Places to visit and the best beaches on the Cumbria coast

Start your day with a Full English and a cuppa at The Hazelmere, a stylish café and bakery just a stone’s skim away both Grange-over-Sands’ Promenade and the train station. Although there are over 50 varieties of tea from around the world on the menu, all the baked goods are made fresh daily, using local ingredients. Before you head out to explore, spend time browsing the homemade chutneys, jams and preserves – the famous damson preserve is a favourite, and makes a fantastic gift. 

Check into your luxurious home for the night, The Grange Hotel, just a short walk from The Hazelmere. A Grange-over-Sands’ landmark, the timeless exterior cuts a striking figure when contrasted with the surrounding trees. Wander the grounds and take advantage of its peaceful vantage point overlooking the town and Morecambe Bay. The rooms are spacious and calm, making them an ideal base for a day of exploring. And if you’re wanting to reach a total state of zen, be sure to take advantage of the many spa treatments available. 

The town is famous for its ‘green beach’, a lush salt marsh that flanks Morecambe Bay and attracts both tourists and a rich variety of wildlife alike. Admire views of this unique feature with a stroll along the Edwardian promenade and look out for migrating wading birds that flock here to feast on shellfish and shrimp hidden in the estuarine sands. You’ll also come across the Ornamental Gardens – affectionately referred to as the ‘Duck Pond’ by locals. Part of the Cumbria Coastal Way, this stretch of coast is the ideal place for a stroll to help you work up an appetite for your next stop... 

Next, explore the medieval charm of Cartmel, a village steeped in history and anchored by its Priory, standing at the centre since 1190. Step inside and you’re instantly back in time, surrounded by centuries of stories etched into its walls. Then there’s the other pilgrimage. The sticky toffee pudding from Cartmel Village Shop is the stuff of legend: a dark, rich sponge drenched in buttery sauce, made to a family recipe and praised by Nigella Lawson and Rick Stein. You’d be silly not to try it. 

Eating in Cartmel feels like being let in on an exciting secret. The town has emerged as an unlikely hotbed for fine dining, with approximately one Michelin star for every 75 permanent residents! For dinner, this evening head to one of the village’s Michelin-star awarded restaurants, Rogan & Co. The set menus there are created with sustainability in mind, using fresh ingredients from Head Chef Simon Rogan’s own farm, Our Farm, found in the nearby Cartmel Valley. 

Begin the second day of your Cumbrian adventure by setting off on the scenic journey from Grange-over-Sands to Whitehaven, stopping off at the gorgeous Holker Hall and Gardens on the way. Although the grand exterior is delightful to look at, the intricate interiors of Holker Hall are well worth a nosy too. To get the inside scoop, it’s best to join one of the knowledgeable guides. Next, get lost in the 23 acres immaculately kept gardens that could have been lifted straight from the pages of a Jane Austen book. 

Once you arrive in Whitehaven, head down to the harbour where you’ll find The Edge, your accommodation for the evening. Along with its unrivalled views, The Edge is an innovative new coastal activity centre aiming to write the next chapter in the harbour’s history.  

After you’ve settled in and surveyed your surroundings – easily done with the views from your room – head down to the historic harbour for a dose of bracing sea air. Spend time exploring the various quays of the 400-year-old harbour and watch the docked boats bob up and down in the marina.  

For a spot of late lunch, head to The Howling Wolf Artisan Bakery and Café for a freshly ground coffee and the toastie of the day. Refuel to the sound of live piano playing and check out the owner’s private library collection that populates the bookcases in the seating area. If you’re good at multitasking, you can pluck a story from the shelf to read whilst you eat. In exchange for a small donation, you can even take the book home with you. 

Whitehaven rose to prominence in the 1700s as the UK’s original centre of the rum trade, and its story is told at The Rum Story. Housed in the original 1785 warehouses of the Jefferson family business, the immersive museum charts rum production through hands-on exhibits, from Antiguan rainforests to pirates and prohibition-era policing. Crucially, it also confronts the industry’s deep links to the slave trade in the powerful exhibition Slavery and the history of rum. It’s entertaining, educational and unflinching — well worth your time. 

Get hands-on with over 400 years of local history at The Beacon Museum. Interactive exhibits trace Whitehaven’s rise from a small fishing hamlet to one of the country’s most important ports. Step into working life of the past via the virtual reality mine experience, then finish on the fourth-floor viewing platform, one of the best spots to take in Whitehaven Harbour in all its glory. 

End your evening with a show at the Rosehill Theatre, a community-focussed arts centre. It’s worth checking the extensive events programme before your visit – you could be enjoying stand-up comedy, bopping along to live music, or immersing yourself in theatrical productions. Whichever performance coincides with your trip, you can be assured that your cultural itch will be scratched. 

Fun fact: several iconic artists have graced the west Cumbrian stage, perhaps none more legendary than David Bowie. He appeared at the Rosehill for three consecutive nights in 1968 – just a year before his smash-hit single ‘Space Oddity’ was released.