READY TO EXPLORE A LITTLE FURTHER?

ALTHOUGH CUMBRIA AND THE LAKES HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU BUSY, A JOURNEY FURTHER AFIELD CAN MAKE FOR AN EXCITING NEW ADVENTURE

As Cumbria sits on the England-Scotland border, the county is a gateway to both countries, depending which direction you are travelling from. We know you’ll want to spend as much time as possible in the Lake District and Cumbria, but it’s also a great place to stay to explore the wider region.

Carlisle, in the north, is only an hour and a half’s drive to either of Scotland’s main cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The M74 will carry you to Glasgow, while you may want to take an even more scenic route to Edinburgh. The A7 links both cities and is endless rolling countryside. Or exit the M74 early and take the A702 through Biggar and Dolphinton.

Both cities are fabulous for shopping and nightlife. Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city; the stunning Edinburgh, with its charming Old Town separated from the New Town by parkland, is the nation’s capital.

Glorious Beaches

Scotland has a less-heralded but stunningly beautiful corner, and that is Dumfries and Galloway. It is a hidden gem, with glorious beaches, character-rich fishing ports and thick forests, and it is easily accessible from Cumbria. Just exit the motorway north of Carlisle at Gretna, have a look around the wedding rooms of Gretna Green and then keep heading west.

You can also reach the heart of Scotland via a speedy train journey up the West Coast Main Line. The same stretch of track journeys south to Penrith and Oxenholme, before moving into Lancashire. The city of Lancaster is compact yet vibrant, and also gives access to Morecambe and the port at Heysham.

Next stop down the line, Preston, is a proud market town, from where you can reach the tourist traps of Blackpool, Lytham St Annes and Southport.

Being England’s second largest county, and being situated at the most narrow stretch of the country, Cumbria and the Lake District feels a close affinity with the east coast as well – even the news area covered by the ‘local’ TV stations stretches from coast to coast. There’s also the fact that Cumbria has Hadrian’s Wall, and it travels 73 miles to the east coast. And the North East’s universities are popular with Cumbrian students.

So it never feels like a chore to drive the hour and a quarter to the city of Newcastle from Carlisle. Or even to get the train; it’s a beautiful route. Again, Newcastle is an excellent shopping centre, and a major venue for the huge touring stars from the worlds of music, comedy and theatre.

The A66 is another major road linking west with east, journeying from Penrith to reach, via other main roads, the historic, architectural significant towns of Barnard Castle and Durham.

Barrow links by train with Manchester Airport, which makes you realise that the major cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are easily accessible from Cumbria.

The nearest international airports are Blackpool, Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon from the south, and Newcastle, Prestwick and Glasgow International from the north. Carlisle Lake District Airport operates flights to London Southend, Belfast and Dublin.