Four miles in 6 hours 53 minutes

New Year's Day is a special day in the calendar, so I wouldn't expect normal public transport. But it seems a bit much for Stagecoach Cumbria to give up entirely, as appears to be the case - and not even to note the fact clearly on timetables. Cumbria County Council's version of the timetable for the main Lake District bus route is silent on Bank Holiday services. The Stagecoach version is worse - implying a seemingly non-existent service: a reasonable person might turn up for a bus marked "Sundays and Bank Holidays" on New Year's Day and hope for a bus. It looks as if they would be in for a long wait.

Traveline Cumbria offer just one New Years Day itinerary for the four miles from Ambleside to Windermere (a prime route in a prime tourist area) - taking 6 hours 53 minutes. This involves catching a coach from Ambleside, through Windermere to Preston, waiting three hours in Preston, then returning on a coach from Preston to Windermere.

The coach operator's site doesn't show any such journey so it is impossible to confirm whether the outbound trip stops at Windermere (it would be amazingly stupid for it not to do so). Does the coach actually run? Who knows: the only way to find out on the day itself would be to walk to the stop and wait -
Traveline Cumbria (publicly funded) promise that their phone lines are manned all year except Christmas Day - but they aren't actually answering the phone on New Year's Day either.

So the message to those who need Public Transport on New Year's Day - sorry, mate - no services, and no clear information about the lack of services either!

UPDATE (Sep 2010)
Traveline were right. The coach does stop in Ambleside and Windermere, but because of the way that the service is licenced, local journeys are not permitted. So the passenger getting on in Ambleside has to travel beyond Windermere  - far enough beyond Windermere that the return leg will be long enough (>35 miles I think) to count as non-local. And that means travelling via Preston!