Kirkby Lonsdale is in the beautiful valley of the River Lune on the fringes of both the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. A national winner of 'Britain in Bloom', the town has an excellent range of speciality shops and attractive 17th and 18th-century inns.
Its superb location has attracted many notable visitors. The Vale of Lune was greatly admired by the painter Constable, and Turner painted landscapes in and around the town. Ruskin was so impressed that he wrote: "I do not know in all my own country, still less in France or Italy, a place more naturally divine. "Ruskin's View” over the River Lune is a famous local attraction and the medieval Devil's Bridge, which spans the river, is a scheduled ancient monument.
There are many riverside and country walks in the area, and historic buildings to see in the town itself, including the 11th century Norman parish church. While some market towns have become spoilt over the years, Kirkby Lonsdale and its surrounding area of outstanding landscape still retain the same beauty appreciated by Constable, Turner, and Ruskin.
Must see and do
- Best Cellars & The Hill Studio, Sedbergh