Carlisle UK – what can you see in my hometown?

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Given that I visit the UK regularly to see family and friends, I thought it would be a good time to give a shout out to my hometown. I first moved away from Carlisle UK in 2006 to visit Canada for six months. I now live in Vancouver, Canada so it’s safe to say I liked what I saw. But my parents still live in Carlisle so I aim to get back as often as I can for visits. I have a lot of other family members still in the area, as well as a number of friends I remain in contact with. It’s the kind of place where when I go back, I feel like I’ve never left.

Famous border town of Carlisle UK

Carlisle is in the North of England, not like Manchester North but really, really North. There is a Carlisle in Pennsylvania, so the first time I told someone I was from Carlisle that’s where they thought. But Carlisle UK is only a few miles from the Scottish border, in the county of Cumbria. It has been both Scottish and English at different points in history. So much so that it doesn’t appear in the Domesday book, a survey of England ordered by William the Conquerer in 1086, as it was part of Scotland at the time. With a rich Roman history, Carlisle was at one point a Roman town by the name Luguvalium which is still mentioned around the city.

If you’ve heard of Cumbria it’s probably because of the Lake District National Park. Growing up so close to such a beautiful part of the world, I was very lucky. The amount of history in the area is fantastic, especially if you come from a place where 150 years old is considered ancient (I’m looking at you Vancouver). But it’s easy to take it all for granted until you move away. Now when I visit I appreciate everything in the area, so today wanted to tell you some fun things you can see and do up North.

Carlisle Castle

That’s right, Carlisle UK has a castle. It’s right on one of the main roads linking the West of the city. You go past the castle pretty much any time you want to get anywhere in the city. It can be seen from all around, I can even see it from my childhood bedroom window. Until someone from out of town visits with you, you can forget how amazing this place is. My boyfriend came with me on my last visit and was mesmerized by the 900+ year old castle right on my doorstep. He kept telling me how cool it was, and you know what? It is!

It was a defensive castle so not on par with the likes of Edinburgh Castle or the Tower of London, but it’s still a fantastic place to visit. For one there are dungeons! And ghosts! And a moat (without any water, but still). There are also some old cobbled streets and steps leading up to the next level where you can walk the walls of the castle. I remember as a kid being able to climb up to the roof but it seems like they’ve stopped that.

Inside there’s a lot about the history including the Jacobite Rebellion and the tower where Mary Queen of Scots was once held prisoner. 15th century carvings in the stone, believed to be from prisoners and/or guards, can be found inside the castle. If you’re in Carlisle you have to check out this place. And if you’re there in November, this is where the fireworks are set off the closest Saturday before Bonfire Night, November 5th.

Carlisle Cathedral

While we’re on historical buildings, we’ll move from military to religious. Carlisle Cathedral was built in the early 12th century, and is a few minutes walk from the castle. From my parents house, the grounds of the Cathedral were a shortcut to get to the centre of town. Summer is a great time to take advantage of the gardens, and you’ll find people sitting on the grass outside. There are musical concerts inside many lunchtimes. My school choir would sing there every now and again, it was a fantastic setting for that. Unless you’re short and they put you at the front for a song in Latin and you’re terrified of f*$&ing it up because there’s no hiding your mistakes in the echo-y cathedral. Ah memories!

The stained glass windows are beautiful, and there’s a magnificent painted starry ceiling. Entry is by donation. Then there’s the treasury with numerous shiny objects, and it feels like you’ve entered into Narnia. The Cathedral also had a cafe, The Prior’s Kitchen, which most locals went to just because it was a great (and pretty reasonably priced) cafe. Seems like they’ve closed it for refurbishment and there should be another cafe open in 2019.

Hadrian’s Wall

Just a little bit outside of Carlisle UK is the start of Hadrian’s Wall. This wall is almost 2000 years old and was built by the Romans who occupied the area at the time. Built as a defensive wall, it still stands in a lot of places, and runs for about 73 miles. There are different forts along the wall, a lot of which have created a museum around the wall. These are typically the more intact parts of the wall. They’re worth a visit, and I think I’ve probably visited them all at one time or another. But when someone comes to visit who’s never been before I usually start with the parts you can get to for free.

Milecastle 42 is one of the ones I’ve been to a number of times. It’s just past a place called Once Brewed and you can park at the Cawfield Quarry car park, that way all you have to pay for is parking. To spend time at one of the main forts I would recommend either Castlesteads or Birdoswald, both are close to Carlisle and you’ll be able to get there in less than an hour by car.

The Lake District

OK, so the Lake District is pretty big. It all depends on what you’re looking for as to where you’ll want to visit. Keswick is a nice town with some lovely quaint shops, great pubs and markets in the summer months. Just before you get to Keswick there’s a stone circle (think smaller Stonehenge) called Castlerigg. It’s a steep winding road to get there but it’s worth it. Even on a cloudy, rainy day…actually then it’s even cooler because it gives it some ‘atmosphere’.

My favourite place to visit in the Lakes is Ambleside. Tourist trap? Completely, but it’s such a nice little town (OK town might be a stretch). You’ll be able to spend a couple of hours there wandering the shops, and visiting Lake Windermere. You can park in Ambleside and easily take a walk back down towards Windermere. There’s a boat that goes over the lake to the neighboring town of Bowness (even more of a tourist trap, but still nice).

To be honest you can’t go wrong just driving and stopping at any place you can find a space. Walk around a little, and get moving to the next place. There are so many walks and sites to see that you could spend a week here and not get bored. Consider spending the night and taking advantage of the country pubs!

If you want to know more about where to stay and what to do in the Lake District check out this post.

Afternoon tea

In the Lake District there are lots of places you can go for any afternoon tea. The same thing with Carlisle. Almost any hotel will offer some variation of this English tradition. And for a cheaper version, a lot of well established tearooms and cafes will also offer it. Afternoon tea is becoming bigger in Canada now too, although they really charge a lot for it because it’s at the nicer hotels. I’ve paid almost $60 in Canada for Afternoon tea, however you can usually find somewhere in the Lake District or Carlisle for £20 or less.

The last time I visited I went with my parents to the Inn on the Lake, and before that we’ve also been to Storr’s hall which was my favourite. Usually you get a variety of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, small cakes and savoury pastries, and of course your choice of tea.

The Guildhall, Carlisle UK

If you’re looking for a nice restaurant with more history, try Franco’s. It’s an Italian restaurant in the centre of town occupying Carlisle’s oldest medieval building from the early 1400s and is just beautiful inside with traditional English timber-frame look. Part of the building is the Guildhall Museum which is worth checking out too. It’s on the upper floor above the restaurant.

No place like home

If you’ve ever been on the train between London and Glasgow, you’ll have gone through Carlisle. When going to the Lake District you’re likely to have been in or close to my hometown. If you’ve ever seen or eaten these crackers you’ll have noticed at least the fact that my town has it’s name on them as this is the only place they are made:

Carlisle UK is famous for it’s biscuits, and we have a McVitie’s biscuit factory, Carr’s where they are made. You can even go in the factory shop open weekday’s from 10am to 4pm and pick up some cheap biscuits or crackers. I always take a lot back to Canada with me. There’s a nice walk around the river that you can do, we have a lovely park, and some great old pubs in the area to grab a nice pint of local beer.

While I’ve travelled the world, and now live in another country, I’m still very proud of being British. My hometown is steeped in history and since it’s the gateway to the Lake District, make sure you check it out if you’re ever in the area.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, please leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you been to Carlisle or the Lake District?