Local Area
Locally
Visit historic Port Carlisle, Bowness on Solway and the nature reserves including mosses which are alive with birds, butterflies, and dragon flies etc in Summer., Burgh by Sands has several thatched houses, a fortified church and Edward 1st monument. Visit Maryport harbour and Senhouse Roman Museum. Take the train from Wigton into Carlisle, visit the castle and Tullie House museum or take the train down the coast to Ravenglass, and visit muncaster castle.
Caldbeck and Hesket Newmarket are beautiful Cumbrian villages with lovely walks.
The Northern Lakes
Visiting the North of the Lake District offers stunning views over lakes towards great fells, Spindrift is about half an hours drive from Loweswater, Ennerdale water and Bassenthwaite, we recommend a walk around Ennerdale water, or a stroll by beautiful Buttermere and a visit to the towns of Keswick and Cockermouth.
Look out for the Bishop of Barf adjacent to the road between the towns, beside Bassenthwaite (he's painted white annually).
Cockermouth is a pretty and historic town and has plenty to offer including shops, restaurants and cafe's, Wordsworth House, Banks museum, Harris Park. Further on is Keswick, where you are never short of anorak shops, visit it's excellent Pencil museum and the Keswick museum then visit 'Keswick Carles' or Castlerigg Stone Circle one of the most important in the UK.
West Cumbria
Hardknott pass is not for the faint hearted or for the owners of clapped out cars but a visit to Harknott Roman Fort half way up Hardknott is a must with it's stunning views over the lovely valley of Eskdale. Archaeologists found evidence that at some point a soldier based there was Dalmatian (Croatian) he/they must have absolutely froze in Winter.
At Gosforth Church at the entry to Eskdale is the Gosforth Fishing Cross, four metres tall and depicting Christian and Norse scenes dating from about 885 A.D, can you find the troublesome Scandinavian God named Loki? Also nearby at Boot is a mill and a walk up the hill passed old peat diggers cottages you will find three very small stone circles (Brats Hill) there are another two nearby.
Along the moor road from Ennerdale Bridge to Calder Bridge is another stone circle 'Kinniside' by the side of the road. A few miles further at NY 064103 take a walk for a mile down the footpath you will find Matty's bridge or Monks Bridge, the oldest pack horse bridge in Cumbria built for the monks from Calder Abbey. Apparently in the mid 1800's Matty Benn would ride off to market via the bridge and return inebriated later, thus the bridge was named Matty Benn's bridge and the name stuck.
Further away on the other side of Carlisle is Lannercost Priory and the Hadrian's Wall visitor centre of Birdoswald About an hours drive.
However, heading from Cockermouth towards Penrith (about an hour) you could visit Dacre and have a look in the churchyard at the Dacre Bears , then the telephone box at Bampton where Withnail did his famous rant there is a visitors book inside the phone box. Then continue and visit the enchanting ruins of Shap Abbey and the magnificent henges at Eumont Bridge beside Penrith, Mayburgh henge is incredible, it's reckoned that it would have taken ten thousand people six months to build - five thousand years ago!.
Penrith also has the 'Giants Thumbs' at St Andrew's Church, and a castle to visit. From Penrith you could head back to Silloth via the charming town of Wigton, birthplace of Melvyn Bragg.
The Coast
Exploring the Solway and West Cumbria coast offers a dramatic changes of scenery and plenty to see and visit. Pictured left are fishermen walking towards the sea at Bowness on Solway carrying 'Haaf Nets' supposedly Norse in origin, perfect for catching salmon and sea trout. Bowness on Solway is the beginning of Hadrian's Wall though there are no visable ruins.
Further along towards Carlisle at Burgh by Sands you can walk accross the salt marshes and visit the monument to Edward the 1st (Longshanks) who became mortally wounded there. Also see the fortified churches at Burgh by Sands and Newton Arlosh, Pele towers where used as a defence against Border Rievers in Medieval times.
Stretches of great beaches line the coast South of Silloth to Allonby, which also has ancient salt pans where salt was extracted from the sea, there where many of such pans in this area historically. At Crosscanonby there is also the remains of a Roman milepost fortlet, such fortlets stretched from the end of the Wall to Maryport. Senhouse Roman Museum is worth a visit at Maryport along with the harbour, aquarium and Maritime museum.
Whitehaven harbour is also worth visiting along with the Beacon.
Further south is St Bees which has a wonderful cliff walk, watch the Cormerants and Guillimots, then explore the cave in the cove and see if you can find the oldest autograph amongst the ancient graffiti.
Not to be missed is the natural harbour of Ravenglass, the Roman port of 'Glannoventa', walk behind the terraced houses along the beach and see how the people who live there dry their washing.
Nearby is the Roman bath house, the oldest freestanding Roman remains in the North, and you can make out the remains of the fort in the field opposite. L'all Ratty leaves from Ravenglass and wends it's way to Boot in Eskdale, a trip on a tiny train that is fun for children from five to eighty.