Cottages in the Lake District, Cumbria, Lancashire,
holiday cottages for rent.
Cumbria
Bordered to the north by Scotland, to the west and south by the sea,
and to the east by the Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbria is as
secluded a part of England as you can get. Steep mountains and deep
lakes dominate the interior of the county, with the landscape being
formed during the last Ice Age. The area is marked by centuries of
fighting between England and Scotland, with abandoned castles and
fortified houses littering the countryside. There are other older
relics demonstrating a much older occupation in the shape of stone
circles and other prehistoric monuments. Modern day Cumbria has
welcomed tourism and developed a huge network of trails and paths to
cater for the large number of walkers and hikers who flock to this
visually stunning area.
If you prefer a more sedate lifestyle, then you can chug peacefully
along some of the largest lakes on steam powered launches, or pursue
the literary heritage of the county, following in the tracks of William
Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter, and Arthur Ransome. There are lots of
holiday cottages in Cumbria and the choice of self-catering is wide and
varied.
On the northeast edge of the Lake District National Park, the town of
Cockermouth rarely receives the number of visitors its beauty should
attract. Founded by the Normans at the junction of two rivers, they
threw up a decent sized castle, and the town expanded on the back of
the iron ore trade. As a result this market town has some fine Georgian
houses, Wordsworth's birthplace, and the Lakeland Sheep and Wool
Centre, which puts on daily displays of sheep-shearing, dog-handling,
and various other sheep-themed shows. Beneath the Cockermouth castle
walls is the Jennings Brewery, the last independent in the area.
Founded over 160 years ago this firm still uses the same methods as
when it started and is supplied with its water by the Castle well,
which helps to give the beer its distinctive flavour. There is a good
tour with the promise of a decent tipple at the end. Cockermouth
self-catering cottages vary from country cottages to idyllic holiday
cottages near Cockermouth with log fires.
There are various towns and villages along the Cumbrian coast, all
serviced by the branch line that runs from Lancaster to Carlisle. The
main town on the west coast is Workington, an ancient port that thrived
due to the export of iron ore. The most famous person to come out of
Workington was Henry Bessemer who quite literally changed the world
with the patenting of his Bessemer converter. This apparatus enabled
the conversion of plain iron ore to steel, and there are plenty of
replicas dotted around the town. The centre of Workington has some fine
Georgian buildings, especially around Portland Square, and a pele tower
in good condition - there are also lots of holiday cottages to rent
near Workington if you want to have a self-catering holiday by the sea
Cumbria.
To the south is Ravenglass, a port founded by the Romans in the second
century AD, and then known as Glennaventa but the only remains of their
presence are the walls of the bath house. The village is at the
confluence of three rivers; the Esk, the Mite, and the Irt. The main
street is made up of sea pebbles, and this is all adds to the charm of
this peaceful spot. The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway originally built
to service the iron mines, now chugs calmly up into the foothills of
the Lake District, and very scenic it is too. There are some charming
country houses to rent near Ravenglass and the Cumbrian coast is a
great place to stay in England.
Five miles away from Ravenglass is the Sellafield Nuclear Power Plant,
a rather strange destination for a day out, but well worth a visit. The
museum has won various awards for de-bunking the myth surrounding
nuclear energy, and there is a large-scale interactive exhibit created
by the Science Museum, called Sparking Reaction, which tells you all
you need to know.
On the eastern side of the mountains the landscape is much more benign,
littered with small towns, wild moorland, and the county's only city,
Carlisle. Originally established by the Romans as their main base at
the western end of Hadrian's Wall from the remains of an old Celtic
camp, the town became their main administrative centre for the north
east of the province. Carlisle changed hands many times over the
centuries, occupied by all and sundry, until 1092 when it became
English once and for all. The English reinforced the town over the next
few hundred years to keep out the marauding Scots, and as a sally point
to counteract the pillaging of the Border Reivers. These Reivers were
families from either side of the border who became a law unto
themselves with their sheep rustling, looting, highway robbery, and
general lawlessness. This part of the countryside, on both sides of the
border, is peppered with small castles and fortified farms. It wasn't
until the unification of the monarchy in 1603 that order was restored,
but that did not stop them giving the words 'blackmail' and 'bereaved'
to the English language.
Carlisle became a city in the 12th century and is overlooked by the
castle, which has been doing the job for over 900 years. This
impressive structure has lots of attractions not least the Border
Regiment Museum, which celebrates the history of the Cumbria's County
Infantry Regiment, the Border Regiment, and the King's Own Royal Border
Regiment. A look around this museum will take you through most of the
major conflicts of the last few centuries. Because of the strategic
position of the city, Carlisle became a major railway centre as seven
independent railway companies shared the one station, and each one had
its own depot and ancillary services. The station is impressive in
itself, and is at the northern end of the spectacular Carlisle to
Settle railway, and steam trains are often seen waiting at the
platform, usually on a special charter. The red-stone Cathedral has had
a mixed history, from its initial construction, to being torn down by
the inhabitants to reinforce the city walls when the city was under
siege during the English Civil War. There are several other places of
interest in the city, and Carlisle hosts an annual Great Fair, hardly
the Edinburgh Festival, but having been established in 1353, has the
advantage on longevity. If you want to rent a self-catering property
near Carlisle then the choice of holiday accommodation is excellent,
both in Carlisle itself and the surrounding countryside.
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