Cumbria’s Charming Coastline

Eschew the crowds and immerse yourself in the fascinating history of Cumbria’s northern coastline

The Solway Firth on Cumbria’s north coast © Simon Whaley

You know when you get your lefts and rights mixed up? That.

However, such idiotic errors can lead to some of the most fascinating travel discoveries and the best days out.

I was planning to visit Carlisle, Cumbria’s administrative city, with a fascinating cathedral (which you can read about here because I got my directions right the following day). But on this occasion, instead of turning left into Carlisle, I turned right.

As soon as I’d done it, I knew I’d gone wrong. But something about the quietness of the road drew me onwards. The road wasn’t numbered like most of the UK’s road system. It felt like a road to nowhere. Yet, as I discovered, it was anything but.

The UK county of Cumbria is one of the country’s most visited destinations, both by Brits and overseas tourists. That’s thanks to it being home to Britain’s busiest National Park, The Lake District. Attracting over 16 million visitors every year, the Lake District is the jewel in the Cumbrian crown.

But the national park hogs the middle of the county, briefly touching the coastline in the county’s bottom south-west. My road to nowhere travelled…