Less than 20 miles south of Carlisle, Penrith stands at the crossroads of major routes north/south (the M6) and east/west (the A66). It’s also on the cusp of two beautiful parts of Cumbria. Ullswater is five miles (8km) away to the south west, the Eden Valley is on the doorstep to the east and south east.

The town has strong connections to poet William Wordsworth - he and his sister Dorothy went to school here for a while - and to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III. As Sheriff of Cumberland in the 1470s, he was the owner of Penrith Castle.

The ruins of the castle are opposite the railway station, half a mile or so (0.8km) from junction 40 of the M6. Cross the motorway here, go west on the A66 and very shortly you’ll see Rheged, Cumbria’s second biggest visitor attraction.

To the east of Penrith are the ruins of 13th century Brougham Castle while slightly further to the south are the ruins of 19th century Lowther Castle (see Ullswater and Haweswater section).