Cumbria rail-and-sail travel pass aims to entice tourists

A train company has launched a new travel pass combining some rail, bus and boat journeys in a tourist hotspot, ahead of what it predicts will be a rise in the number of staycations.

Northern's Cumbria Travel Pass allows passengers to travel on all local trains, buses and some Windermere Lake Cruises boats for £40 a day per person.

The company said the deal was designed to simplify ticketing, however it admitted online journey planners failed to show the pass as an option.

Northern's commercial director Alex Hornby said the problem was down to the rail system's complexity, with several operators and payment outlets.

"We've created an online purchase tool on our website for [the pass], so you can still buy it online, but it is currently difficult to put it within the national framework," Hornby said.

While many return rail journeys within the county come at well under £40, the ticket is most useful when hopping on and off trains or used in conjunction with buses and ferries.

For instance, a return train journey from Carlisle to Windermere, combined with a bus day rider and a half lake return ferry would cost £61.80 per adult.

Children can use the Cumbria Travel Pass for £20 per day, meaning a typical family of two adults and two children, would pay £120 for their daily passes.

Hiring a car for a day can cost as little as £65 including insurance, according to online searches on comparison sites, but Hornby said: "Straight away I would say you were enjoying a train ride, a ferry ride and a bus ride.

"It's much more enjoyable than driving around in a car all day, where you've got to also pay for parking, sit in traffic jams, you're not enjoying the views."

He added public transport allowed people to access routes that roads do not reach.

Northern said it expected more people to holiday in the UK amid uncertainty over international travel.

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