Historic towns and villages in Cumbria

Grange is a lovely village at the head of Borrowdale, popular as a centre for walking and outdoor activities. Nearby is the natural feature known as the Bowder Stone, a huge boulder tipped up on one end.
Grange, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Grange-over-Sands is a former Victorian seaside resort town on the west coast of the Cartmel Peninsula. The town began as a small fishing village but the arrival of the railway in 1857 transformed Grange into 'The Torquay of the North'. Elegant Victorian buildings and public gardens are a reminder of the town's resort heritage.
B5271, Grange-over-Sands, Cartmel Peninsula, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: The elegant railway station dates to 1857

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Grasmere is a delightful small village on the shores of Lake Windermere, where poet William Wordsworth lived at Dove Cottage. Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy are buried in St Oswald's churchyard here.
Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Great Salkeld is a small village north of Penrith, famous for its unusual church tower. The tower houses two vaulted chambers and, unusually, a dungeon. A Roman altar discovered here in the late 19th century is displayed in the church porch.
Great Salkeld, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: St Cuthbert's 12th century church

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Hawkshead is a very pretty village in the Lake District National Park, famous for its links to William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. Wordsworth attended the 16th-century Grammar School, and Potter's original drawings are on show in the former law offices where her husband worked.
Hawkshead, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Hawkshead Grammar School, where Wordsworth went to school

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Kendal is a market town on the eastern fringe of Cumbria, set amid a landscape of low, rounded fells. The traditional name for Kendal is 'The Auld Grey Town'; a testament the many buildings built of local grey limestone. Kendal has a long history as a centre for weaving, dating to 1331 when groups of Flemish weavers settled here. A ruined Norman castle stands on a high hill above the town. Kendal Castle was the birthplace of Henry VIII's last queen, Katherine Parr.
Kendal, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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The gateway to the northern Lake District, the town of Keswick stands at the northern tip of Derwentwater. Keswick is one of the major centres for walkers, drawn in part because Skiddaw, one of the main Lake District peaks, hovers over the town. To the south west is Catbells, another favourite route for walkers. In the summer months, there is a regular steamboat service on Derwentwater.
Keswick, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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One of the larger towns in Cumbria and a gateway to the Lune Valley. The Victorian writer John Ruskin extolled Kirkby Lonsdale for its 'sweet river', and just north of the town is 'Ruskin's View', a beautifully scenic lookout. Kirkby Lonsdale was settled in Roman times, and an old Roman road runs through the town.
Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: 13th century Devil's Bridge

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An attractive market town at the head of the Eden Valley, Kirkby Stephen boasts a 12th-century church known as the Cathedral of the Dales. Within the church is the Loki Stone, an 8th-century figure of the Norse god Loki in chains, as well as memorials to the Musgrave family (see Edenhall).
Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England

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Kirkoswald is a small village known for its ruined castle. The ruins are now overgrown, but the traces of the moat are clearly visible, and one crumbling tower still stands. The small, two-aisled 12th-century church is unusual in that it has a detached bell tower situated 200 feet away on the top of a hill overlooking the village.
Kirkoswald, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Ruins of Kirkoswald Castle

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