Visit Cumbria Places

Welcome to Visit Cumbria Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Cumbria

  

Cumbria Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Cumbria

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Cumbria history

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The county of Cumbria was created in April 1974 through an amalgamation of the administrative counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, to which parts of Lancashire (the area known as Lancashire North of the Sands) and of the West Riding of Yorkshire were added. During the Neolithic period the area contained an important centre of stone axe production (the so-called Langdale axe factory), products of which have been found across Great Britain. During this period stone circles and henges were built across the county and today ‘Cumbria has one of the largest number of preserved field monuments in England’. While not part of the region conquered in the Romans’ initial conquest of Britain in AD 43, most of modern-day Cumbria was later conquered in response to a revolt deposing the Roman-aligned ruler of the Brigantes in AD 69. The Romans built a number of fortifications in the area during their occupation, the most famous being UNESCO World Heritage Site Hadrian’s Wall which passes through northern Cumbria. At the end of the period of British history known as Roman Britain (c. AD 410) the inhabitants of Cumbria were Cumbric-speaking native Romano-Britons who were probably descendants of the Brigantes and Carvetii (sometimes considered to be a sub-tribe of the Brigantes) that the Roman Empire had conquered in about AD 85. Based on inscriptional evidence from the area, the Roman civitas of the Carvetii seems to have covered portions of Cumbria. The names Cumbria, Cymru (the native Welsh name for Wales), Cambria, and Cumberland are derived from the name these people gave themselves, *kombroges in Common Brittonic, which originally meant “compatriots”. Although Cumbria was previously believed to have formed the core of the Early Middle Ages Brittonic kingdom of Rheged, more recent discoveries near Galloway appear to contradict this. For the rest of the first millennium, Cumbria was contested by several entities who warred over the area, including the Brythonic Celtic Kingdom of Strathclyde and the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria. Most of modern-day Cumbria was a principality in the Kingdom of Scotland at the time of the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and thus was excluded from the Domesday Book survey of 1086. In 1092 the region was invaded by William II and incorporated into England. Nevertheless, the region was dominated by the many Anglo-Scottish Wars of the latter Middle Ages and early modern period and the associated Border Reivers who exploited the dynamic political situation of the region. There were at least three sieges of Carlisle fought between England and Scotland, and two further sieges during the Jacobite risings. After the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century, Cumbria became a more stable place and, as in the rest of Northern England, the Industrial Revolution caused a large growth in urban populations. In particular, the west coast towns of Workington, Millom and Barrow-in-Furness saw large iron and steel mills develop, with Barrow also developing a significant shipbuilding industry. Kendal, Keswick and Carlisle all became mill towns, with textiles, pencils and biscuits among the products manufactured in the region. The early 19th century saw the county gain fame when the Lake Poets and other artists of the Romantic movement, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, lived among, and were inspired by, the lakes and mountains of the region. Later, the children’s writer Beatrix Potter also wrote in the region and became a major landowner, granting much of her property to the National Trust on her death. In turn, the large amount of land owned by the National Trust assisted in the formation in 1951 of the Lake District National Park, which remains the largest National Park in England and has come to dominate the identity and economy of the county. The Windscale fire of 10 October 1957 was the worst nuclear accident in Great Britain’s history. The county of Cumbria was created in 1974 from the traditional counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, the Cumberland County Borough of Carlisle, along with the North Lonsdale or Furness part of Lancashire, usually referred to as “Lancashire North of the Sands”, (including the county borough of Barrow-in-Furness) and, from the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Sedbergh Rural District. It is governed by Cumbria County Council. On 2 June 2010, taxi driver Derrick Bird killed 12 and injured 11 in a spree killing that spanned over 24 kilometres (15 miles) along the Cumbrian coastline. Local newspapers The Westmorland Gazette and Cumberland and Westmorland Herald continue to use the name of their historic counties. Other publications, such as local government promotional material, describe the area as “Cumbria”, as does the Lake District National Park Authority.

Cumbria economy & business

East

The only Kimberly-Clark mill in the North of England is located in Barrow . Center Parcs owns a large resort in Whinfell Forest near Penrith . BAE Systems is the current owner and employs around 5,000 .

West

Associated British Ports Holdings own and operate the port of Silloth . Innovia Films has its headquarters and only UK factory in Wigton, which employs almost 1,000 people . Jennings Brewery Plc owns a real ale brewery, based in Cockermouth .

Tourism

The Lake District National Park alone receives 15.8 million visitors every year . Fewer than 50,000 people live permanently in the Lake District . Over 36,000 Cumbrians are employed in the tourism industry which adds £1.1 billion to the county’s economy .

Economic output

Chart of trend of regional gross value added (GVA) of East and West Cumbria at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by the Office for National Statistics .

Cumbria geography / climate

Most of Cumbria is mountainous, with the majority of the county being situated in the Lake District. Scafell Pike is the highest point in the county at 978 metres (3,209 ft) Windermere is the largest natural lake in England.

Boundaries and divisions

Cumbria is bordered by the English counties of Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders . It is made up of six districts: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland .

You can visit Cumbria places with Walkfo Cumbria to hear history at Cumbria’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Cumbria has 29 places to visit in our interactive Cumbria map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Cumbria, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Cumbria places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Cumbria & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 29 audio facts unique to Cumbria places in an interactive Cumbria map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Cumbria Places Map
29 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Cumbria historic spots	Cumbria tourist destinations	Cumbria plaques	Cumbria geographic features
Walkfo Cumbria tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Cumbria

  

Best Cumbria places to visit

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Cumbria has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Cumbria’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Cumbria’s information audio spots:

High Stile High Stile is a mountain in the western part of the Lake District in North West England. It is the eleventh-highest English Marilyn, standing 807 metres (2,648 ft) high, and has a relative height of 362 metres (1,187 ft) The mountain forms a trio of fells overlooking the lake and village of Buttermere.

High Crag High Crag stands at the southern end of the High Stile ridge which divides the valleys of Ennerdale and Buttermere in the west of the English Lake District. It is often climbed as part of a popular ridge walk, from Black Sail youth hostel or from Scarth Gap. Panoramas of the Great Gable and the Scafells are visible.

Steeple (Lake District) Steeple is a fell in the Lake District and reaches a height of 819 metres (2,687 feet) It is situated in the mountainous area between Ennerdale and Wasdale. It is really part of Scoat Fell, being just the rocky northern projection of that fell.

Scoat Fell Scoat Fell is a fell in the western part of the English Lake District. It stands at the head of the Mosedale Horseshoe with its back to Ennerdale.

Seat (Buttermere) Seat or Seat (Buttermere) is a minor Fell in the English Lake District. It has a height of 561 m (1840 ft) Its location is on the south-western corner of Buttermere in the North Western Fells.

Buttermere The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically in Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. Owned by the National Trust, it forms part of its Butermere and Ennerdale property.

Kirk Fell Kirk Fell is a Marilyn, the thirteenth highest in the Lake District. It is situated between Great Gable and Pillar on the long ring of fells surrounding Ennerdale. The direct ascent up the south-western slope from Wasdale Head is exceptionally steep.

Haystacks (Lake District) Haystacks, or Hay Stacks, is a hill in England’s Lake District, situated at the south-eastern end of the Buttermere Valley. Its large, undulating summit contains many rock formations, tarns and hidden recesses.

Green Gable Green Gable is often traversed by walkers en route to Great Gable. It can be ascended from Honister Pass, Seathwaite in Borrowdale, or Ennerdale. There are good views of Gable Crag, Scafell Pike and the Buttermere valley from the summit.

Brandreth Brandreth is a fell in the Lake District. It stands between Great Gable and Haystacks in the Western Fells. It is one of the largest fells in the area.

Visit Cumbria plaques