Ravenglass

Village Forum

Visiting Ravenglass

How do you get here?

By train: we are on the Cumbria Coast line between Barrow and Whitehaven, which gives superb coastal and mountain views.  From the West Coast main line change at Lancaster or Carlisle. Unfortunately trains do not run between Barrow and Whitehaven on Sundays.

By bus: sorry, our daily service to Whitehaven was a casualty of governmental austerity.

There is a twice-daily service, the X33, between Ambleside and Ravenglass during summer, running via Coniston.  For a timetable click  here. 

By sea if you are a competent sailor and you have sailing directions.  The estuary affords good moorings for visitors but it dries out at low tide, so it is fine for bilge keels but not recommended for fin keels.  We can put you in touch with the Commodore of the Ravenglass Boating Association for more advice.

By road: we are half a mile off the  A595 between Muncaster Castle and Holmrook.  You will find Ravenglass on the Ordnance Survey Landranger Sheet 96 and English Lakes Outdoor Leisure Sheet 6 in grid square SD 0896.  Satnav users: use the postcode CA18 1SW.

We do not recommend the road from Ambleside via Wrynose and Hardknott Passes if you are  inexperienced at fell road driving or you have nervous passengers.  This road is a single-track mountain road with gradients of 1 in 3 (33%) and hairpin bends.  Do not attempt it with a large vehicle or any kind of trailer.  Passing places are too small to accommodate such vehicles.  You will cause trouble for yourself and other road users if you do so.

Google Earth: Enter the postcode CA18 1SW in the search box, find out where we are and take a virtual tour of the village.

Driving into the village

Please take care under the bridges. The bridge on the left carries the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and, a little further down the road, the one on the right carries the main Barrow-Carlisle line.  The bridges form two pinch points and the one on the right is on a bend with poor visibility both ways. Drivers, please watch out for approaching vehicles and pedestrians, especially young children, when you enter or leave the village.  Drivers of tall vehicles, please note the height restriction of 12 ft 6 inches (3.81 metres) under the R&ER bridge.  There is no alternative route.

Parking is not as free and easy as it used to be :(  Please click  here for advice.

Where’s the glass factory?

We haven’t got one.  Honestly!  Are you thinking of Ravenhead Glass, who make those nice dimpled pint beer mugs?  That brand was bought by Rayware of St. Helen’s, Merseyside.  More info at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenhead_glass  and http://www.rayware.co.uk/  The origin of our village name is disputed by scholars.  It may come from the Ancient British (Old Welsh) phrase yr afon glas, ‘the green river’.  It has nothing to do with glass and maybe nothing to do with ravens either, but there are wild ravens living in the woods at Muncaster Castle.

What to see and do

Walk down  Main Street, relax on the Village Green with its views over the estuary and explore the beach at low tide.  If you need refreshment, we have excellent eating and drinking places: the Ratty Arms pub, the Inn at Ravenglass (formerly Holly House), the Pennington Hotel, the tea room at Rose Garth and the Turntable Café on Platform 1 of the Ravenglass & Eskdale railway station.  Our caterers pride themselves on giving real value for money.

Here are some links to more information about the attractions in the village or a short walk away.

The Forum’s free leaflet about the village: click here to download.  NB: the Lake District National Park imposed charges on the Village Car Park after this leaflet was printed.

Our Heritage Trail leaflet, which used to be on sale at a cover price of 60p, is also now available for free download here.  It will guide you on a short walk, on which you can discover many clues to the village’s history.

The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, “La’al Ratty”, the world-famous narrow-gauge steam railway that runs from the coast to the foot of England’s highest mountain.

Only a mile away is Muncaster Castle, the home of the Pennington family and reputedly the most haunted castle in England.

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