awol in maryport or cider on staurday night?...

If you like to discover local ales along with local music then there are two upcoming festivals that you shouldn't miss. Both take place in early September and both cater for all tastes. So if you fancy quaffing your tipple whilst watching the Hamsters, reputedly the UK's best blues-rock band, seeing AWOL from Maryport, trying to win at Karaoke or just chilling out whilst listening to the Sounds of the Blues Brothers, then head up to Silloth. The venue is a coastal village tucked away in the far north west of Cumbria and the popular Music and Beer Festival has been growing each year. This year it's held on the 4th - 7th of September. Tickets can be booked online at  www.sillothbeerfestival.co.uk

If you want to try a lot of the local ales that Cumbria produces, along with some live music too, then head for Ulverston on the 4th 5,th or 6th of September. There will be a line-up of 65+ real ales on offer, including 23+ from Cumbrian breweries, as well as a couple of live acts in the evenings. The first Furness Camra beer festival was held in Coronation Hall in Ulverston in 1983. The festival then moved to Barrow and after a few years, some interesting local politics, a burnt down marquee and some periods of homelessness the Festival returned to its spiritual home in Ulverston in 1996 where it has remained ever since. I am also reliably informed that a lot of cider has been ordered for Saturday night!

Content and photography supplied by www.artisan-food.com/, funded by Distinctly Cumbrian.