast to Coast. Options are growing, though: several local taxi firms and walking-holiday companies will move bags between overnight stops if you arrange it in advance, and some accommodation hosts can recommend someone. Local taxis are also the practical answer for Milburn, for bailing out of a stage in bad weather, or for reaching an off-route B&B. Save a couple of numbers for each area before you set off — mobile signal is patchy on the high ground.
Accommodation & Transport FAQs
Yes. Every stage start and finish can be reached by public transport, though some more easily than others. Kirkby Stephen, Windermere, Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness have railway stations; Alston and Sedbergh are reached by bus; and Milburn, the smallest stage point, has very limited services, so most walkers use a taxi there.
Because the trail only opened in September 2026, dedicated baggage-transfer services are still emerging. Some local taxi firms and walking-holiday operators already move bags between overnight stops on request — ask your accommodation when you book, and confirm pick-up times and costs in advance.
Wild camping in England generally needs the landowner's permission, and that includes the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. Use official campsites or ask permission locally; if you do camp informally on high ground, arrive late, leave early, keep groups tiny and leave no trace.
Keep Planning
Each stage guide has detailed transport and "where to stay and eat" notes for that section. For what to pack, read our kit and safety guide, and for sample day-by-day plans see itineraries and the best time to walk. Common questions are answered in the FAQ.