This is a guide to the many attractions and places of interest in Cumbria, The Lake District, England, including historic buildings, lakes, preserved railways, churches, the National Trust, and much more. There are over 1000 pages, and several thousand pictures.

Cumbria was formed from the old counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and part of North Lancashire, and is now England's second largest county in size. Inside is the Lake District National Park, an area some 30 miles across, containing England's highest mountains (four over 3000 ft), and some of Englands biggest lakes. Cumbria can be reached by road and rail. The M6 motorway travels north through the centre of Cumbria - junction 36 near Kendal, junction 40 at Penrith and junctions 42-44 at Carlisle. Carlisle is a major railway junction on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston to Glasgow, which also has stations at Penrith and Oxenholme (for Kendal and Windermere). Carlisle is also served by lines from Dumfries, Newcastle, and Leeds.

The information is presented from a number of menus. Most of the pages are available from the menus of the seven areas of Cumbria defined below. The pages are also available from menus which collect similar attractions together - e.g. gardens, museums, lakes and towns.

	Cockermouth - includes Buttermere, Loweswater, and Crummock Water
	Keswick - includes Borrowdale
	Central Cumbria - includes Ambleside, Windermere, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Coniston
	West Cumbria - includes Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, Wigton, Sellafield, Millom, Eskdale, Wasdale, St Bees
	East Cumbria - includes Penrith, Eden Valley, North Pennines, Alston, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen
	North Cumbria - includes Carlisle, Caldbeck, Brampton, Lanercost, Bewcastle, Hadrian's Wall
	South Cumbria - includes Kendal, Cartmel, Barrow-in-Furness, Kirkby Lonsdale, Yorkshire Dales, Sedbergh

The The Settle-Carlisle Railway was the last great mainline railway to be built in this country. Consisting of 72 miles of track with 17 major viaducts spanning the ravines and 14 tunnels. it was completed for passenger travel in 1876, and advertised as the most picturesque route to Scotland from England. Despite recent threats of closure, it has now been given a new lease of life, with much improvement work being done, and some of the closed stations re-opened and renovated.

Hadrian's Wall is the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. It stretches seventy-three miles from Wallsend near Newcastle, across the neck of England to the Solway in North West Cumbria, and stands today as a reminder of the past glories of one of the world's greatest empires. In May 2003, the Hadrian's Wall Path was opened as one of the 'National Trails'.

The River Eden is entirely Cumbrian and is one of the few large rivers in England that flows northwards. The source of the river is on the high limestone fells above Mallerstang Common, near the North Yorkshire border, and makes its way across eastern Cumbria, with the hills of the North Pennines to the East, and the fells of the Lake District to the west, to Carlisle. Here its merges with other rivers to form the great Solway Firth estuary, before reaching the open sea, 90 miles (145 km) from its source.

The National Trust's most important work in Cumbria is the conservation of about one quarter of the Lake District National Park. Almost all the central fell area and the major valley heads are owned or held on lease by the Trust.

Cumbria is a Fair Trade County.

Related Links :

• Wikipedia - Cumbria
• Wikipedia - Lake District National Park
• Open Directory - Cumbria