The Lakeland town where even the service stations are scenic

Penrith has for a long time been a stepping stone of a town, the one you might take the train to if you’re spending a few days in the Lake District. So warmly have the locals embraced this status that they’ve even put a 14th-century castle ruin by the station, the better to lure rail passengers to linger.

Within months, though, the Lakes will have their own passenger airport. Carlisle Lake District Airport, assuming there are no further delays, will begin offering commercial flights to Dublin, Belfast and London Southend in the spring. 

So Penrith, a market town in the Eden Valley, will lose a share of its Lakeland gatekeeping duties, if not its association with the bibulous cult classic Withnail & I. The film tells the story of two ne’er-do-well Londoners getting stranded in the rain-lashed countryside (a soaked Withnail shouting, “We’ve gone on holiday by mistake!”) before finding their way to Penrith and terrorising a quaint tea room by aggressively demanding “the finest wines available to humanity”. The Penrith scenes were actually filmed near Milton Keynes, though, so there’s not much of a Withnail trail here. 

So with all that in mind, and with the prospect of an airport taking away some of the town’s staging-post footfall: is Penrith worth visiting in its own right?

The answer… yeah, kind of. Penrith is historic and pretty in parts. So are lots of towns. Widen the net a few miles, though, and greater Penrith becomes a groaning buffet table of daytripping propositions. Got a child who likes castles? How would they like… four of them? Enjoy henges? Penrith has two. Some towns don’t even have one! And then there’s all the Lake District stuff, with lakes and hills so beautiful that Penrith could be a war zone and people would still use it as a stopover.

They’re right to do so, because at this time of year it’s best to make your day trip an overnighter. You’ll need lots of daylight, not only to enjoy the activities above, but also to prevent them from becoming lethal. Take Aira Force, a slim but thunderous waterfall about 20 minutes from Penrith on the shore of Ullswater. You need to climb some steep steps to get a good view. Probably best to do that in daytime.

Ullswater itself is glassy and tranquil, or at least it was on the mild day we visited. You can reach the waterfall via a steamer from Glenridding, or drive around the water via Pooley Bridge, a low-lying village at the neck of the lake.

The natural beauty here is off the charts – even at the local service station. A little to the west of Penrith is the Rheged Centre, which comprises a gallery, cinema, shops and petrol station, all under the same grassy roof. It’s as if Hobbiton had discovered cars and cinematography. Trust the Lakes to even make a service station scenic.

Six reasons to visit Penrith

The castles

There’s not much left of Penrith Castle, but you may as well have a look while you’re in town. Or you could go a bit further afield to see Lowther Castle, which is a fun bit of cod-medieval Victoriana, or Brougham Castle, a scenic 13th-century ruin, or Dacre Castle, a three-storey moated keep. 

The drive

The Hause is a stretch of road that climbs above Ullswater in a series of sharp zigzags. It’s a good way of finding out who in your car is remotely susceptible to motion sickness.

The deli

You can find cheeses, ales, bread and the finest local jams available to humanity at James and John Graham’s deli and bakery, which has been a feature of Penrith since 1793. For a larger local spread, try Cranstons Cumbrian Food Hall.

The service station

Once a quarry, the Rheged Centre is now an entertainingly scenic petrol station with a cinema and gallery. It’s just off the A66.

The henges

They love a henge around here. Within 200yd of one another are Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur’s Round Table, formerly suggested as Arthur’s jousting ground.

The waterfall

Aira Force, the bosky waterfall we visited, is bridged at top and bottom, which makes for a nice circular walk.