Main gateways to the region are Kendal and Penrith. A miniature railway runs from Eskdale to Ravenglass, near the coast, and ferries operate on the larger lakes, some linking up with bus services, but public transport generally is poor. For walkers at least distances are short, since most of Cumbria is contained within a fifteen mile radius of Scafell. Main roads are feasible for most vehicles, but many secondary roads are narrow and gradients on both major and minor roads can be as steep as one in three. Some passes like Honister, Hardknott, Wrynose and Newlands are particularly dangerous and many others are unfit for anything on wheels.
Coastal resorts include Grange over Sands and, farther north, smaller and quieter Silloth, Seascale and St Bees. The most remote parts of Cumbria are the contrasting peninsulas of Furness and Cartmel, newly won from Lancashire. Where a railway now crosses Morecombe Bay to link them with the mainland travellers once had to make the dangerous journey on foot at low tide. Both areas are rewarding for the amateur archaeologist – among recent finds are flint tools, stone circles and Iron Age camps.
Cumbria is best appreciated in its quiet valleys, like lovely Eskdale, where Beckfoot is a popular centre for climbing Scafell. Other centres for walkers and climbers are Ambleside for the Langdale Pikes and Keswick for the 3000ft Skiddaw Peak. There are many rewarding discoveries to be made in the Eden Valley (for which Appleby is the obvious centre) as there are in the remote country adjoining the Scottish border.
This is not a region rich in historic buildings. The Roman fort on Hardknott and the bath-house at Ravenglass are noteworthy, as are the castles of Carlisle, Cockermouth, Wetherall and Muncaster and the country houses of Levens Hall and Abbots Hall. There are Wordsworth museums at Grasmere and Cockermouth.
Most campsites in the lakes are simply equipped and in quiet situations. The widest choice is around Carlisle, at Penrith and Silloth, but all the major centres – and other places on the coast – have several sites.
|
For full details of all parks listed on our website, see the latest edition of Camping Caravanning
Britain. Priced at £8.50, the book is available from WHSmith and other bookshops; alternatively, to
order a copy directly click here. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information on this website is accurate and up-to-date, the publishers can accept no responsibility for errors or omissions. Always phone a park before visiting to check facilities and prices. |