Month: May 2017

Couple eating fish and chips in Keswick Town Centre.
Keswick © www.golakes.co.uk.

Keswick in the Lake District home of the Lake Poets

Keswick was a settlement in prehistoric times. In the C13th Edward I granted a licence for a Market here which continues today. In the Tudor era Keswick was a mining area, but since the C18th it has been a popular destination for visitors Buildings in Keswick The town has a Moot Hall (or court house) […]

Morpeth in Northumberland ©www.visitnorthumberland.com
Morpeth in Northumberland ©www.visitnorthumberland.com

Morpeth the historic county town of Northumberland

Morpeth lies on the river Wansbeck. A market town, which has a rich history to explore, it is the historic county town of Northumberland. It is a good base from which to explore the county of Northumbria. Markets Morpeth’s Farmers’ Market takes place on the first Friday of every month 9 – 2pm in the […]

Caldbeck showing spring daffodils by the beck-©Brian-Sherwen-www.golakes.co_.uk_..
Caldbeck ©Brian Sherwen www.golakes.co.uk.

Caldbeck in Cumbria, home of John Peel – the grey-coated hunter

An interesting stop in Cumbria, perhaps for a pub lunch, is Caldbeck which means cold stream. Its best known inhabitant was John Peel (1776-1854) the hunter not the BBC’s much-loved DJ. The C18th Peel is the subject of the famous song, D’ye Ken John Peel, sung by every C20th school child. John Woodcock Graves, a […]

Churchtown Shopping Centre
Churchtown Southport © Visit Southport

Southport a beautiful seaside town in Merseyside

Churchtown Southport.  © Visit Southport Southport is one of the UK’s favourite seaside destinations. It has 22 miles of sandy beaches, wonderful parks, and a shopping and cultural centre. Throughout the year there are events and festivals adding to the vibrant cultural scene. Southport Market The market is in the centre, on King Street, close […]

Aerial view of Lincoln Cathedra © Visit Lincoln
Aerial view of Lincoln Cathedral © Visit Lincoln

The historic City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire

Lincoln sits on the site of a Roman fortress. The Romans grouped the local people together in great cities such as Lincoln (and York for example). Enclosed by great walls, the local people in the cities governed themselves but paid taxes to the Romans. Great roads linked the cities. The Roman road known as Ermine […]

A view across the roof tops of kendal with the castle in the background © www.golakes.co.uk
Kendal town with the Castle behind © Ben Barden/ www.golakes.co.u

Kendal a green and beautiful town!

Kendal was already a settlement when the Romans arrived. The local people, the Brigantes, provided goods and services for the newcomers. The Romans built a fort at Watercrook which is just south of the present settlement in a bend of the River Kent. They remained for about 400 years. At the time of the Norman […]

An aerial view of Berwick-on-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed ©www.visitnorthumberland.com.

The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland

Berwick-upon-Tweed, now an English town, changed from Scots to English and back thirteen times in the last 300 years. Three miles from the border with Scotland, Berwick had a violent past. The Border region once thrived on raids, and disorder was just a way of life. There were raids, pirates, sea battles and occasional truces. […]

A Golden Year for Stamford, England’s finest stone town

Sir Walter Scott once said that Stamford in Lincolnshire was ‘the finest sight on the road between Edinburgh and London’. Stamford has a lot to be proud of. It has 600 listed buildings, some unspoilt Georgian streets and lots of mellow limestone. In 2017 the town will mark the 50th year of its status as Britain’s first urban Conservation Area. This helps to […]

The magic of Haworth, West Yorkshire

Steam train arriving at Haworth © John Huxley With its cobbled Main Street, Haworth in West Yorkshire is famous the world over for the Bronte family who lived at the Parsonage. The Bronte sisters, Anne (1820 – 49), Charlotte (1816 -55) and Emily (1818 – 48), lived here, as the daughters of the curate. Their […]