England page 3-13
Cumbria and Lake DistictResorts and ports of the peninsulas in the south, the quiet lakes, sea and beaches in the west, the rolling green hills of the Eden Valley and North Pennines stretching up to Carlisle and the wild border country.
The Lake District National Park, covering only 2,292km2, the spectacular mountains, beautiful lakes and valleys and the well kept farmland have inspired writers from Wordsworth to Warpole and legions of artist
The Northern half of the National Park, with Keswick in Derwentwater as its centre, is bordered by England's four highest mountains, Scafell, Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Skiddaw, all within 20km of each other. The valleys between are dominated by lakes such as Derwentwater, Buttermere,Crummock Water and Bassenthwaite, fed by the clear waters of the mountain streams.
With over 600 square miles of glorious and contrasting scenery stretches from Grasmere in the north to Grange-over-Sands and Arnside in the South, Dentdale in the East to the Duddon Valley and Ulverston in the West. Two of highest mountains in England, Fairfield, part of the Helvellyn range and Coniston Old Man and Windermere the longest lake covers some this spectacular area.
The 6000 year old Castlerigg Stone Circle overlooks the small market town of Keswick on Derwentwater. With its public parks, museums, a new 400 seat theatre
Historic Carlisle City the gateway to the Borderlands, steeped in a colourful legacy of myth and romantic legend.The legacy bequeathed by Emperor Hadrian, Robert the Bruce, Rob Roy,Bonnie Prince Charlie and the notorious Border Reivers
The Eden Valley is a rich fertile valley,
and the North Pennines, an area of outstanding beauty, rises from rolling hills into wild open moorland of grouse and curlew country.The North Pennines,
At Appleby, the river Eden is in its most mellow mood; its riverside setting and broad tree-lined street linking church and castle make this market town one of the loveliest in the valley.
The traditional market town of Ulverston is famous for being the birth place of the Quaker movement and Stan Laurel. The town also has the shortest, widest and deepest canal in Britain.
The Edwardian seaside resort of Grange-over-Sands, a favourite holiday spot for Beatrix Potter, has traffic free promenade,ornamental gardens Nearby is the charming village of Cartmel with its truly breathtaking Norman Priory, and Holker Hall, the superb stately home of Lord and Lady Cavendish with its award winning gardens, and Lakeland Motor Museum.
Barrow-in-Furness at the southern tip of the Furness Peninsulas is famous for its shipbuilding expertise. Barrows rich religious heritage dates back to 1123, with the founding of Furness abbey, the splendid ruins built by Medieval monks built the 14th-century castle located on
At Lakeside alongside picturesque Windermere is the Aquarium of the Lakes a fascinating water world containing the Britan's largest collection of freshwater fish. Nearby Stott Park Bobbin Mill was built in 1835 to supply wooden bobbins and cotton reels to the Lancashire Textile industries.
Broughton-in-Furness, which is situated within the National Park, centres around a Georgian market square and was home to Branwell Brontė, artist brother of the famous literary sisters. The wild beauty of the surrounding Duddon Valleywas also inspirational to William Wordsworth who immortalised the area with his poems.
Situated on the shores of the Solway Firth, nestles the charming Victorian town of Silloth-on-Solway with cobbled streets and marvellous views of Scotland. The coast around Silloth is an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Further down the coast is Maryport with connections to Thomas Ismay, founder of the White Star line owners of the ill-fated Titanic and to Fletcher Christian, the mutineer on The Bounty.
In the market town of Workington are the ruins of the 14th century Workington Hall which provided a shelter for Mary Queen of Scots. Later, Henry Bessemer introduced his revolutionary steel making process.
A little further south, lies the elegant Georgian town of Whitehaven, once a larger port than Liverpool and the focus of a raid by John Paul Jones, founder of the American Navy. Whitehaven has an amazing social, industria and maritime heritage
South from Whitehaven,are the craggy cliffs of St.Bees, the only designated Heritage Coast between Wales and Scotland.
Nestling within this magnificent landscape are picturesque villages, such as Gosforth, Ireby and Caldbeck. The bustling market town of Cockermouth has a host of interesting museums and Wordsworth House, birthplace of William and Dorothy Wordsworth.
Monks and poets, rich men and raiders have all left their mark i Cumbria over the years. From Hadrian's Wall to Wordsworth's birthplace, The Linton Tweeds Visitor Centre in Carlisle, weaves the past with the future. As well as having the well-illustrated history of weaving, you can also see the 100 year-old looms being used to produce new designs for Chanel.
Pendragon Castle near Kirkby Stephen is said in legends to be the home of Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur. Legend has it that Uther died here when the Saxons poisoned his well. Lamerside Castle also has Arthurian connections as it was supposed to be Castle Dolorous, home of the boy-eating giant, Sir Tarquin.
Muncaster Watermill is an ancient working watermill producing stone-ground flour, where you can buy the flour ground in the traditional way.
