Stagecoach bus route 555

Scenic bus route in Cumbria and Lancashire, England

The Lakes Connection 555

Overview
Operator| Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire
Garage| Kendal
Vehicle| Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 MMC (2016–present)
Route
Locale|

* Cumbria
* Lancashire

Termini|

* Keswick
* Lancaster

Length| 45 miles (72 km)
Service
Frequency| every 30-60 minutes [a][1]
Operates| Daily

The Lakes Connection 555 is a bus route operated by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire in Cumbria and Lancashire, England. The scenic route covers a distance of 45 miles (72 km) and runs between the towns of Keswick and Lancaster via Grasmere, Windermere,[b] Kendal and Carnforth.

## Route

[edit]

The Lakes Connection 555

* v
* t
* e

Lancaster – Kendal – Keswick
via Carnforth, Ambleside & Grasmere

|  |  |

|  | Lancaster |

|
|
|
|
|

|  |

|  | Bolton-le-Sands
|  |

|  | Carnforth |

|  |

|  | Burton-in-Kendal
|  |

|  | Holme
|  |

|  | Milnthorpe
|  |

|  | Levens Hall
|  |

|  | Helsington
|  |

|  | Kendal |

|  |

|  | Staveley
|  |

|  | Windermere |

|  |

|  | Brockhole National Park Visitor Centre
|  |

|  | Ambleside
|  |

|  | Rydal
|  |

|  | Grasmere
|  |

|  | Thirlmere
|  |

|  | Keswick |

|  |  |  |  |  |

Evening services additionally operate
via Bowness-on-Windermere.

Route 555 starts from Lancaster in the northern part of Lancashire. The route goes via Carnforth, into Cumbria through Milnthorpe and past Levens Hall before stopping at Kendal bus station. Some Saturday & summer journeys run between Lancaster and Kendal via more direct route mainly via the M6 Motorway.[2]

After a break, the route generally follows the A591 road into the Lake District. The route goes through Staveley, the town of Windermere and alongside the lake of Windermere to Ambleside. The route then continues into and out of the village of Grasmere, passing the lakes Rydal Water, Grasmere and Thirlmere before arriving at Keswick near to Derwent Water.[3][4]

Previously the route used to extend a further 30 miles from Keswick north to Carlisle. It was split with Stagecoach route 554 now connects with route 555 at Keswick bus station.[5]

## Vehicles

[edit]

In October 2011, Stagecoach introduced nine Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodied Scania N230UD buses to operate the route.[6]

These buses had a special livery and carried "555 Freedom of the Lakes" branding. Each bus was named after a famous Lake District mountain.[7]

The names (and bus fleet numbers) were:

* Langdale Pike (15721)
* Catbells (15722)
* Helm Crag (15723)
* Helvellyn (15724)
* Skiddaw (15725)
* Wansfell Pike (15726)
* Scafell Pike (15727)
* Coniston Old Man (15728)
* Blencathra (15729)

In July 2016, twelve Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC buses were introduced.[8] These were replaced by nine more Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMCs with improved interior legroom, high-backed passenger seats and tables fitted with wireless chargers in April 2023.[9][c]

## Tourism

[edit]

The bus service is popular with tourists as they can see the countryside from the top deck. The route is also popular with walkers. Robert Swain authored a book, "55 555 Walks", that shows walks that could be done from destinations along the whole route in both Lancashire and Cumbria. [10][11]

## Ladies That Bus

[edit]

The play Ladies That Bus was written by Joyce Branagh and based on 400 interviews with users of the 555 route. It was developed in association with the three theatres along the route: The Dukes in  Lancaster, the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick. The show toured in early 2020 before the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and was scheduled to open on 29 September 2020 as one of the first productions at The Dukes as restrictions eased.[12][13][14][15] In January 2021 the Dukes theatre made Ladies That Bus available online through Vimeo, as a response to the lockdown conditions.[16]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ every hour on non-summer Monday to Fridays, every 30 minutes in the summer and on Saturdays and every hour between Keswick and Kendal and every 2 hours between Keswick and Lancaster on Sundays.
2. ^ The service operates additionally via Bowness-on-Windermere in the early morning and late evening to replace service 599.
3. ^ The new buses will not be used on journeys operated via the M6, as said by Stagecoach in the Lakes by Bus PDF in small print under "One day adventures on the 555" section.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 555 bus timetable.
2. ^ Route 555 timetable Stagecoach
3. ^ A bus ride from Kendal to Keswick Lunatic Travel
4. ^ Romance on the buses - A Decet of Romantic Bus Routes EM60
5. ^ Route 554 Fix My Transport
6. ^ Nine new buses for Cumbria following £1.5 million investment BBC News 21 October 2011
7. ^ Fleet of Latest Buses Set for Tourist Route North-West Evening Mail 1 November 2011
8. ^ Striking Lakeland livery for new 555 service Bus & Coach Professional 1 July 2016
9. ^ Deakin, Tim (26 April 2023). "Stagecoach high-spec Enviro400 fleet makes 555 debut". routeone. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
10. ^ A list of 55 walks from the 555
11. ^ 55 555 Walks - Robert Swain review Virtual Lancaster
12. ^ "Ladies That Bus". Retrieved 19 September 2020.
13. ^ "Ladies That Bus". The Dukes. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
14. ^ "Route 555 - Ladies That Bus". Brewery Arts Centre - Kendal. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
15. ^ "Be Transported by Ladies That Bus Northern Theatre Tour". Cumbria Crack. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
16. ^ "Ladies That Bus Online". The Dukes. Retrieved 28 January 2021.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to The Lakes Connection 555 (bus route) at Wikimedia Commons

* Stagecoach 555 - Go Lakes

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