
Things to do in and around
WASDALE

We know that on this occasion you have chosen to visit the Western Lake District so whilst Keswick, Cockermouth, Windermere, Ambleside and Hawkshead are all easily reached, some of the things which you will find closer to us here on the west coast are...

The Coast
More than a thousand acres of golden dunes sweep their way down the western coast. This is a great place to escape the crowds. The dunes connect to Ravenglass, the only coastal village in the National park. With Roman ruins, an historic estuary and adjacent Nature Reserves of Eskmeals and the Drigg Dunes & Gullery.

Hardknott Roman Fort
This remote and dramatically-sited fort was founded under Hadrian's rule in the 2nd century.
Well-marked remains include the headquarters building, commandant's house and bath house. The site of the parade ground survives beside the fort, and the road which Hardknott guarded can be traced for some distance as an earthwork.
Well-marked remains include the headquarters building, commandant's house and bath house. The site of the parade ground survives beside the fort, and the road which Hardknott guarded can be traced for some distance as an earthwork.

Whitehaven
Once one of the busiest ports in England, its businesses were major players in the rum and ship building market. The highly recommended Rum Story shows how the town prospered but also illuminates the dark side to the business - the slave trade. The Beacon visitor attraction on the harbour side also lets you into some of the town's best kept secrets. Did you know that John Paul Jones, the father of the US navy attacked his home port during the American War of Independence and that George Washington's grandmother lived in the town?