Cumbria is a scenic North West England county famed for the Lake District, historical castles, and vibrant cultural heritage, attracting millions of visitors annually.
Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic castle in Cumbria with extensive grounds featuring rare trees, part of Windermere shoreline, and historic connections to Beatrix Potter. It is managed by the National Trust and offers both indoor tours and outdoor exploration, including public access to the grounds year-round.
7–8 Oct, 11–15 Oct…
A 45-minute outdoor walk around the perimeter of Wray Castle, where a member of the Wray team shares stories about the estate’s history, notable guests and future plans.
King Arthur's Round Table is a Neolithic henge monument in Cumbria, offering visitors a chance to explore historic earthworks forming part of a ritual landscape near Penrith. The site is free to access and maintained by English Heritage, with visible features including a large circular ditch and bank.
Aira Force is a notable waterfall in Cumbria's Lake District, set in National Trust land with accessible paths, historic bridges, and a visitor center with a café. It offers scenic outdoor walks and features a unique visitors' Wish Tree.
Milecastle 49 (Harrows Scar) is a Roman fortification on Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria, featuring remains of stone defensive walls and associated turrets. It offers outdoor exploration of an ancient Roman frontier site managed by English Heritage.
Fell Foot Park is a National Trust country park at the southern end of Windermere in Cumbria, offering lakeside walks, historic boathouses, boat and kayak hire, a café, a playground, and seasonal ferry links to Lakeside station.
Sizergh Castle is a Grade I listed stately home and historic house museum in Cumbria, England, featuring Elizabethan and Georgian architecture with notable oak interiors and portraits. Visitors can explore both the castle's historic indoor spaces and its extensive outdoor gardens and estate, which includes the largest limestone rock garden held by the National Trust.
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is a 3-acre zoological collection in Cumbria featuring over 100 species including snow leopards and fossa, with themed indoor exhibits and outdoor enclosures. It offers interactive animal experiences, a café, and participates in conservation efforts.
7–20 Oct (another 11 days)
An immersive exhibition in Sizergh’s Great Barn featuring work by local and national artists inspired by soil.
Bow Bridge is a well-preserved late medieval multi-span sandstone bridge near Furness Abbey in Cumbria, built in the 1500s by monks to access their New Mill, showcasing original features as a Scheduled monument.
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial port town in Cumbria known for its historic planned town layout, rich industrial and maritime heritage, and proximity to natural attractions like the Lake District. It offers cultural sites, shopping, varied leisure, and access to offshore wind farms.
Penrith Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Penrith, Cumbria, dating from 1399-1470, now a historic ruin maintained by English Heritage and open to the public as a park with extensive remains near Penrith railway station.
Penrith is a historic market town in Cumbria, England, known for its medieval castle ruins, Roman archaeological sites, cultural festivals and proximity to the Lake District National Park.
Hill Top Farm is a 17th-century historic house museum in Cumbria, England, that was once home to Beatrix Potter. Visitors can explore the preserved interior rooms furnished as in Potter's time and enjoy the surrounding garden maintained in the style of her illustrations. The venue offers a unique insight into the life and works of the beloved children's author in a picturesque Lakeland village setting.
7 Oct–13 Dec (another 65 days)
Explore Beatrix Potter’s creative process behind The Tale of Two Bad Mice through her manuscript, sketches, finished artworks and a restored dolls’ house. Visitors can watch animations and a conservation film, use interactive lighting and handle a replica dolls’ house.
Brough Castle is a historic ruined stone castle located in Brough, Cumbria, originally built in 1092 on a Roman fort site. Visitors can explore its extensive ruins including the 12th century keep and Clifford's Tower, revealing centuries of history shaped by battles, fires, and restorations. The site offers an outdoor experience rich in medieval and post-medieval heritage under English Heritage care.
Great Langdale is a scenic valley in the Lake District National Park, renowned for hiking, climbing, and outstanding natural features like the Langdale Pikes and Dungeon Ghyll waterfall. It also has historic significance for Neolithic stone axe production and offers outdoor activities for all ages.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
A permanent exhibition at Allan Bank explores how William Wordsworth influenced the Lake District. Visitors can see large-scale photographs of landscapes featured in his writing, alongside a first edition of his Guide to the Lakes and later guides.
Brougham Castle is a medieval ruin situated near Penrith, Cumbria, built on an ancient Roman fort site. Visitors can explore striking remains including a stone keep, gatehouse, and enclosure walls. Rich in history and linked to the Clifford family, it offers an outdoor experience amid scenic river landscapes and has inspired famous artists and poets.
Mayburgh Henge is a large prehistoric Neolithic and Bronze Age monument near Eamont Bridge, Cumbria. It features a circular stone bank and a standing monolith, with alignment to the equinox sun. The site offers an outdoor experience exploring ancient ritual and trade center remains in a historic landscape.
Countess Pillar is a 17th-century outdoor monument near Brougham, Cumbria, marking a historic farewell between Lady Anne Clifford and her mother, featuring sundials and commemorative inscriptions.
Birdoswald Roman Fort is a well-preserved Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria, offering a combination of outdoor archaeological remains and indoor exhibitions at the visitor centre explaining Roman military history and life.
Allan Bank is a Grade II* listed historic villa in Cumbria, England, known for its connection to William Wordsworth and other literary figures. Located in the Lake District, it offers both indoor historical house exploration and outdoor garden experiences with red squirrels. The property is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
An exhibition by artist Kathryn Poole brings together flower paintings, botanical etchings and lithographs of foxgloves from the grounds of Allan Bank. The works explore the foxglove’s life cycle, regeneration and the contrast between its poisonous and medicinal qualities.
Piel Castle is a Grade I listed 14th-century concentric-style castle ruin located on Piel Island off the coast of Cumbria. Visitors can explore the ruined keep, inner and outer baileys, and enjoy views over the local harbour. The site is managed by English Heritage and threatened by ongoing coastal erosion.
Furness Abbey is a historic ruined Cistercian monastery in Cumbria, England, dating back to 1123. It was once the second wealthiest abbey in the country and is now a protected scheduled monument with Grade I listed buildings, offering an outdoor exploration experience with a visitor centre.
Housesteads Roman Fort, located on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England, is a remarkably well-preserved Roman fort dating back to around 124 AD. Visitors can explore both extensive outdoor ruins and an indoor site museum showcasing Roman artefacts, providing insight into over 300 years of Roman military history in Britain.