Stagecoach bus route 555

Stagecoach bus route 555 links Lancaster in Lancashire with towns and villages in the Lake District in North West England. The route is approximately 45 miles long and takes on average 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete. It is one of the longest routes as well as one of the most scenic bus routes in England. The route is operated by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire and was previously operated by Ribble Motor Services.

555
Overview
OperatorStagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire
Route
StartLancaster
ViaCarnforth
Kendal
Windermere
Ambleside
Grasmere
EndKeswick
Length45 miles

Route

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 summer journeys run between Lancaster and Kendal via more direct route mainly via the M6 Motorway.[1]

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.[2][3]

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.[4]

Current route

Route 555 operates via these primary locations:[1]

Vehicles

In October 2011, Stagecoach introduced nine Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 bodied Scania N230UD buses to operate the route.[5]

These buses have a special livery and carry "555 Freedom of the Lakes" branding. Each bus has been named after a famous Lake District mountain.[6]

The names (and bus fleet numbers) are:

In July 2016, twelve Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 buses were introduced.[7]

Tourism

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. [8][9]

Ladies That Bus

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.[10][11][12][13] In January 2021 the Dukes theatre made Ladies That Bus available online through Vimeo, as a response to the lockdown conditions.[14]

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