Places to visit and things of interest in North West England. To many visitors, North West England means the Lake District; to others it is the home of the Beatles. Including the counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, North West England is a hugely diverse region of Britain. It has lively urban areas like Liverpool and Manchester, shaped by Georgian and Victorian trade and industry; attractive market towns; large country estates; ruined castles; a heritage influenced by Roman, Norse and Norman invaders (as well as border warfare); countryside ranging from lush farmland to fells, lakes and mountains and a varied, often unexpectedly beautiful, coastline that includes both brash resorts and barely visited backwaters.
A Bit About Britain is delighted to welcome Jo Williams, traveller and blogger at Lost Wanders, and Jack Russell expert, as a guest writer introducing readers to five easy walks in the Lake District. 5 easy walks in the Lake District Get out of London and England has some amazing countryside waiting to be explored. […]
5 easy walks in the Lake District Read More »
North West England
This walk round Silverdale began as a bimble, but in the interest of alliteration became a saunter. Silverdale, for those not in the know, is a small, almost modest, parish nestling close to the Kent estuary on Morecambe Bay in the northern English county of Lancashire. As you would expect, it possesses a little natural
A Silverdale saunter Read More »
North West England
I have recently wondered if there is a particular lesson for us in the old place names of North West England. Now, the interpretation of place names can be a complicated, uncertain, business and it should be stressed that I am no toponymist. That said, a lack of knowledge doesn’t deter anyone these days, and
Race relations and the place names of North West England Read More »
British Stuff North West England
18 December 1745, and a rebel Jacobite army arrives at the tiny village of Clifton, right at the top of the old county of Westmoreland in the north-west of England. Maybe four and a half thousand armed men, trudging back to Scotland along rutted, wintry, roads with horses, artillery and baggage. In November, Bonnie Prince
Clifton, England’s last battle? Read More »
North West England
Meg was a witch, and an exceptionally tall one. One day, she was messing about with her daughters, as witches do, trying to get them organised into a nice, neat, circle, when along came a wizard and turned them all to stone. People are always doing things like that; it seems so unfair. Long Meg
Long Meg in the afternoon Read More »
North West England
Penrith Castle doesn’t encourage the casual visitor, unless arriving by train. The railway station is conveniently opposite the castle (probably built on the top of its medieval outbuildings), but anyone driving into town who isn’t a committed castle collector could be excused for not bothering over much. A busy road runs into downtown Penrith alongside
The castle at Penrith Read More »
North West England
It’s hard to beat soaking up the atmosphere of an elegant historic house, or imagining life being restored to the grim ruins of a once-mighty castle. But there’s also a special kind of magic getting off the well-beaten tourist track to explore some less obvious aspect of our past, an attraction that isn’t widely advertised,
Touching the lost past of Ninekirks Read More »
North West EnglandThe first sight of Gawthorpe Hall may strike a chord with fans of Downton Abbey, the period soap-opera that followed the fortunes of the Crawley family and those that served them. I’m sure those of the true Fellowes’ faith will correct me, but doesn’t this Lancashire house look a little like Highclere Castle, the real
What does Gawthorpe Hall remind you of? Read More »
North West England
Imagine a simpler, hate-free, monochrome world, where you know your doctor, civil servants are both civil and servile, politicians benign and dogs only ever bark happily. You are secure in the womb of grim, factory-stained, buildings. There’s a footbridge over a railway and a train is coming. You gaily dash to cross just as the
The chuffing romance of Haverthwaite Read More »
North West England
The walk to Aira Force, a small but beautifully formed waterfall alongside Ullswater in England’s Lake District, is a favourite. It’s great if you’re not feeling like struggling up a serious fell, or walking too far; so you certainly don’t need to be Sherpa Tenzing to get to it. You do need decent footwear, working
Middle Earth is in Lancashire; it’s official. Just as Beatrix Potter was inspired by the Lake District, Thomas Hardy by his native Dorset and AA Milne, in a manner of speaking, found Pooh in Ashdown Forest, so JRR Tolkien is claimed to have been illuminated by the verdant countryside of the Ribble Valley. John Ronald
Hunting Hobbits in Lancashire Read More »
North West England
The bleak ruins of medieval Brough Castle perch on the western edge of Church Brough, a peaceful collection of attractive, solid, old dwellings huddled round a small square with St Michael’s church in the background. The village of Brough is divided by the busy A66. The larger portion, Market Brough to the north of the
Brough Castle, Cumbria Read More »
North West England