Penrith

Penrith is a Town in the county of Cumbria.

Penrith postcode: CA11 7

Planning a visit? Places to stay near Penrith

There are great places to visit near Penrith including some great hills, hiking areas, villages, ancient sites, ruins, old mines, waterfalls, rivers and streams, lakes, woodlands, towns, mountains, castles, historic buildings, historic monuments, caves, bluebell woods, nature reserves, disused railway lines, airports and islands.

Don't miss Cartmel Fell, White Pike (Seathwaite), The Knott, Broughton Moor, Catbells, Orrest Head, and Haystacks's hills if visiting the area around Penrith.

The area around Penrith boasts some of the best hiking areas including Cartmel Fell, Coniston Coppermines Valley, Borrowdale, Styhead Tarn, Troutbeck, Orrest Head, and Wild Boar Fell.

Penrith has some unmissable villages nearby like Eskdale, Coniston, Seatoller, Troutbeck, High Borrans, Kentmere, and Brigsteer.

There are a number of ancient sites near Penrith including Hardknott Roman Fort, The Hawk, Sunkenkirk Stone Circle, Castlerigg Stone Circle, High Borrans Romano-British Settlement, Mayburgh Henge, and Gunnerkeld Stone Circle.

Penrith's best nearby ruins can be found at Bonsor East Mine Workings, Bonsor Dressing Floors, Penny Rigg Copper Mill, Appletree Worth, Stephenson Ground Limekiln (ruin), Water Yeat Limekiln (ruin), and Hebblethwaite Hall Gill.

There are a number of old mines near Penrith including Penny Rigg Quarry Adit, Three Kings Mine, Tilberthwaite Gill Head Waterfall Level, Horse Crag Quarry, Tilberthwaite Deep Level Adit, Cathedral Quarry, and Parrock Quarry.

Don't miss Tilberthwaite Gill, Rydal Falls, Hebblethwaite Hall Gill, Styhead Gill Waterfalls, Taylorgill Force, Aira Force, and Hell Gill Force's waterfalls if visiting the area around Penrith.

Rivers and Streams to visit near Penrith include River Lickle, Appletree Worth Beck, Styhead Gill, Crowdundle Beck, Aira Beck, Hell Gill, and River Kent at Kentmere.

Penrith has some unmissable lakes nearby like Tarn Hows, Thirlmere Reservoir, Derwentwater, Styhead Tarn, Windermere, Wastwater, and Ullswater.

Penrith has some unmissable woodlands nearby like Broughton Moor, Brigsteer Park, Cow Close Wood, Jeffy Knotts Wood, and Grubbins Wood.

Penrith has some unmissable towns nearby like Sedbergh, Bowness On Windermere, Ulverston, Penrith, Kendal, Ambleside, and Kirkby Stephen.

Mountains to visit near Penrith include Scafell, Blencathra - Hallsfell Top, Skiddaw, Hartsop Dodd, Stony Cove Pike [Caudale Moor], Place Fell, and Wild Boar Fell.

There are a number of castles near Penrith including Brough Castle, Lowther Castle, Pendragon Castle, Lammerside Castle, Kendal Castle, Sizergh Castle, and Castlesteads (Lowther).

Penrith's best nearby historic buildings can be found at Acorn Bank, Acorn Bank Watermill, Church of St Peter Askham, St Michael’s Church at Lowther, Lowther Mausoleum, Askham Hall, and Smardale Gill Viaduct.

Historic Monuments to visit near Penrith include Fairy Steps.

Penrith has some unmissable caves nearby like Cathedral Quarry, Fairies Cave, Holy Well Cave, and Buttermere Tunnel.

The area around Penrith boasts some of the best bluebell woods including Cow Close Wood, and Jeffy Knotts Wood.

Smardale Gill Nature Reserve is a great place to visit close to Penrith if you like nature reserves.

The area close to Penrith boasts some of the best disused railway lines including Smardale Gill Nature Reserve.

Barrow/Walney Island Airport, and Carlisle Lake District Airport are some of Penrith best airports to visit near Penrith.

Islands to visit near Penrith include Piel Island.

Penrith History

There are some historic monuments around Penrith:

Walks in Penrith

A Stroll Around Askham

A short walk around an area with a long history from prehistoric to present, visible on the ground.

Length: 4.5Km (approx.)

Difficulty: Easy

Let's Go

Places to see near Penrith

History of Penrith

Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District. The authority’s area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area. The area had previously been an urban sanitary district presided over by the Local Board of Health. As well as the town of itself the district also contained the hamlets of Carleton (now a suburb of Penrith), Bowscar, Plumpton Head and part of the village of Eamont Bridge. The district was divided into four wards, North, South, East and West, which remained the basic local government divisions in the town until the 1990s. From 1906 the council was based at Penrith Town Hall, which had previously been two houses, believed at one point to have been designed by Robert Adam. In the 1920s Penrith Castle came into the possession of the council. The grounds were turned into a public park, and Castle Hill or Tyne Close Housing Estate was built nearby. Further pre-war council housing was built at Fair Hill and Castletown and after World War II at Scaws, Townhead and Pategill. The district was surrounded on three sides by the Penrith Rural District; the southern boundary, marked by the River Eamont, was with Westmorland. For elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Penrith lies in the constituency of Penrith and The Border. This constituency has been held since 2010 by Rory Stewart. Stewart was a Conservative member of Parliament until September 2019, then an Independent.