Ambleside is one of the most popular towns in the Lake District and as the gateway to the famous Langdale valley, is a major rock climbing centre. Most of the town is built with local green slate and is now a major tourist destination.

Appleby-In-Westmoreland has a wide main street which runs from the north end, by the cloisters to the south end, by the well-preserved Norman Castle entrance. Appleby holds a number of events throughout the year, including its famous three hundred year old Horse Fair in June and the increasingly popular Jazz Festival in July and country markets throughout the summer.

Barrow-In-Furness Barrow is a Victorian town with a proud heritage of innovation, surrounded by beautiful beaches and inspiring scenery. The Dock Museum is a spectacular modern museum where you can explore the fascinating history of Barrow.

Bowness-On-Windermere is a sprawling tourist town on the shore of the lake. From here you can take a ferry across the lake to Hawkshead or Sawrey

Brampton is a small market town built of local sandstone, and situated about 9 miles south of Carlisle. With Moot Hall in the centre of the town, the site of the Old Roman Fort and the sinister events at the Capon Tree, Brampton has it's own history and is sure to have something to stir everyone's interest.

Carlisle is the main shopping, commercial and industrial centre in the northern half of Cumbria. Here you will find Carlisle Castle, a great medieval fortress which is also home to the Border Regiment Museum. There are guided town trails in the City, details of which can be obtained from Tourist Information.

Cockermouth lies just outside the boundary of the Lake District National Park. This is the birth place of William Wordsworth. There are several places of interest to the visitor including the Mineral Museum which exhibits some of the finest mineral specimens, the Museum of Printing which has a varied and fascinating range of printing presses, and the Toy and Model Museum exhibiting a wide selection of mainly British toys from 1900 to the present day.

Coniston Coniston is a good centre for walkers and climbers. Coniston Water is set in the heart of the Lake District and is where the water speed record was broken in 1955 by Donald Campbell. The Old Man of Coniston, rises dramatically behind the houses and the area abounds with spectacular waterfalls, outlying tarns and wildlife, such as red squirrels and deer.

Grange-Over-Sands is a quiet seaside retreat on the Southern tip of the Cartmel peninsula, on the shores of Morecambe Bay between the mountains and the sea, and only 7 miles from Lake Windermere. The town is mainly built of limestone with some quality hotels, a traffic-free promenade and for nature enthusiasts nature reserves and sites of special scientific interest.

Grasmere Grasmere is probably the Cumbria's most popular village, due most probably to William Wordsworth. Today Grasmere is totally given over to the tourist industry, with plenty of gift shops, places to eat and stay. Most of the buildings date from the 19th or early 20th Century, though the farms around Grasmere are much older.

Hawkshead is a historic and picturesque village characterised by its cluster of whitewashed houses, archways and alleyways, courtyards and squares which was loved by William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. Cars are banned from the village, there being a large car park on the outskirts of the village. Tourism is now the main industry of Hawkshead, there are no less than thirty-eight buildings of architectural or historic interest and many pleasant inns, guest houses, teashops and gift shops.

Kendal  is an attractive town ideal for shopping trips and has a Factory Shopping Centre. Kendal Castle is now a ruin but is worth a visit. At Kendal Museum there is an exhibition which tells the story of the castle and history of the town. The Forest of Bowland is nearby.

Keswick has become the major centre for tourism in the north lakes. This pretty market town offer a wide range of attractions for visitors, from shops and restaurants to museums with a difference, and boating trips around lake Derwentwater. The Pencil Museum tells the story of pencil making in Keswick and the Museum & Art Gallery is a purpose built Victorian museum unchanged since it was erected.

Kirkby Lonsdale is a historic market town located in the south-east of Cumbria between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. It is a very ancient settlement - Romans Saxons, Normans and Danes all carved an impression, and the town was included in the Domesday Book of 1086. There are many riverside and country walks in the area, and historic buildings to see, many from the 17th and 18th century.

Maryport was the site of a Roman port and has fascinating links with the ill-fated Titanic and Fletcher Christian of ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’. The town has a first-class marina, aquarium and many interesting shops. The history of the town can be explored at the Maritime Museum.

For more information on Maryport visit the excellent website at GoMaryport

Penrith this attractive market town is the hub of the Eden Valley. Penrith has a rich history and was once the capital of Cumbria. The town's now ruined Castle, which begun life in 1399, is just one of a number of interesting historic buildings which may be visited. Penrith makes the perfect base for exploring the North Lakes, Eden Valley and North Pennines.

Sedbergh  is an attractive old market town with cobbled streets which still bears evidence of the Saxons, Vikings and Normans who inhabited the area. The town is dwarfed by the might Howgills fells and overlooking the town is the site of Castlehow, an ancient motte and bailey castle built to repel the Scottish.

Ulverston is a fine market town with fascinating ginnels and cobbled streets which hold many surprises for the visitor. The Ulverston town crier issues a warm welcome to shoppers on Thursdays and Saturdays. Being the birthplace of Stan Laurel, Ulverston is home to the world's only Laurel and Hardy Museum and other attractions include the new Lakes Glass Centre, where you can watch the transformation of molten glass into spectacular works of art, and Cumbria Crystal, where you can watch the intricate hand crafted process of crystal making and engraving

Whitehaven is famous for its 18th Century streets of merchants’ and sea captains houses. Experience "Rum Story – the Dark Spirit of Whitehaven" exhibition at Jefferson’s, the country’s oldest family of wine merchants and the award winning Beacon, which tells the port’s history and its links with George Washington and John Paul Jones.

Windermere at 12 miles long, one mile wide and 220 feet deep, is the largest natural lake in England. The town of Windermere grew around the railway station, about a mile and a half from the lake. The village was originally called Birthwaite, but the railway company decided to call the station after the lake.