Every stage of the Westmorland and Furness Way ends in a town or village with somewhere to sleep. Use the filters to see the overnight stops for a particular stage or town. Book early for Bowness in summer and Appleby in Horse Fair week, and plan Milburn carefully — it has very few beds. Walking the trail in sections? Stay a few nights in a town where two stages meet, such as Kirkby Stephen, Sedbergh or Windermere, and walk out and back from your base (how it works).
Overnight Stops, Stage by Stage
Alston
Start of Stage 1
England's highest market town and the start of the trail. There's no railway — buses run from Hexham and are limited in the evening and on Sundays — so most walkers arrive the night before.
No trail partners listed in Alston yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Milburn & Dufton
End of Stage 1 · Start of Stage 2
Milburn is a small village with very little accommodation. Book the nearest farmhouse B&B well ahead, stay in nearby Dufton (a long-established walkers' village with a pub and youth hostel), or take a taxi to Appleby or Penrith.
No trail partners listed in Milburn & Dufton yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Appleby-in-Westmorland
Mid-way through Stage 2
The best place to split Stage 2, with a station on the Settle–Carlisle line. Avoid it during Appleby Horse Fair in early June, when beds are effectively fully booked.
No trail partners listed in Appleby-in-Westmorland yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Kirkby Stephen
End of Stage 2 · Start of Stage 3
A busy little market town with a mix of B&Bs, inns and self-catering. The Settle–Carlisle station is a walk from the town centre.
No trail partners listed in Kirkby Stephen yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Sedbergh
End of Stage 3 · Start of Stage 4
England's Book Town, beneath the Howgill Fells — a favourite place for a rest day before the Lake District, and a natural base for walking Stages 3 and 4 as a short break. No railway; buses run to Kendal and Oxenholme. Book early during the walking and book festivals.
Featured trail partner · Accommodation
Howgills Accommodation
A base in Sedbergh for walking the trail in sections
A Sedbergh-based business that owns and manages its own holiday rentals at the foot of the Howgill Fells. Ideal for walking the trail a section at a time: unpack once, walk Stage 3 or Stage 4 with a daypack, and come back to a proper kitchen and somewhere to dry your kit. Central apartments suit couples and small groups; the bunk barn and house take walking clubs of up to 28.
- Base for Stages 3 & 4
- Multi-night stays
- Sleeps 4 to 28
- Free on-site parking
- Dog-friendly options
- Hot tubs at the group houses
Howgills Apartments Sleeps 4–6
Five self-catering apartments in the centre of Sedbergh, several with en-suites. Three are dog-friendly.
Howgills Barn Sleeps 24
Bunk barn on five acres with eight en-suite bunk rooms, a hot tub, games room and firepit terrace. Dog-friendly.
Howgills House Sleeps 28
Twelve en-suite bedrooms, two hot tubs and a games room, just outside Sedbergh on the Garsdale Road.
Burneside & Staveley
Mid-way through Stage 4
Both villages have stations on the Lakes Line, making them the natural places to break the long Stage 4 — stay locally or hop on a train to Kendal or Windermere.
No trail partners listed in Burneside & Staveley yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Bowness & Windermere
End of Stage 4 · Start of Stage 5
The best-connected point on the trail and the biggest choice of beds — but it fills up from Easter to October and at weekends all year, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.
No trail partners listed in Bowness & Windermere yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Ulverston
End of Stage 5 · Start of Stage 6
A friendly market town with frequent trains towards Lancaster and Barrow, and a good choice of inns and guesthouses.
No trail partners listed in Ulverston yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
Barrow-in-Furness
Finish at Furness Abbey
The trail ends at Furness Abbey on the edge of Barrow. It's a short walk, bus or taxi into town, where the station links to Lancaster and the West Coast Main Line.
No trail partners listed in Barrow-in-Furness yet. Run accommodation here? Get listed.
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