If beautiful scenery isn’t enough Cumbria also has an abundance of fine dining, cultural events, shopping and nightlife. For the foodies, Cumbria is the home of seven restaurants which hold the prestigious Michelin star status, and some of the best local produce in the UK including Kendal Mint Cake and Grasmere Gingerbread. The city of Carlisle is home to Cumbria University, museums, art galleries and heritage centres with great transport links.  Other larger towns in Cumbria include the coastal towns of Whitehaven, Workington and Barrow, and the market towns of Kendal and Penrith.

There’s always plenty going on around the county, it hosts 100 major festivals each year including Kendal Calling which attracts acts such as Doves and Tom Jones and has theatres in all the big towns attracting shows, acts and comedians from around the world!

The Lake District, Cumbria’s own outdoor playground, has on offer almost every outdoor activity you could ask for! Not just for fell lovers, if walking, running or the great outdoors isn’t for you then you swimming in one of Cumbria’s open air heated swimming pools or 16 lakes could be. If you would rather watch from the side-lines then why not take a trip to Cartmel races or visit Brunton Park to see Carlisle United in action?

Schools

Cumbria offers a wide range of schools from small village and forest schools to private and grammar schools, in fact 80% of Cumbria’s schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. With so much access to the outdoors and nature then Cumbria makes for a good recipe for bringing up children, with abundant fresh air, open skies and opportunities for adventure! The University of Cumbria has campuses in Carlisle, Ambleside, Workington and Barrow in Furness.

Housing

According to the UK House Price Index in May 2022 the average house price in England was £283,496 whereas the average house price in Cumbria was £188,688, 40% cheaper! There are a wide range of properties on the market from rural retreats and country cottages to new builds and character properties. According to Rightmove’s Happy at Home Index December 2021 Kendal was ranked 14th happiest place to live in the UK and Carlisle 45th.

More information can be found here…

Transport

The county has fantastic transport links with the M6, west coast main train line and the newly opened Carlisle Lake District Airport. We are also only a 1.5 hour drive from Newcastle, Glasgow and Manchester

By car: The M6 provides a fantastic link to some of Cumbria’s busiest towns and cities: By air: With the newly opened Carlisle Airport you can now travel to various destinations including London in a mere 1 hour 25 minutes.

By rail: There are major rail stations across Cumbria’s cities including Carlisle which is on the west coast main line, Barrow, Kendal, Penrith, Workington and Whitehaven. Many of the villages also have good rail links via network railways including the famous Carlisle to Settle line.

Example Commute By Car By Rail
Preston to Carlisle 1 hour 37 mins 1 hour
Newcastle to Carlisle 1 hour 26 mins 1 hour 36 mins
Preston to Kendal 54 mins 41 mins
Manchester to Kendal 1 hour 15 mins 1 hour 20 mins
Dumfries to Carlisle 45 mins 45 mins
Glasgow to Carlisle 1 hour 40 mins 1 hour 9 mins
London to Kendal 4 hours 20 mins 2 hours 45 mins

 

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