Penrith Town Trail

Walk Information

Start this linear walk by exploring Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Cold Springs nature reserve with far reaching views of Penrith and the Lake District hills beyond. Make your way into town to explore Penrith's historic town centre.

Surface Details

Tarmac pavements following roads and on cut-throughs. (100%)

Accessibility

Please be aware of livestock whilst walking in the countryside, most cows and sheep on public right of ways are safe but stay alert to the potential risk to you and your walking party, especially with cows and calves (see the link for more info. to stay safe). Keep your dog on a lead around all livestock, even if your dog is especially well-behaved, the poor sheep don’t know this! Especially in lambing time, try to leave the field as calm as you found it. To learn more about walking in the countryside around farm animals please visit: Countryside Walking Tips: Safety Around Livestock at: www.rspcaassured.org.uk/farmed-animal-welfare/other-animal-welfare-concerns/advice-for-walking-in-the-countryside/

Facilities

Toilets

Penrith town centre

Refreshments

Penrith town centre

Plan Your Visit

What3Words/// clubs.lunch.access

Nearest Bus Stop: Fir Bank. Route 646

Nearest Train Station: Penrith

Parking: There is no designated car park; however, there is an informal layby with parking for 4-5 cars on Beacon Edge Road. Please do not park on the residential streets nearby as this may cause disruption to local residents. The community nature reserve is being created for people living in, or close to, Penrith and we ask that, if possible, people travel here on foot or by bike.

Directions

Start your journey by exploring Cumbria Wildlife Trust's Cold Springs Nature Reserve in the shadow of the Beacon above Penrith. Enjoy its wide green spaces with far-reaching views of the town and Lake District hills beyond. A great spot for a picnic to prepare you for your town stroll. Leaving the Cold Springs Reserve at the carpark entrance, turn right and head down Scaws Drive.

Continue along Scaws Drive, leaving Cold Springs Park Care Home through the entrance gate.

Continue along Scaws Drive until you reach Horsley Terrance on your left.

Continue down Horsley Terrace a short distance and turn right into Barton View Road.

Continue along Barton View Road and take the first right into Hallin Croft road.

Continue along Hallin Croft road as it narrows before joining Fell Lane.

Cross Fell Lane and head left briefly, looking out for the entrance to a narrow paved footpath on your right.

The narrow pathway opens out to join Beacon Park road.

Follow Beacon Park road until it joins Beacon Street. Turn right, following Beacon Street.

Follow Beacon Street until you reach the junction with Lowther Street. Turn left and follow Lowther Street heading downhill.

Follow Lowther Street until its end and turn right onto Drovers Lane.

At the roundabout, turn left onto Portland Place.

Proceed down Portland Place and turn left into the Coronation Garden. Please note that dogs are not allowed inside the garden. The Garden once formed part of the garden and tennis courts of the houses that eventually became the Town Hall. In 1938, the land was converted into a community garden to commemorate the coronation of King George VI. In 2012.

Follow Portland Place to its end and turn left heading into Corney Place.

Immediately on your left is the Town Hall built in 1905 on the site of two Adam style houses dating from 1791- one of which was the residence of William Wordsworth’s cousin. The architect was Penrith UDC surveyor Mr Knewstubb. Some pieces of the original houses were built into the new Town Hall.

Continue along Corney Place and bear right following the main road to join Corney Square.

Turn left onto Middlegate. On your left is the Penrith Museum and Tourist Information Centre. Housed in a 1670’s school building named after William Robinson, a local man who later became a successful London merchant. The former schoolyard was converted to an open seating area by the Penrith Civic Society to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee.

Thacka Beck (the stream behind the Tourist Information Centre) was used by Bishop Strickland in 1382 to provide the town’s first water supply. The water is diverted from the River Petteril, 4 miles north of Penrith, and the amount of water was controlled as being that which would flow through the eye of a millstone, which is why we have a millstone in the schoolyard today as a reminder.

On the door lintel under the sign for Williamson Yard you can just discern the inscription RLE 1697 and a pair of shears indicating that this was the premises of a wool merchant. Weavers, tanners and tailors once occupied this street: the workers lived in cottages up narrow passages such as this behind their employers' premises that faced onto the street. There are several such yards in Penrith.

Further up Middlegate, bear right into Little Dockray. The public house on the right hand side is the only remaining public house of six that used to trade in Little Dockray. The building dates from 1679 and was converted into a public house in the 1800s.

Turn right into Cornmarket. Cornmarket was where grain used to be sold outside the many inns, all of which provided stabling for farmers’ horses. In 1983 the central area of Cornmarket was pedestrianised and the ‘market cross’ bandstand was built.

Turn left into Great Dockray and first left into Angel Lane.

Follow the lane to Market Square, the site of the Market Cross, Butchers’ Shambles and a building known as The Roundabout. Penrith has been a Market Town since the Middle Ages; King Henry III granted Penrith its Charter in 1223. Cross Market Square using the pedestrian crossing and turn left. Turn right into St Andrew's Place and past St Andrew’s Church, the oldest parts dating from about 1397.

Exit the churchyard onto De Whelpdale Lane (named after a local family influential in the town in the 15th and 16th centuries) and turn left, heading straight ahead and turning left onto Burrowgate and following until re-joining Middlegate. Middlegate was formerly known as ‘The Long Front’. Turning right into Middlegate, the building on the corner incorporates many Art Deco features.

Towards the end of Middlegate on your right, the Lonsdale Alhambra Cinema was built in 1910 on the site of a former brewery. It was originally a public assembly hall with many uses – concert hall, roller skating and cinema. This brings us to the end of the tour. Time to take a well earned break, find some refreshments and explore more of the town.