Historic towns and villages in Cumbria

Millom was a collection of scattered farms and hamlets until iron ore was discovered here in 1855. Hodbarrow Mines made Millom a thriving industrial town overnight. Learn about Millom's mining heritage in the Discovery Centre on Station Road, and visit the grave of poet Norman Nicholson at St George's Church.
A5093, Millom, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Ruins of Millom Castle

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A regional capital since Roman times, the market town of Penrith is a popular centre for exploring the north-east Lake District, though it lies just outside the National Park's boundaries. It is also the major visitor centre for the Eden Valley.
Penrith, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: 14th century Penrith Castle

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Pooley Bridge is a popular village at the northern terminus of the Ullswater Lake Steamer route. There are walking trails along the shore of Ullswater, and nearby are the remains of a prehistoric hill fort.
Pooley Bridge, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Iron Age fort on Dunmallet Hill

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Ravenglass is the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park, situated at the convergence of the Esk, Mite, and Irt rivers. The Romans used Ravenglass as a transportation hub, with roads striking inland towards forts at Ambleside and beyond. A small Roman bathhouse still stands on the edge of the village. Ravenglass is best known as the terminus for the Ravenglass and Eskdale miniature railway, which takes passengers to Boot in the heart of pretty Eskdale. Just outside Ravenglass is Muncaster Castle, a superb stately home.
Ravenglass, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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This pretty village gives its name to the smallest of the lakes in the Lake District. Poet William Wordsworth lived here at Rydal Mount until his death in 1850. The large rock known as Wordsworth's Seat was where this most famous of the Lakeland poets sat to take in the beautiful views.
Rydal, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Silloth is a Victorian seaside resort town on the Solway Coast. The town developed as a railhead and resort after the railway arrived in 1856. It had a reputation for having 'cleaner and more health giving' air than anywhere in England. The town reflects its Victorian resort heritage, with a wealth of Regency style 19th-century buildings.
B5302, Silloth, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Christ Church, on Criffel Street

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St Bees is a village on the Cumbrian coast named after a 7th-century Irish nun by the name of Bega who was shipwrecked here. She asked Lord Egremont for land to build a nunnery, and was granted 'as much land as is covered by snow tomorrow'. As it was summer, this effectively meant 'no', but to the lord's consternation, snow appeared, and St Bee (Bega) built her nunnery by the sea.
St Bees, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: 12th century St Bees Priory church

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Ulverston is an attractive market town located on the eastern side of the Furness peninsula. The town has its roots in the Saxon period and was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ulvreston.
Ulverston, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Conishead Priory, a superb Victorian Gothic house

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One of the most scenic and often photographed Lake District locations, Watendlath is a hamlet high up in a hanging valley above Derwentwater, between the Borrowdale and Thirlmere valleys. An old packhorse bridge spans the beck, and there are walking trails over Grange Fell.
Watendlath, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: Picturesque packhorse bridge

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Windermere is the largest town in the Lake District and stands on the shores of England's largest lake. Windermere and the adjoining town of Bowness together form the region's most popular tourist destination.
Windermere, Lake District, Cumbria, England

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Heritage Highlight: The Queens Pub, a former 18th-century coaching inn

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