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Think of Cumbria and what springs to mind? A rural retreat complete with hearty hikes and snug pubs? If these are the images scudding across your mind’s eye, you’d not be wrong. Yet there are more things to do in Cumbria than its outdoor image might suggest. Tourism actually began here back in the 1700s, when clergyman Thomas West published a Guide to the Lakes. It banished forever the idea that Cumbria was wild and inhospitable. It’s thanks to West that when we think of the Lake District, we think of a chocolate-box landscape. Yet the ideal of the ‘picturesque’ is both a blessing and a curse: good for tourism, yet occasionally overshadowing the contemporary art that is made, performed and shown here year-round.
Cumbria is full of artists, from those taking part in the C-Art fest to those exhibiting at Blackwell and Abbot Hall; for them, the landscape’s ability to turn in a moment from benign beauty to lowering skies continues to inspire. It is this that has piqued our interest – and will, we hope, keep yours.
Celebrate the spirit of adventure, learn more about the Cumbrian landscape and uncover the inspiration behind Arthur Ransome’s classic tale.
No trip to Cumbria is complete without a visit to its best-loved places, Coniston and…
Located in the Lake District’s Eden Valley, the market town of Penrith is a jumping-off…
The South Lakes are where it’s at for most visitors, and usually has the tailbacks…
Sustainability is a theme that resonates throughout the Eden Valley, which stretches from Sedbergh to…
Once known for its industry, West Cumbria has an independent, industrial streak that sets it…
Carlisle is a city framed by its famous castle and still showing the battle scars…