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Driving in Cumbria
Driving in Cumbria
Cumbria is full of small mountains, large hills, large bodies of water, single-track roads with passing-places, and sheep. Locals and people used to driving on rural roads may be going a lot faster than visitors and tourists. Cumbria locals are broadly used to this being a thing, please just take your time and stay safe.
You can expect to have poor to no mobile signal in parts of the Cumbria stretch of the drive, especially if you're going through a valley. Duddon Valley itself, where the venue is, has no mobile signal at all. If you are using Google Maps, download your route in the app before you set off, and possibly make a note on paper of the major turnings.
Most dedicated satnavs work most of the time in Cumbria, unfortunately they don't all understand that the thing that is technically a "road" is actually not anything a person would want to drive on unless they are in a tractor (and in some cases, unless you are a helicopter). You will need to sanity check your satnav's directions.
By Car
By Car
Give yourself plenty of time to make this journey, especially if you are not used to driving on rural roads in unfamiliar territory.
There are petrol stations dotted around the A595/A590, there are no petrol stations within the valley itself. Fill up when you can, make sure you've got at least 1/3 of a tank before you turn off into the valley.
We are timing in at 5pm on Friday - this is so we can maximise our IC time, and also for the safety of people travelling, as driving this route for the first time in the dark is not a lot of fun.
If you are approaching from the NORTH
If you are approaching from the NORTH
Google Maps will suggest you leave the M6 at Penrith (Junction 40), and take the A66. This is WRONG. This route takes you along an incredibly steep and twisty road called Wrynose Pass, which most regular cars can't cope with if you are laden with larp kit and passengers. Your engine will overheat and you will be going backwards in first gear (we have first-hand experience of this). You do not want to call a recovery truck while up this mountain pass.
There are two better/safer options:
Leave the M6 at Junction 44 (Carlisle) and get on the A595
Then ignore your satnav again - it'll try and take you through Austhwaite Brow, which is ALSO a steep shitty mountain pass.
Stay on the A595 all the way along the West Cumbria coast.
You will drive past Cockermouth, Whitehaven, Ravenglass, Bootle, Whitbeck and Broadgate
Leave the A595 at Duddon Bridge and turn on to Smithy Lane
The traffic lights here are basically the last point you'll have mobile signal on your journey
By now your satnav/google maps should make sense and you can listen to it again as it takes you through Duddon Valley towards the venue
OR
Stay on the M6 and come all the way down to Junction 36 (Millness) and join the A590 going West - look for signs to Levens Hall and Barrow-In-Furness
And follow the instructions as if you were coming from the South
If you are approaching from the SOUTH
If you are approaching from the SOUTH
Ignore your satnav's first suggestion. It will try and take you over Wrynose Pass, the twisty turny steep road of nightmares and dead engines. This road can and will kill your average Corsa or Auris and you will be waiting for days to get a recovery truck out to you. Don't risk it, even if you're in a powerful car that's laden with larp kit - the sensible way adds about 15 minutes and is much less perilous.
Leave the M6 at Junction 36 (Millness)
Take the A590 West, towards Levens Hall and Barrow-In-Furness
Stay on the A590. You will pass Meathop, Low Newton, High Newton, Newby Bridge, Backbarrow, Haverthwaite,
At Greenodd, take the turning on to the A5092
Stay on the A5092. You will pass Penny Bridge, Lowick Green, Gawthwaite, Beanthwaite
At Grizebeck, go straight on towards Foxfield/Broughton-In-Furness. The road turns into the A595 here
Stay on the A595 and go towards Foxfield. If it tells you to go down the C5009, ignore it, that road is shit and it saves no time
Turn right at Duddon Bridge on to Smithy Lane
The traffic lights here are the last point in the journey you'll have mobile signal
Your satnav/google maps should now be safe to listen to for the final stretch through the valley
The Final Approach To The House
The Final Approach To The House
If your satnav has been beaten into submission, you will end up driving through the spectacular Duddon Valley, through tiny villages and cattle grates.
The last village you'll pass on the approach is Seathwaite. About ten minutes out of Seathwaite (3 miles), you'll be looking for "Birks Bridge Car Park" on the left. Turn off the road as if you're going into the car park, but ignore this and go down the track beyond it that's marked PRIVATE ROAD NO TRESPASSING etc etc.
The track goes on for about half a mile, curving towards the left, and eventually you'll find the turning to the house, which will be on your left and down a hill. There is a gate across the driveway, please close it behind you once you're through.
We will be asking people to unload all their stuff at the house, and then move as many cars as possible back down the track to park for the weekend in the Birks Bridge Car Park before time-in, so we're not trying to roleplay around a bunch of cars.
Picture: Route from the North
Picture: Route from the North
This is what the shape of the North route would look like (exit the M6 at J44 Carlisle) if you follow the route on this page
Picture: Route from the South
Picture: Route from the South
This is what the shape of the South route would look like (exit the M6 at J36 Millness) if you follow the route on this page
Public Transport
Public Transport
This venue is RURAL. There are no buses and no taxis in the local area. The nearest train station is Foxfield, 9 miles away (which is nevertheless a 30 minute drive each way due to the road layout). Foxfield station is a bus shelter across a train line and services are intermittent. You cannot get here by public transport alone.
We will do our very best to connect players who can ride-share or perhaps pick up passengers on the way, but cannot offer station pick-ups.
Please take this into account before booking and giving us your money. We really don't want our friends to end up stuck in a rural train station instead of playing our game!
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