Explore from The Royal: From Lakes to Coast

Think you know Cumbria? Head west. 🌊

Ask someone to picture Cumbria and they’ll probably imagine mountains reflected in a lake.

And quite rightly.

But travel west and the landscape begins to change.

Cumbria has a coastline too, and it’s well worth discovering.

Swap fell tops for sea air

The Cumbrian coast offers something completely different from the central Lakes.

There are beaches, coastal walks, cycling routes, wildlife and towns shaped by centuries of maritime and industrial history.

It makes a particularly good day out if you’re staying for several nights and fancy seeing another side of the county.

St Bees

Perhaps one of the best-known stretches is St Bees, with its beach and dramatic sandstone cliffs.

Pull on the walking boots and explore part of the coast, or simply enjoy some sea air before finding somewhere for lunch.

Whitehaven

Nearby Whitehaven provides a complete contrast to a day on the fells.

Its Georgian harbour reflects the town’s fascinating maritime past and makes it an interesting addition to a western Cumbria day trip.

Ravenglass

Head further south and you reach Ravenglass, where coast, history and railway heritage meet.

And that brings us rather neatly to another of our Explore from The Royal guides because this is where you can board the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and head inland again.

One holiday. Two very different Cumbrias.

That’s one of the advantages of staying for a little longer.

Spend one day overlooking Ullswater from a fell.

Spend another with the sea in front of you.

Then head back across to Dockray for dinner and a cosy, comfy bed.

Mountains, lakes and coast. Why choose?

Some images courtesy of visitlakedistrict.com