Historic towns and villages in Cumbria

Ambleside is one of the premier visitor destinations within the Lake District National Park and is perfectly situated for some of the most popular walks in the park. The town stands at the north end of Lake Windermere, on a site that has seen occupation since Roman times. Indeed, the remains of the Roman fort of Galava can still be seen in meadows on the southern edge of the town.

Ambleside, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Galava Roman Fort

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Appleby is a good base for a visit to the Eden Valley; large enough to boast a variety of accommodation and services, yet small enough to give a feeling of "getting away from it all".
Appleby-in-Westmorland, Eden Valley, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: 12th century Appleby Castle

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Beetham is a pretty village just south of Milnthorpe in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB. The parish church of St Michael has Saxon origins and boasts a 15th-century tomb to the Middleton family of Leighton Hall. At the northern edge of the village is Heron Corn Mill, a restored 18th-century watermill. Just outside Beetham is the Fairy Steps rock formation.
A6, Beetham, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: The parish church of St Michael has Saxon origins

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Bewcastle is a remote moorland hamlet that features the extraordinary 'Bewcastle Cross', a 7th-8th century cross with intricate carvings on all 4 sides. Beside the church stands the ruins of a castle, built in part with stone from Hadrian's Wall.
Bewcastle, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: 7th century Bewcastle Cross

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Bowness-on-Solway is the closest village to the western end of Hadrian's Wall, and the site of a Roman army camp. The name comes from old Norse words for a rounded headland. The Hadrian's Wall National Trail begins (or ends) here.
Bowness, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: St Michael's church, built with stones from the Roman fort

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The historic market town of Brampton dates to at least the 7th century. Above the town rises a 12th-century castle motte, and the cobbled streets of the town centre converge on the Moot Hall, where Oliver Cromwell held 40 captured prisoners during the Civil War.
Brampton, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Prince Charlie's House, where Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed during the siege of Carlisle

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Broughton-in-Furness is an ancient town at the head of the Duddon Estuary. The town is centred on The Square, a cobbled town square laid out in the 18th century. In The Square is an obelisk erected in 1810 to mark George III's Jubilee. The parish church of St Mary began in the Saxon period but the present building is Victorian.
Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: The cobbled Square and Obelisk

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Burgh-by-Sands is famous as the place where Edward I was brought after his death on nearby Burgh Marshes in 1307. Edward was on his way north to fight the Scots under Robert the Bruce when he died, and the king's body was brought to lie in state in the fortified church of Burgh-by-Sands. The course of Hadrian's Wall runs right through the village.
Burgh-by-Sands, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Edward I Monument

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This pretty little village at the foot of the Caldbeck Fells is known as the final resting place of famed hunter John Peel (d.1854). Peel's grave is in the 12th-century churchyard, under the gaze of the fells he hunted for 55 years. A popular song about his exploits was written by his friend, JW Graves. Caldbeck is a good walking centre, with access to High Peak and Carrock Fell.
Caldbeck, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: 6th century holy well of St Mungo

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Cark-in-Cartmel is a peaceful village in the Cartmel Peninsula, just south of historic Holker Hall, the home of the Cavendish family. The village grew up beside the River Eaa and owes its prosperity to a cotton mill established here in the Georgian period.
B5278, Cark-in-Cartmel, Cartmel Peninsula, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Cark and Cartmel rail station, built for the Dukes of Devonshire

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