Oxenholme is a hamlet in one of the most picturesque regions of England in Cumbria County. This hamlet with its train depot receives over 18-million visitors a year. Its visitors fancy the beauty and serenity of what Cumbria offers. Oxenholme sits just a few kilometers south of Kendal Parish in Cumbria, an administrative county in the northwest of England with six districts.
Oxenholme is home to a train depot that serves as a gateway to England’s Lake District National Park (LDNP). The train depot is named Oxenholme Lake District. Oxenholme is a short 18 kilometres (11 miles) from the lovely Lake Windermere and 38 kilometres (24 miles) from Morecambe Bay’s sandy beaches of Grange-over Sands on the Irish Sea.
What Is the History of Oxenholme?
Farmland surrounds the towns of Kendal and Oxenholme. The Lake District National park borders their northwest boundaries, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park abuts their southern borders. England’s highest mountains, The Wainwrights, rise up all around Cumbria. Oxenholme offers a multitude of local services and shops catering to the millions of tourists and locals in the area.
The National Heritage List for England named the Oxenholme Farmhouse and Raysholme, Oxenholme Road, as a special architectural or historic interest. The original Oxenholme Farm was established circa 1558–1603 during England’s Elizabethan Era. When you visit, you will hear locals pronouncing its name “Ox-nome”.
Today’s Raysholme and Mill Cottage were part of the 16th century’s Oxenholme Farm. The oldest known resident of Oxenholme Farm is James Cleasby of 1851. Over to the west near Morecambe Bay sits the 12th Century Cartmel Priory, a church dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Michael in 1190.
Kendal Junction, the train station, opened in 1847 and became the Oxenholme Station in 1860. The hamlet of Oxenholme grew around the station. The station name added the suffix, “Lake District”, in 1988. England’s Parliament classifies a village as a population of 7,500, and a hamlet is a small group of houses without their own church.
What Is the Population of Oxenholme?
In its 2021 census, Oxenholme had a population of 842 residents.
What Is the Largest Town in Cumbria?
Carlisle is known as the “Debatable Lands” on the border of Scotland. The Vikings, the Scots, and the Border Reivers sacked, pillaged, and ravaged today’s town. The Romans established its settlement of Luguvalium there from 72 to 73 A.D. In 875 A.D., the Danes destroyed Lugavalium’s Hadrian’s Wall that protected this Roman settlement.
Carlisle, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) north of Oxenholme, with a population of 77,728 as of 2021, is the only city in Cumbria and the largest city by area in England. In the 3rd century, Luguvalium had become a significant Roman military base. Luguvalium’s principal town of Civitas Carvetiorum became the centre of administration.
The Trains of Oxenholme Lake District
Trains are the biggest thing in Oxenholme and Kendal because that is how people get around the Lake District, unless they mountain bike, hike, or ride their horses on the many kilometres of trails in the Lake District. There are no mainline stations inside the Lake District National Park.
Which Train Station Is Best for Lake District?
The Oxenholme Lake District station is on the West Coast Main Line and the junction with the Windermere Branch Line. The Virgin’s TransPennine Express serves the Windermere Branch. This train station is disproportionately large for the small hamlet of Oxenholme.
Oxenholme Lake District is the only station on the Mainline that has direct trains into the Lake District. Architect William Tite designed the Kendal Station, originally on the historic Lancaster and Carlisle Line, which quickly became known as Oxenholme Station.
Oxenholme Lake District is a significant railway station between Lancaster and Carlisle, with express trains to Lake Windermere. London-bound trains leave every two hours, direct or through Birmingham, and trains to Scotland run every hour.
How Often do Trains Run from Oxenholme to Windermere?
The Lake District National Park Authority’s (LDNPA) vision is to double the number of visitors currently arriving by train. As of 2019, the LDNPA estimated 83% of Oxenholme Lake District tourists travel by car and use their cars as their primary mode of transportation within the LDNP.
Trains from Oxenholme Lake District to Windermere run 33 times a day on their 17-minute journeys Monday through Friday. The first train leaves at 5:17 a.m. The last train goes out at 10:22 p.m. Weekend and holiday schedules vary.
How much Is a Taxi from Windermere to Oxenholme?
As of February 2024, a taxi from Windermere to Oxenholme charges £29 to £35, or $36.6 to $44.2 USD. Taxi fares always change, so it is best to contact the taxi operators to find out the price du jour. Train rides go from £7.20 ($9.1 USD) and up in 2024.
What To See At Oxenholme Lake District
The Station Inn
The Station Inn, formerly the Oxenholme Inn, opened its doors around 1858. Today, the cosy Station Inn welcomes families with a large children’s play park, dogs in its pub, and five dog-friendly hotel rooms. It is a five-minute walk from the Oxenholme Lake District station to escape into the Lake District.
This hotel also features four deluxe double bedrooms and three deluxe family rooms, plus a camping area. The Station Inn offers a fantastic menu of food and drinks in its dining room to satisfy appetites of all ages. The Station Inn’s pub sports a traditional English pub atmosphere, serving Lake District craft beers, genuine ales, and wines.
Lake Windermere
There are loads of services on Lake Windermere, and the lake connects Bowness, Windermere, and Ambleside. Other services in Ullswater and Derwentwater allow you to explore all sides of the lakes in the Lake District. Take boat trips or steamer rides and explore tea rooms and gift shops at Lake Windermere.
Visitors take in mountain biking, climbing, golfing, hill walking, horseback riding, sailing, and water skiing on and at Lake Windermere. Guest houses, lodges, log cabins, hotels, spas, and dining establishments pop up all around the lake.
Bowness-on-Windermere
The old fishing village of Bowness-on-Windermere is a bustling tourist town. The lakeshore at Bowness Bay is where Lake Windermere excursions and cruises begin. For a slower pace, guests can tour its thriving shopping district with art galleries, antique stores, cafés, and historical sites.
Ambleside / Waterhead
About a mile from the northern tip of Lake Windermere lies the popular destination base of Ambleside for Lake District expeditions. Access to Lake Windermere is via the charming village of Waterhead. Visitors find waterside cafés, cosy shops, and serene walking paths in the little hamlet of Ambleside.
Lakeside
The small village of Lakeside serves as the southern landing point for Lake Windermere cruises. When visitors disembark off of the steamers, they discover quaint inns and restaurants and the Lakes Aquarium. The Haverthwaite railway station for the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway will take visitors to Morecambe Bay.
Newby Bridge
Newby Bridge is a delightful village that bestrides the River Leven on the southern end of Lake Windermere. The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway stops there too. Newby Bridge is a bit off Lake Windermere’s most popular tourist destinations. To the north lies Fell Foot Park for paddling, canoeing, and boating and a popular dog-friendly walking destination for viewing geese, otters, and warblers.
Morecambe Bay
Called the Jewel on the Bay, Grange-over Sands at the head of Morecambe Bay, is where visitors enjoy beach walks, fishing, and bird watching. Strolling along the Grange promenade lets visitors relish in beautiful gardens, abundant wildlife, and breathtaking views across Morecambe Bay.
The 800-year-old Century Cartmel Priory is a church that is still writing history on the north side of Morecambe Bay. The Century Cartmel Priory offers guided tours, where visitors can learn about its legends and history. Around 680 A.D., the monks of Lindisfarne took ownership of the land. William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, founded Cartmel Priory in 1189.
