KIRKBY LONSDALE AND THE VALE OF LUNE
For walkers, cyclists or those who simply like to take a gentle drive along meandering country lanes, this is a magnificent corner of Britain to explore...not least because, with every twist and turn, there's something new to discover.
KIRKBY LONSDALE
Kirkby Lonsdale has a population of just 2000, but attracts countess thousands of visitors every year...visitors who flock to soak up the charming atmosphere, walk the narrow lanes, admire the beautifully renovated cottages and enjoy the fabulous shops. A busy market town since Saxon and Norman times, streets and alleyways include the Market Square, Swinemarket, Horsemarket, Salt Pie Lane and Mill Brow. There are fashion houses, tea rooms and gift shops. Plus seasonal events ranging including the Victorian Fair, where the locals wear period dress, the Christmas Fair, a gardening show, the country market...even brass band and choral competitions.
St Mary’s church is steeped in history and echoes to the footsteps of 1000 years of pilgrims. In the spring its paths are festooned with displays of snowdrop, crocus, daffodil and narcissus.
Contact details :-
website www.kirkbylonsdale.co.uk
SIZERGH CASTLE
This Mediaeval house features stunning gardens, two lakes and an estate rich in limestone grassland flora. Inside, oakpanelled rooms culminate in the in-laid chamber and feature a wealth of portraits, fine furniture and ceramics. There are many walks from the castle culminating in dramatic viewpoints over Morecambe Bay to the Lake District Fells.
Contact details :-
website www.nationaltrust.org.uk
LEVENS HALL
Dating back to c1350 the hall
is steeped in history. Magnificent gardens
surround it, and fine Elizabethan rooms feature
embossed Cordovan leather wall-coverings and
the earliest English patchwork (1708). Levens Hall
is also well known for various ghostly happenings.
Contact details :-
website www.levenshall.co.uk
WHITE SCAR CAVES
1½ miles from the village of Ingleton, these caves were formed under Ingleborough of years ago. Discovered in August 1923 they take their name from the limestone outcrops - or scars - which overlook their entrance and today a visit is fantastic fun for all the family.
Contact details :-
website www.whitescarcave.co.uk
LEIGHTON HALL
The historic home of
the world-renowned Gillow furniture-making
family, Leighton Hall is a stunning location.
Its romantic Gothic towers, acres of beautiful
gardens and trained birds of prey lure
thousands of enchanted visitors.
Contact details :-
website www.leightonhall.co.uk
The Highwayman