Must-see attractions in Cumbria & the Lakes

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    Hill Top

    The Lake District

    Two miles south of Hawkshead, in the tiny village of Near Sawrey, this idyllic farmhouse was purchased in 1905 by Beatrix Potter and was used as…

  • Holker Hall country house & Summer Garden near Cartmel, Cumbria, England; Shutterstock ID 707297809; full: digital; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; your: Barbara Di Castro
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    Holker Hall

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Three miles east of Cartmel on the B5278, Holker Hall has been the family seat of the Cavendish family for nigh on four centuries. Though parts of it date…

  • Autumn scene at Rydal Mount, house and garden of the English Victorian poet William Wordsworth from 1813 to his death in 1850. It is in Rydal village near Ambleside in the English Lake District, Cumbria, UK.
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    Rydal Mount

    The Lake District

    The poet William Wordsworth's most famous residence in the Lake District is undoubtedly Dove Cottage, but he actually spent a great deal more time at…

  • Grasmere, Lake District, UK - June 2017: Dove Cottage - picturesque home of the poet William Wordsworth.
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    Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum

    The Lake District

    On the edge of Grasmere, this tiny, creeper-clad cottage (formerly a pub called the Dove & Olive Bough) was famously inhabited by William Wordsworth…

  • View of Carlisle Castle, Cumbria. England, 11th century.

    Carlisle Castle

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Carlisle's brooding, rust-red castle lurks on the north side of the city. Founded around a Celtic and Roman stronghold, the castle's Norman keep was added…

  • Windermere & the Islands

    The Lake District

    Windermere gets its name from the old Norse, Vinandr mere (Vinandr's lake; so 'Lake Windermere' is actually tautologous). Encompassing 5.7 sq miles…

  • Wordsworth House

    The Lake District

    The poet William Wordsworth was born on 7 April 1770 at this handsome Georgian house at the end of Main St. Built around 1745, the house has been…

  • Lowther Estate

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    This sprawling country estate once belonged to one of the Lake District's most venerable families and is currently undergoing a huge, multimillion-pound…

  • Honister Slate Mine

    The Lake District

    This old slate mine has been reinvented as a centre for all kinds of activities: you could venture underground into the bowels of the old 'Edge' and …

  • Keswick Museum

    Keswick

    Keswick's quirky town museum explores the area's history, from ancient archaeology through to the arrival of industry in the Lakes. It's a diverse…

  • Wray Castle

    The Lake District

    An impressive sight with its turrets and battlements, this mock-Gothic castle was built in 1840 for James Dawson, a retired doctor from Liverpool, but it…

  • Tarn Hows

    The Lake District

    Two miles off the B5285 from Hawkshead, a winding country lane leads to this famously photogenic artificial lake, now owned by the National Trust. Trails…

  • Laurel & Hardy Museum

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Founded by avid Laurel and Hardy collector Bill Cubin back in 1983, this madcap museum in Ulverston (the birthplace of Stan Laurel) has new premises…

  • Penrith Castle

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    The ruins of Penrith Castle loom on the edge of town opposite the train station. Built in the 14th century by William Strickland (later Bishop of Carlisle…

  • Dalemain

    The Lake District

    Driving southwest along the A592 road from Penrith, you can't miss the striking salmon-pink facade of Dalemain, a mile from Ullswater's northern tip. With…

  • Brantwood

    The Lake District

    John Ruskin (1819–1900) was one of the great thinkers of 19th-century society. A polymath, philosopher, painter and critic, he expounded views on…

  • Castlerigg stone circle near Keswick in the English Lake District.

    Castlerigg Stone Circle

    Keswick

    Set on a hilltop a mile east of town, this jaw-dropping stone circle consists of 48 stones that are between 3000 and 4000 years old, surrounded by a…

  • St Oswald's Church

    The Lake District

    Named after a Viking saint, Grasmere's medieval chapel is where Wordsworth and his family attended church service every Sunday for many years. It's also…

  • Howtown & Martindale

    The Lake District

    Ullswater's west side gets busy, but few people take the time to explore the lake's eastern side. The little hamlet of Howtown is perfect for an…

  • Kendal Museum

    The Lake District

    Founded in 1796 by the inveterate Victorian collector William Todhunter, this mixed-bag museum features everything from stuffed beasts and transfixed…

  • Whinlatter Forest Park

    Keswick

    Encompassing 4.6 sq miles of pine, larch and spruce, Whinlatter is England's only true mountain forest, rising sharply to 790m about 5 miles from Keswick…

  • Tullie House Museum

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Carlisle's flagship museum covers 2000 years of the city's past. The Roman Frontier Gallery explores Carlisle's Roman foundations, while the Border…

  • Skelwith Bridge

    The Lake District

    Three miles south of Grasmere, Skelwith Bridge is little more than a knot of cottages along the banks of the River Brathay. Since the 19th century it's…

  • Coniston Water

    The Lake District

    Coniston's gleaming 5-mile-long lake – the third largest in the Lake District after Windermere and Ullswater – is a half-mile walk from town along Lake Rd…

  • Armitt Museum

    The Lake District

    Despite some damage incurred during the 2015 floods, Ambleside's excellent little museum is now back up and running. It hosts some intriguing seasonal…

  • Gowbarrow Park & Aira Force

    The Lake District

    This rolling park stretches out across the lakeshore between Pooley Bridge and Glenridding. Well-marked paths lead up to the impressive 20m-high waterfall…

  • Muncaster Castle

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    This crenellated castle, 1.5 miles east of Ravenglass, was originally built around a 14th-century pele tower, constructed to resist Reiver raids. Home to…

  • Lakeland Motor Museum

    The Lake District

    Two miles south of Newby Bridge on the A590, this museum houses a wonderful collection of antique cars: classic (Minis, Austin Healeys, MGs), sporty …

  • Lakes Distillery

    Keswick

    The first craft distillery in the Lake District has made a big splash since opening in 2014. It's located on a 'model farm' built during the 1850s and was…

  • Wastwater

    The Lake District

    In his 1810 Guide to the Lakes, William Wordsworth described Wastwater as 'long, narrow, stern and desolate', and it's a description that still seems apt…

  • Blackwell House

    The Lake District

    Two miles south of Bowness on the B5360, Blackwell House is a glorious example of the 19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, which championed handmade…

  • Furness Abbey

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Eight-and-a-half miles southwest of Ulverston, the rosy ruins of Furness Abbey are all that remain of one of northern England's largest and most powerful…

  • World of Beatrix Potter

    The Lake District

    This themed attraction brings to life various scenes from Beatrix Potter's books, including Peter Rabbit's garden, Mr McGregor's greenhouse, Mrs Tiggy…

  • Jennings Brewery

    The Lake District

    Real-ale aficionados will be familiar with the Jennings name – it has been brewing beers since 1874 and its pints are pulled at pubs all over the Lake…

  • Derwent Pencil Museum

    Keswick

    Reopened after being badly damaged in the 2015 floods, Keswick's oddest museum is devoted to the charms of the humble pencil – with exhibits including a…

  • Cumbria's Museum of Military Life

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Contained inside the walls of Carlisle Castle, this new museum explores the county's proud military history, with weapons, medals, standards, uniforms and…

  • Ruskin Museum

    The Lake District

    Coniston's little museum explores the village's history, touching on copper mining, Arthur Ransome and the Campbell story. There's also a section on John…

  • Elterwater

    The Lake District

    Named by Norse settlers after the colonies of whooper swans that still swoop across its surface every winter, Elterwater (literally 'swan lake') presents…

  • Carlisle Cathedral

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Built from the same red sandstone as Carlisle Castle, Carlisle's cathedral began life as a priory church in 1122 and became a cathedral when its first…

  • Beacon

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    In the coastal town of Whitehaven, this intriguing museum explores the town's maritime history. It's split into four levels: floor 1 hosts temporary…

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