If you want to experience the best of the Lake District, you can buy cheap train tickets to Penrith from across the UK with TransPennine Express.
The bus station is just a 10-minute walk from Penrith train station for onward travel across the district – go here for timetables. For local travel, there is a taxi rank at the station entrance.
Penrith in Cumbria is full of historic monuments and fantastic walks. Penrith Castle, which still stands today, serves as a statement of the town’s culture and history. Plus, it’s just an hour and 40 minutes from Manchester and only 50 minutes from Preston.
Penrith Castle is directly opposite the train station. This medieval battlement defended the region against regular Scottish raids in the 15th century. A few miles out of town you’ll find Lacy’s Chambers. These 5 chambers in the cliff over the River Eden were named after a Colonel Lacy who used them to entertain guests. Just over a mile from Penrith centre is Mayburgh Henge, which contains a standing stone enclosed by man-made banks dating back 3,000 years. Across the road, 400 metres away, is King Arthur’s Round Table, a Neolithic henge.
The North Lakes Hotel's FYR Restaurant has an open fire grill where you watch your chosen dish be cooked to perfect. In the warmer months, enjoy sitting on the outdoor terrace. The Crown Inn at Pooley Bridge which is a 20-minute drive from Penrith, is a traditional inn at the heart of the village serving home-cooked food and cask ales, or the Queen’s Head in the picturesque village of Askham also near Penrith offers seasonal ‘super-posh’ pub food made with local produce.
The 200-year-old Macdonald Leeming House is an AA 4-star hotel with direct access to the shores of Ullswater, so there’s little wonder that it’s ever-popular with guests. Roundthorn Country House has amazing views of the Eden Valley and the Lakeland Fells and is less than 10 minutes taxi ride from the station. They also do a very popular afternoon tea. The North Lakes Hotel is a 4-star Thwaites hotel and spa that’s a 10-minute walk from the station.
For more ideas on what to do in Penrith, see Visit Lake District, Cumbria.
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