England: Cumbria
|
|
Cumbria is a large (third largest), mainly rural, county in the North West of England which borders the counties of County Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and North Yorkshire and to the North of the county it borders the country of Scotland. Cumbria is the best UK vacation destination to visit if you want to visit superb country villages full of character, like most other English counties Cumbria has a huge range of stunningly beautiful rural places to visit but with the county being so large the range of types of terrain means that the county offers truly awesome opportunities to indulge in virtually any outdoor activity. Most well known is the area known as the Lake District (see below for more details). Often abreviated to simply "The Lakes" this part of Cumbria has a superb selection of huge expanses of water of some of the most gorgeous English countryside.
Bordering the country of Scotland Cumbria has an eventful past which is easily explored in the many fine museums, historic houses, stately homes and an incredible number of castles. You will find details of such places to visit in Cumbria lower down this page. Browsing through the visitor attractions listed, and bearing in mind that this is a very large county, you may begin to realise that to explore all the places of interest will take more than just one single vacation but we feel that, once you have visited Cumbria, you will be looking foreward to your next Cumbria vacation even before you set off back home.
Cumbria Hotels & Accommodation
Places To Visit In Cumbria, England
Settlements In The County Of Cumbria
Carlisle
Carlisle
is the only city in Cumbria and it is the county town. Originally the city was a Celtic settlement which was taken over by the Romans, it features throughout history with continual battles with the likes of William Wallace & Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Read more...
There are a number of towns in the county; Alston, Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windermere, Barrow-in-Furness, Brampton, Cockermouth, oniston, Kendal, Keswick, Kirkby Lonsdale, Penrith, Sedbergh, Ulverston, Whitehaven, Windermere and Workington, as well as numerous small villages and hamlets.
Museums & Art Galleries
The Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Beatrix Potter Gallery, Cars of the Stars Motor Museum, Cumberland Pencil Museum, Dock Museum, Kendal Museum, Keswick Museum and Art Gallery, Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, Lakeland Motor Museum, Holker Hall, Museum of Lakeland Life, The Beacon, The Rum Story, Ruskin Museum, Tullie House Museum and the Windermere Steamboat Museum.
Heritage Railways
The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway.
Parks & Gardens, Places Of Natural Beauty
See lakes/Lake District in Cumbria below. Acorn Bank Garden, Bardsea Country Park, Borrans Park, Brantwood and John Ruskin, Brockhole National Park Visitor Centre, Dalemain, Fell Foot Park and Garden, Graythwaite Hall Gardens, Higham Hall College, Holehird Gardens, Holker Hall Gardens, Lakeland Miniature Village, Levens Hall, Sizergh Castle Garden, Stagshaw Garden and Winderwath Garden. There are also several farms worth visiting; High Head Sculpture Valley, Holme Farm Open Farm, Low Sizergh Farm, Sockbridge Mill Trout Farm and The Gincase Farm Park.
Historic Religious Buildings
The Abbey at Skirwith, Carlisle Cathedral, Cartmel Priory in Cartmel, Conishead Priory in Bardsea, Furness Abbey, Holme Cultram Abbey in Abbeytown, Kirkandrews-upon-Esk Church, Kirkby Stephen Parish Church, Lanercost Priory in Lanercost, Shap Abbey in Shap, St Andrews Church in Dent, St Bridgets in Brigham, St Kentigern Church in Great Crosthwaite, St Lawrence Church in Appleby-in-Westmorland, St Lawrence Church in Crosby Ravensworth, St Martins Martindale Old Church, St Mary and St Michael Church in Great Urswick, St Mary Magdalene in Broughton in Furness, St Marys Church in Rydal, St Michael and All Angels Church in Beetham, St Michaels Church at Burgh by Sands, St Ninian Church in Brougham, St Peters in Heversham, St Peters Martindale New Church, St Thomas Church in Crosscrake, St Wilfred Chapel in Brougham and Wetheral Priory.
Historic Houses & Stately Homes
Abbey House, Blackwell, Brantwood, Plastering Manor, Clifton Hall, Dalemain, Dalton Hall, Derwent Island House, Dove Cottage (William Wordsworth's house 1799-1808), Dovenby Hall, Greystoke Castle, Hill Top (Beatrix Potter's House), Holker Hall, Hutton-in-the-Forest, Levens Hall, Mirehouse, Muchland, Netherhall, Rydal Hall, Rydal Mount, Rusland Hall, Salkeld Hall, Swarthmoor Hall, Swinton Park, Townend and Wordsworth House.
Castles
Aldingham Castle, Appleby Castle (privately owned), Armathwaite Castle Pele tower (privately owned), Askerton Castle, Bew Castle (privately owned), Brough Castle Brougham Castle, Carlisle Castle, Castle Howe (Earthworks), Cockermouth Castle, Corby Castle, Dacre Castle (privately owned), on Castle, Egremont Castle (Ruins), Fouldry (Fouldrey) Castle, Gleaston Castle (privately owned), Greystoke Castle (privately owned), Hayes Castle (Ruins), Kendal Castle, Kirkoswald Castle, Lowther Castle (Ruins), Muncaster Castle, Naworth Castle, Pendragon Castle (privately owned), Penrith Castle, Piel Castle and Sizergh Castle. Hartley Castle was demolished.
Other Interesting Places In Cumbria To Visit
Florence Mine Heritage Centre, Haig Colliery Mining Museum, Honister Slate Mine, Nenthead Mines Heritage Centr, Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum. Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure, Rheged Discovery Centre, Rosehill Theatre, Steam Yacht Gondola, The Lakes Glass Centre and the Theatre by the Lake. Cumbria also has a host of animal related visitor attractions which are perfect for a family day out (or at least a couple of hours); Aquarium of the Lakes, Eden Ostrich World, Keswick Sheep Dog Demos, Lake District Coast Aquarium, Lake District Sheep Dog Experience, Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre, Lakeland Sheep and Wool Centre, Lakeland Wildlife Oasis, Muncaster Owl Centre, South Lakes Wild Animal Park, The Alpaca Centre and Trotters World of Animals.
Other Interesting Buildings To Visit In Cumbria
Acorn Bank Mill, Alston High Mill, Cark Cotton Mill, Eskdale Mill, Farfield Mill, Gleaston Watermill, Heron Corn Mill, Little Salkeld Mill and Stott Park Bobbin Mill. As well as mills and windmills you will also discover that Cumbria has a fine selection of Roman sites such as; various parts of Hadrians Wall, Binsey Roman Fort, Birdoswald Roman Fort, Galava Roman Fort, Hardknott Roman Fort and Ravenglass Roman Bath House. The county also has a fine selection of standing stones and other ancient sites such as; Birkrigg Stone Circle, Casterton Stone Circle, lerigg Stone Circle, Elva Plain Stone Circle, Grey Croft Stone Circle, King Arthur's Round Table, Kinniside Stone Circle, Lacra Stone Circle, Little Meg Stone (Maughanby Circle), Long Meg and Her Daughters, Mayburgh Henge, Moor Divock and Swinside Stone Circle.
Lakes & Expanses Of Water In Cumbria
The county of Cumbria features nineteen large lakes, some are naturally occurring lakes while others are man-made reservoirs serving as water supplies for places some distance away (such as Manchester). The area in which these lakes are found are known as the "Lake District" which many people refer to as simply "The Lakes". Popular with people taking vacations from around the United Kingdom and beyond the Lake District is also an incredibly popular destination for day-trips with large numbers of people, traveling from the surrounding counties and Scotland, to enjoy the many amenities, sporting opportunities and other attractions, not least the most incredible scenery. Below is a list of the main 19 lakes in Cumbria.
Bassenthwaite Lake (pictured to the left), Brothers Water, Buttermere, Coniston Water, Crummock Water, Derwent Water, Elterwater, Ennerdale Water (photograph at the top left of this page), Esthwaite Water, Grasmere Lake, Haweswater, Levers Water, Loweswater, Rydal Water, Thirlmere, Ullswater, Wast Water, Wet Sleddale (Reservoir) and Windermere.
Hotels In Cumbria
To find Cumbria hotels simply click on the vacation destinations below:
| Carlisle | |||
| Alston | Brampton | Keswick | Ulverston |
| Ambleside | Cockermouth | Kirkby Lonsdale | Whitehaven |
| Bowness-on-Windermere | Coniston | Penrith | Windermere |
| Barrow-in-Furness | Kendal | Sedbergh | Workington |
Check Availability Of Hotels In Cumbria >
Check Availability Of Cumbria Hotels
Useful Cumbria Links
Kendal Bed & Breakfast
Listings of guest houses and B&B in Kendal.
Kendal Hotels
Listings of hotels in Kendal.
Return to