Discover Penrith

Penrith brings together buildings from different centuries, museum finds, a distinctive viewpoint, and ways to explore the town on foot or by bike. If you are looking for a hotel in Penrith, these themes can help shape your choice of destination: Would you like to focus mainly on the history of the town, see finds from different periods, or include routes in your trip? The following sights and activities offer specific ideas to help you decide.

Castle and church: layers of history

Penrith Castle comprises sandstone ruins of a 15th-century castle and a 14th-century pele tower built by Bishop Strickland. In 1471, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III, expanded the castle into a royal castle. Here, you can see buildings from two centuries in one place, along with a later period of royal use. The tower and ruins belong to different parts of the castle’s history; Richard’s expansion marks a further change in its function.

St. Andrew’s Church also offers a glimpse of several building periods. The Georgian building was constructed in 1720 and 1722. Its tower is the only surviving part of the original 13th-century church. The medieval tower was built to protect the town’s residents from Scottish attackers. The surviving older structure and the later Georgian building thus give the church a distinctive historical context.

Finds at the Penrith and Eden Museum

The “Ages of Eden” exhibition at the Penrith and Eden Museum includes a fossilised footprint of an early reptile. The animal lived before the age of the dinosaurs; the footprint was found at Bowscar Quarry near Penrith. The exhibition also displays rough and polished stone axes from the Lake District, as well as arrowheads from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. As a result, finds from different periods and with different regional connections appear together in one exhibition. If a particular exhibit is a deciding factor in your visit, check the museum’s current information in advance: exhibitions may be updated.

Penrith Beacon and Beacon Hill

Penrith Beacon crowns the summit of Beacon Hill, a fell that rises to the northeast behind Penrith. The beacon was built in 1719, replacing an earlier structure on the same site. Its location links a named viewpoint with the landscape behind the town; its building history adds a historical change at the summit to this sense of place. For travellers interested in local landmarks and their origins, landscape and history come together here.

Explore Penrith on foot or by bike

“Explore Penrith” is a self-guided walk through the town centre. It offers a way to explore Penrith on foot, while the cycling options take in different distances and types of route. The C2C cycle route, also known as Sea to Sea, passes through Penrith. In addition, Visit Eden has created five circular day rides starting from Penrith. They are accompanied by OS maps and range from 15 to 31 miles in length. This information provides a concrete basis for estimating how much time a cycle ride might take, without conflating the two route options. The availability and map material for the day rides may be revised; check the latest route information before planning.

Penrith was designated Cumbria’s first Cycling Hub. Information about the associated cycling facilities may change. If you want to plan your ride around these facilities, check the latest information about them. Together with the self-guided walk and the C2C route through Penrith, this can help you decide whether you would prefer to combine your stay with exploring the town on foot or with cycle rides.

Farmers’ market through the year

From March to December, Penrith holds a farmers’ market with fresh local produce on the third Tuesday of every month. Its regular schedule and limited season help you work out whether the market falls during your trip. If you want to plan your stay around it, check the specific market date in advance. This lets you include the event in your plans without treating it as equivalent to the buildings or walking tour described as available year-round.

Discover more destinations: Spark Bridge, Grange Over Sands, Aspatria, Seascale, Tebay, Ulverston, Crosthwaite, Kirkoswald.

For the wider travel overview: Cumbria.