Ravenglass
Getting there, parking, where to stay and the fells you can walk straight from Ravenglass.
Ravenglass at a glance
Ravenglass is the one village in the Lake District National Park that is on the sea: a single street of houses facing the estuary where the Esk, the Mite and the Irt meet, with a mainline railway station at one end and the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway at the other. For walkers it is the door to Eskdale without a car, because the little railway runs seven miles up the valley to Dalegarth, under the fells.
Most of the search demand for the name is the railway; the village itself is small, the walking from it is coastal and low, and the fells are up the valley.
Quick facts
| Where | The west coast of the National Park, where Eskdale meets the sea; off the A595 between Whitehaven and Millom |
|---|---|
| Getting there | The Cumbrian Coast railway line (Carlisle – Barrow) stops at Ravenglass; the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway runs from beside the station up to Dalegarth in Eskdale. Buses: the Wasdale Explorer to Wasdale Head on summer weekends and bank holidays, in season only |
| Parking | The National Park Authority's pay-and-display car park by the station (cards or RingGo), the railway's own pay-and-display car park at its station, and a small free car park off Murrayfield Terrace |
| The walking | Muncaster Fell along the railway; the estuary and the dunes; the Eskdale fells from Dalegarth by the little railway |
| Weather | Coastal, mild and windy; the Eskdale fells above are a different climate |
Getting there and parking
Without a car: The nearest stations as the crow flies are Ravenglass (0 km away) and Drigg (3 km away). The bus map has every stop we hold.
The mainline Cumbrian Coast line is the way to arrive: Ravenglass station is on it, with trains from Carlisle, Whitehaven and Barrow, and the narrow-gauge railway leaves from beside it. For the fells you can walk to from Dalegarth at the top of that line, see the Lake District by train.
Parking, toilets and buses: Parking near Ravenglass
Where is Ravenglass?
Ravenglass near Whitehaven, in the Lake District. Zoom and pan to explore.
Parking near Ravenglass
All the car parks around Ravenglass on the parking map →
Straight-line distances from the centre of Ravenglass. We publish whether a car park charges, and who runs it, but never the price — tariffs change and a stale one is worse than none, so check the sign or the operator’s own site on the day.
Vehicles are left entirely at their owner’s risk. We list places people park; we cannot vouch for any of them. Judge it on the day: take valuables with you, leave nothing on show, and if a spot feels wrong when you get there, park somewhere else.
Can you stay overnight?
- Ravenglass (LDNPA, paid) — run by Lake District National Park Authority, which does not permit overnight parking. “The only legal places to park are on formal camp sites.” (checked 2026-08-05)
These are the land managers’ and the council’s own published rules, quoted. Where a car park is not listed here we have found no published rule for it, which is not the same as permission.
Getting there across the Lake District: Buses · Parking map · By train · By boat
What to see
- The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, "La'al Ratty", the fifteen-inch line that runs seven miles up Eskdale to Dalegarth, a working railway since 1875 and the reason most people come.
- The Roman bath house, Walls Castle, at the south end of the village: the tallest Roman remains in northern England after the Wall, part of the fort that guarded the harbour.
- Muncaster Castle and its gardens a mile inland, with the owls.
- The estuary and the dunes at the Ravenglass nature reserve, where the three rivers meet.
Pubs and food
The Ratty Arms in the old station building and the Pennington Hotel on the main street are the village's two; the railway has a cafe at each end of its line.
The walks
The routes we have mapped and every fell within reach of the village are ranked nearest first, with live conditions, on this page's walks list once it is published. The fell walks start up the valley:
- Muncaster Fell — the long low ridge between the village and Eskdale, walked end to end with the railway to bring you back.
- The Eskdale fells from Dalegarth — take the railway to the top of the line and walk from there: the Eskdale page has them.
- The estuary and Walls Castle — a flat hour from the village.
Fells & walks near Ravenglass
- Muncaster Fell - Hooker Crag
- The Knott (Stainton Fell)
- Irton Pike
- White Pike (Birkby Fell)
- Water Crag
- Stainton Pike
Straight-line distances from the centre of Ravenglass — the nearest summits with a full guide on this site.
Places nearby: Stanley Ghyll Force · Eskdale
All walks from Ravenglass → — the routes we have mapped and every Wainwright and Outlying fell within about 5 km, ranked, with today’s conditions.
Frequently asked questions about Ravenglass
Can you walk from Ravenglass to Eskdale?
Is Ravenglass in the Lake District?
Where do I park in Ravenglass?
How do I get to Ravenglass without a car?
Events across the Lake District
Planning a trip around a show or festival? See our Lake District events & festivals guide for what's on near Ravenglass — traditional Lakeland sports, agricultural shows and seasonal events, month by month.