In the north western corner of the Lake District, stunning mountain and lake panoramas are to be found in abundance, with fell names to stir the imagination: Skiddaw, Great Gable, Pillar and England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike. It is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise offering walks of all grades, from a short ramble along a sylvan lake shore to full, challenging mountain days - not forgetting strolls along quiet coasts with breathtaking views across the Irish Sea to Scotland.
Enjoy the great outdoors but don’t ignore the culture and heritage. Wordsworth and the Lake poets were inspired by the majesterial beauty of nature; their legacy can be enjoyed at a number of places – try Wordsworth House (the poet’s birthplace) in Cockermouth as a starting point. The Senhouse Museum in Maryport has a fine collection of Roman sculpture and artefacts, while Hard Knott Roman fort in Eskdale commands a dramatic position overlooking the valley below. The sea, naturally, has heavily influenced the area's heritage. The Rum Story, the Beacon in Whitehaven and the Maryport Maritime Museum all have fascinating stories to tell involving the Titanic and John Paul Jones (the founder of the American navy), to name but two.
Must see and do
- Wordsworth House, Cockermouth
- Solway Coast Discovery Centre, Silloth
- Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, Ravenglass
- Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport
- The Rum Story, Whitehaven
- The Beacon, Whitehaven
- Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass