THE EDGE
VACATION & HOLIDAY GUIDE TO
CUMBRIA & THE LAKE DISTRICT
PENRITH, CUMBRIA
Town Centre, Penrith.
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THE EDGE VACATION & HOLIDAY GUIDE TO CUMBRIA & THE LAKE DISTRICT PENRITH, CUMBRIA |
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Penrith Location: OS ref NY 515305, Sheet 90. Roughly in the middle of the Eden Valley. Nearest Towns: Appleby SE on the A66 13mls/21km. Carlisle N on either the M6 or the A6 18mls/29km. Keswick W on the A66 17mls/27km. Lakes: Ullswater Derwentwater Haweswater |
Penrith, handsome and unpretentious in the Eden Valley, is one of the best known towns in Cumbria, an important market town and a centre for the farming community hereabouts. With its rich history, interesting and diverse shops, good architecture, excellent road and rail links to the rest of the county and beyond, and on the doorstep of the Lake District, Penrith is one of the best bases for a vacation in Cumbria. Its continued importance as a market place for cattle and other livestock, and its other market for more domestic wares held every week in Great Dockray (one of the squares in the town) ensure that it retains its great character. On the outskirts of the town to the west on the A66 is another market, this time a car boot sale on a huge scale held at weekends and tremendously well attended.
Penrith has road connections to every part of the county. The M6 runs by the town north through Carlisle to Scotland and south to Preston, Manchester, Birmingham and Coventry and eventually to London. The A66 runs west through Keswick and Cockermouth to Workington, while southeast to Appleby, Brough and across the country to Scotch Corner on the A1. The A6 runs between Kendal in the south of Cumbria to Carlisle in the north, passing through the town. The A686 travels east over the Pennines through Alston to Hexham in Northumberland, where it joins the A69 to Newcastle. This the mainline west coast railway between London, (Euston), and Glasgow in Scotland, calls at the town. And all of these routes take you through probably the most beautiful scenery in the Britain. Delightful alleyways run between and behind Penrith's main streets, and amongst them you will find the more specialised shops that Penrith has a certain reputation for example fudge, Cumberland sausage, gingerbread and more. There are of course many examples of England's greatest contribution to the world, the traditional pub, serving real ales and fine lagers and honest to goodness pub grub. Restaurants and tea-rooms can be found among the town's bookshops, antique shops and art galleries.
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