Kirkby Lonsdale Voyage Tips and guide

Kirkby Lonsdale is a town in Cumbria in northwest England, with a population of 2000 in 2021. It's best known for Devil's Bridge, the ancient crossing over the River Lune. JMW Turner and John Ruskin are among those who've admired the view up the Lune valley.

Discover Kirkby Lonsdale is the visitor information website.

54°12′4″N 2°35′46″W

Map of Kirkby Lonsdale

Kirkby Lonsdale is on A65, the Leeds-Kendal road linking the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. This gets congested on summer weekends and the best approach is via M6: leave at Junction 36 and follow A65 southeast for 7 miles.

Stagecoach Cumbria Bus 567 runs six times M-Sa from Kendal, taking 40 min. The first and last run of the day continues to Ingleton.

Kirkby Lonsdale Buses 81 & 82 take 70 min from Lancaster via Halton, Hornby, Wray and Wennington. Between them it's an hourly service.

Bus 581 takes 40 min from Settle via Giggleswick, Austwick, Clapham, Ingleton and Cowan Bridge, with 7 M-Sa.

Bus 583 runs twice M-F from Bentham via Burton, Ingleton and Cowan Bridge.

54.2019-2.59691 Market Place is the central bus stop. Buses continue to Booth's Supermarket then turn around.

Trains from Manchester and Preston to Carlisle stop at Lancaster and Oxenholme near Kendal.

Trains from Leeds and Skipton to Morecambe stop at Bentham, Wennington, Carnforth and Lancaster.

You need wheels to explore the Lonsdale countryside.

• Town centre is a pleasant collection of 18th century dwellings along narrow streets. Market Cross is medieval: it was moved to its present site in the square in 1819.
• St Mary's Church behind Sun Inn is Anglican. Its oldest parts are 12th century.
• 54.1984-2.590671 Devil's Bridge over the Lune was built around 1320 and carried the main highway until 1932. It's now pedestrian only.
• 54.2047-2.59732 Ruskin's View was initially JMW Turner's, who painted it in 1822. The painting motivated John Ruskin to visit, and declare it "one of the loveliest views in England, therefore in the world". It's more prosaically Church Brow, reached from behind St Mary's Church. The view is northeast, a bucolic vista of the meandering Lune, backed by fells. The river turns here into a steep valley to Devil's Bridge, and you can descend the "Radical Steps" from the brow to the riverside path.

• Golf: Casterton GC is a mile north of town up A683 towards Sedbergh. It's nine holes so twice around off white tees is 5802 yards, par 70.

Kirkby Lonsdale GC is another two miles up A683, white tees 6244 yards, par 72.

• Scuba diving beneath Devil's Bridge, whenever the river is not too strong or turbid. You enter upstream and let the current carry you down, past naturally-sculpted blades of rock. Take a moment to rummage in the scour pool below the bridge for lost valuables, discarded murder weapons and the like.

See Carnforth#Do for Capernwray, a flooded quarry with a dive shop.

• Christmas Fair is on the first weekend of December.

• Charter Market is held in Market Square on Thursday 9AM-3PM.
• 54.2011-2.60061 Booths, Dodgson Croft LA6 2HG. M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM. The town supermarket. (updated Nov 2025)

• Taste of India, 7 Market Square LA6 2AN, ☏ +44 15242 80491. W-M 5:30-10PM. Quality Indian food. (updated Nov 2025)
• The Milking Parlour is an ice cream shop at 1 Jingling Lane, open W-Su 11AM-5:30PM.
• Jingling Lane Chippy, Jingling Lane LA6 2AW, ☏ +44 15242 59226. M 4:30-8PM, Tu-Su 11:30AM-1:30PM, 4:30-8PM. Popular small chip shop, nowadays takeaway only. (updated Nov 2025)
• Lunesdale Bakery at 50 Main St has a sit-in cafe, open daily 7AM-5PM.
• Spice Essence on Main St is open Tu-Su 5:30-10PM.
• Avanti, 57 Main St LA6 2AH, ☏ +44 15242 73500. W-Su 11AM-11PM. Chic restaurant and wine bar. (updated Nov 2025)
• Dale's Butchers, 2 Market Street LA6 2AU, ☏ +44 15242 71278. Tu-F 6AM-4:30PM, Sa 6AM-noon. As well as raw meat and charcuterie they sell burgers and pies. (updated Nov 2025)

• KL Brewery is on New Rd, corner of Tram Lane. "Royal Barn" taproom is open Su-W 9AM-9:30PM, Th-Sa 9AM-11PM.

• The Snooty Fox, 33 Main St LA6 2AH, ☏ +44 15242 30960. Trad pub with spacious rooms, food and service erratic. B&B double £180. (updated Nov 2025)
• 54.2032-2.59771 The Sun Inn, 6 Market St LA6 2AU, ☏ +44 15242 71965. Bright spacious hotel within 17th-century inn in village centre. B&B double £110. (updated Nov 2025)
• 54.2041-2.59912 The Orange Tree, 9 Fairbank LA6 2BD, ☏ +44 15242 71716. Pub with good grub and six comfy rooms. B&B double £100. (updated Nov 2025)
• Absoluxe Suites, 4 Main Street LA6 2AE, ☏ +44 7944 414565, [email protected]. Four suites, two with private hot tubs. Adults only. Double (room only) £200. (updated Nov 2025)
• 54.1973-2.58283 Woodclose Caravan Park, Chapel House Lane LA6 2SE, ☏ +44 7944 71597. Open Mar-Dec, with pitches and pods, but no camping. Hook-up £34. (updated Nov 2025)
• 54.2244-2.68544 The Plough, Cow Brow, Lupton LA6 1PJ (A65 five miles NW of Kirkby Lonsdale), ☏ +44 15395 67700, [email protected]. 18th-century coaching inn with six rooms along the main road between Lakes and Dales. Comfy with good cooking. B&B double £110. (updated Nov 2025)

As of Nov 2025, Kirkby Lonsdale and its approach roads have 4G from O2, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from EE.

• Kendal is a large market town at the edge of the Lake District. See Sizergh Castle on the way.
• Sedbergh is a base for hiking in upper Lonsdale.
• Ingleton and Clapham are in limestone terrain with many caves.
• Lancaster has a Victorian quarter.

Kendal ← (J36) ←

NW  SE

→ Settle → Skipton