On the weekend of November 16, I was lucky enough to visit the Cumbrian city of Carlisle to discover the best places to stay, visit, eat and drink.
Having never been to Carlisle before, despite having visited the Lake District numerous times, my friend and I were both excited to see all the best places the city had to offer.
We set off from Preston train station to travel up to Carlisle on an Avanti West Coast train, which was one of the prettiest train rides I’ve been on as it went through the Lake District.
The journey only took around an hour and a half which was a lot quicker than I thought it would be to get to the Scottish border.
On arrival, our first stop was visiting the fabulous Castle Chocolate shop on Fisher Street, which was filled with festive sweet treats, where most of them were handmade in the kitchen upstairs.
I met the owner Keith Tattersall who showed me around the kitchen where the magic happens and let us taste some of the chocolates which were delicious, so delicious that we returned to the shop the next day to buy many presents and treats!
Keith showed us the processes of how he makes his chocolates with all the moulds and types of chocolate and flavours.
He said that he makes on average 4,000 chocolates per day, and possibly even more during this time of year with Christmas being so close.
The shop starts its Christmas production from September 1, with them making chocolate bars first as they have a longer shelf life, before moving onto the chocolates which have a shelf life of 12 weeks.
Considering the huge number of chocolates they have to make, the shop only has two chocolatiers!
The business has been running for just over five years and recently moved to a bigger shop at the end of August.
The shop is a paradise for any chocolate lover and is the perfect place to buy someone a special gift or a treat for yourself!
Our second port of call was exploring the ruins of Carlisle Castle, a majestic and striking building that dominates the city.
The castle is over 930 years old, having been first built in 1092 by William II.
It is a medieval stone keep and is near the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall. It has been the site of many key events in British history as well as belonging to both England and Scotland in its time.
On arrival we were greeted by site manager Hannah Close who kindly gave us a tour and told us all about the history of the castle.
I was surprised to hear how many notable historical figures had a connection to it which included Richard III who once resided there and Mary Queen of Scots, who was held captive there from 1567 by Elizabeth I.
The castle is known for some unique features like the “licking stones” which date back to 1746.
Prisoners were kept crammed into very small dungeons and there was very little water however the walls were damp, so for sustenance, the prisoners were forced to lick the damp walls to stay alive.
Another feature is the carvings that can be found in the castle’s keep.
These are thought to have been carved by bored prison guards and date back to around the 15th century.
Next door to the castle is the Museum of Military Life which features a huge variety of items including uniforms, medals, weapons and silver as well as featuring a First World War trench environment and is definitely worth a visit if you’re already visiting the castle.
After a couple of hours learning all about the history of Carlisle and its castle, we headed to our next place, which was just a short walk back into the centre to visit West Walls Brewery.
Admittedly I was worried that I might look a little out of place here as I’m not exactly the person you’d think would visit a beer brewery but I was pleasantly surprised and very warmly welcomed by one of the co-founders Joe Harrison.
The brewery is all open plan so visitors can watch the brewing process first hand and the venue has a rustic feel with a log fire and reclaimed wood benches.
They serve a diverse selection of beers, from pale ales and blondes to rich nitro stouts and they have 12 keg taps and four hand pulls which feature an ever-changing line-up of seasonal and small-batch brews, highlighting the best beers from the North of England and South of Scotland.
Aside from the great selection of beers and drinks, customers can enjoy a range of pizza slices made with local ingredients.
From a classic margherita to gourmet garlic wild mushroom and truffle, to a spicy Cumbrian salami with hot honey.
After enjoying a much-needed sit down and a drink, it was finally time to check into the hotel, The Halston, a chic apart hotel located right in the centre of Carlisle.
When checking in, I was surprised to be led out of the hotel and taken down the street to what looked like a set of flats.
This is where our room was, an apartment-type room and it was absolutely stunning.
The room had the biggest bathroom I had ever seen and everything was absolutely beautiful with a big double bed and a huge TV.
I was lucky enough to have been gifted some skincare and beauty items from Pure Lakes, a natural skincare brand based in Ambleside which was so kind of them.
After checking in and having a much-needed rest, we set off for our final visit of the day, an evening meal at The Old Bank restaurant, just a few doors down from Castle Chocolates.
The Old Bank is one of the most stylish and unique restaurants in the city, serving pub classics with a fine dining twist.
I ordered a meal called the pig plate, which was a mix of pork and black pudding and pork cheek parcels with apple sauce and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
The portion sizes were very generous so we only needed the main course to fill us up.
Owner Matt Rayson came out to introduce himself to us and was very passionate and proud of the restaurant he had created.
He opened The Old Bank in 2016, and it has recently expanded with an added bar area.
After an amazing plate of food and a few cocktails later, we left very full and ready for an early-ish night.
On Sunday morning, we had a wander around the high street and The Lanes shopping centre before walking up to near the cathedral.
We then made our way to the Cakes and Ale café which was quite hidden down a narrow alleyway.
The café was situated inside a second-hand bookshop which gave it a lovely, cosy feel.
It had interesting antique style décor and was certainly very popular with most tables being filled after only being open for 30 minutes.
I ordered a hot chocolate with marshmallows which was very much needed on a freezing cold morning.
We then had a wander around the bookshop and made a few purchases.
Then it was off to Carlisle Cathedral for a tour with Reverend Canon Benjamin Carter.
The cathedral was beautiful and is a place to definitely visit in Carlisle. The cathedral started as a Norman Priory Church in 1122 before becoming a cathedral in 1133 so is steeped in history.
We were lucky enough to be taken on an Angel’s View tour where we got to climb up to the clerestory to experience the cathedral from a rooftop view.
From here you get an amazing view of the East Window which dates from 1350 and is over 50 feet high but in my opinion the most impressive part of the building is the Choir Ceiling, which is painted a midnight blue colour with gold stars, angels and coats of arms.
This ceiling dates back to 1853-6 and the style follows the medieval original, but the detailed design and colour was the work of Owen Jones, one of the great decorative artists of the day.
Walking around the cathedral was so peaceful and a lovely space to spend some time in.
Afterwards we were taken to the café just across the way and were treated to a lovely afternoon tea, which was beautifully displayed on a cake stand and tea served in a China tea set.
The café, although modern, was built to fit in with the architecture of the cathedral and provides a beautiful view of the building.
They made sure we weren’t left hungry; however, we did have to ask for some doggy bags as we had a train to catch!
Armed with our leftover afternoon tea and chocolates, we made our way back to The Halston to pick up our bags and then headed to the train station.
Carlisle definitely is on my list of one of my favourite city breaks. It has so much to see and do and the food and drink scene is fantastic, considering it’s a smaller city.
I have to admit, I was expecting a small, sleepy town with not a lot to do but I was very much mistaken!
For anyone who wants to do a city break that can be easily walked and even easier to get to and explore car-free, it’s an absolute must-visit.
The Cumberland Food & Drink Programme is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is supported by Cumberland Council and Sellafield. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit: www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.
For more information about a trip to the Lake District, go to visitlakedistrict.com where you can find out about hotels, attractions and more.
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