(20 Jun 2021, 5:10 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote This is my X87/487 idea. I also would run x81 all day every 1.5 hrs as well to allow the x87/487 drivers to get back the hexham without going over their hours. You could even interwork the x81 & 487.The timings are a bit tight but could you extend the 487 and X87 from Penrith bus station to the railway station? The very rural nature of the 487 means it'll probably never be that busy, but extending to the railway station creates a useful connection for people travelling between Alston and the towns and cities along the West Coast Main Line.
One other issue is that Penrith isn't a particularly obvious attraction; it's just a fairly standard market town. Day trippers are more likely to want to visit places like Keswick or Windermere. Will they want to pay an extra Stagecoach fare (which are very expensive in the Lakes) to travel there? You could attempt to extend the service to somewhere more touristy, but then you'll have issues with drivers' hours and your 487, so it'd probably be more trouble than it's worth.