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Penrith
This distinctive red sandstone town, with its popular markets and abundance of specialist, family-run shops, has become the regional centre for trade, industry and services in the Eden Valley.
Make sure to visit Penrith Castle and immerce yourself its impressive history. In 1399, William Strickland, added a stone wall to the pele tower as a defence against the Scottish raids. The castle was added to over the next 70 years, eventually becoming the royal fortress of the Duke of Gloucester in 1483 before he became King Richard III.
There are also a series of interesting themed trails around Penrith town centre, including the Richard III trial which looks at the town's associations with the man himself.
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For events happening around the county, click below for our What's On page.
Kirkoswald
The attractive village of Kirkoswald is host to a fascinating church, ruined castle and cobbled market square.
Langwathby
The drovers' village of Langwathby is situated east of Penrith and is an idyllic village containing a large central green, a pub, farmhouses and cottages.
Lazonby
Lazonby lays claim to the largest auction mart for grey-faced mules in the country.
Little Salkeld
Little Salkeld is home to a fully working corn mill and has one of the largest stone circles in the UK on its doorstep.
Eamont Bridge
A small village south of Penrith containing many historic houses and inns. Historically, the village was used by travellers as a crossing point of the River Eamont.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester was given the Lordship of Penrith by his brother, Edward IV, and spent much time at Penrith Castle, adding a large banqueting hall, kitchens and other buildings.
Rowcliffe Lane, a street hardly noticed by people today, was once at the industrial heart of Penrith. Although only 8 feet wide in places, it was filled with tailors, coopers, saddlers, rope-makers and whitesmiths in the 17th century. Wagons and coaches would regularly travel up and down the narrow thoroughfare, and some signs of its industrial past are still evident today.
The Musgrave family owned Musgrave Hall on Middlegate (now occupied by the British Legion) - their coat of arms can be seen on the lintel over the doorway. A clock tower was erected in the centre of Penrith in memory of their eldest son, Philip, who died in Madrid in 1859 at the age of 26.
William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, attended school in St Andrew's Place, and it was here that he first met Mary Hutchinson, his future wife. Wordsworth's grandparents owned the Moot Hall where his mother died in 1778. The Moot Hall was demolished in the 1830s and replaced by Arnison's drapery shop.
The Giant’s Grave
In St Andrew’s churchyard lies the Giant’s Grave, possible resting place of Owen, King of Cumbria in the 10th century. It comprises two pre-Norman crosses and four Norse ‘hogback’ tombstones. Legend also associates the grave with Sir Owen Caesarius, a mythical giant who supposedly lived in a cave by the River Eamont.
The Plague Stone
This is in the forecourt of the Greengarth home for the elderly in Bridge Lane. Its hollowed out centre would have held vinegar or some other disinfecting agent and here the townsfolk would place their money in exchange for food brought in by farmers from outside the town.
Clifton Moor
The moor was the site of the last battle on English soil between Scottish and English armies on the 18 December 1745. The dead are buried in the village of Clifton – the Scots under an oak tree (known as the Rebel Tree) at the end of Town End Croft (a plaque marks the spot); the English in the churchyard.
Penrith Beacon
Beacon Hill provides a dramatic wooded backdrop to the town of Penrith. On the summit stands Beacon Pike, a stone tower dating back to 1719 that marks the spot where bonfires were lit during times of conflict to spread the word quickly to other parts of the county.
King Arthur's Round Table
A smaller henge approximately 400 metres away, dating back to around 2000 BC. A flat central platform is surrounded by a circular ditch and an earth bank.
Brougham Castle
Built next to the Roman fort of Brocavum, on the banks of the river Eamont, the castle became a medieval stronghold designed to repel invasion by the Scots. It was restored in the 1650s. Within 100 years the castle was stripped and left in ruins. It is now under the protection of English Heritage who permit access to parts of the castle.
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