Your Guide to a Day Trip to: Carlisle

Next up in this 2022 series is Carlisle. Carlisle is a border city and the county town of Cumbria. It's close to both the Lake District and the Scottish border, making it an ideal middle ground tourist destination and giving it it's nickname: the Great Border City. We recently took a glamping staycation trip and I loved the day we spent in Carlisle, it was most unexpected. 

1. Visit Carlisle Castle. It's a shame the castle is only accessible with purchase of an overpriced ticket, but castle is prestigious and so in tact. It looks perfect and it's signature brick work is beautiful. 

2. Learn in the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery. This little building has such an interesting design, the architecture is beautiful and the inside is full of hidden gems. 

3. Marvel at Carlise Cathedral. Following a similar suit with the castle, the red brick work continues. It looks perfect and is free to walk around inside. It also has some lovely remains in the gardens from a previous life, and lots of beautiful flowers. We saw the gardener's hard at work in autumn so I'm sure it looks lovely all year around, especially under the archways. 

4. Honour Carlise Church. It's simple and quaint but still lovely. There is a great area in the garden to perch and enjoy. 

5. Relax in Carlisle Park. There is a huge grass area just behind the castle. There is plenty of space, with some gardens and a small play area. There is also a little stream running down the back, but spoiler alert, lots of flies so I wouldn't recommend having lunch there. We ended up moving our picnic blanket to the other side! 

6. Walk along Hadrian's Wall. Going a little further out from the city centre, there are many beautiful spots just a short and easy drive away. Hadrian’s Wall is the most famous and you can stop at many points along the way to walk parts of the remaining wall. 

7. Explore Lanercost. I was honestly blown away by this secret spot on the way back to our glamping pod. The ruins are in the back, surrounded by a field, plus there is a lovely cafe with yummy cakes and even little cottage rooms to stay in. 

8. See the remnants of the past. Driving along the road, there are many little parking areas and each is linked to a roman remain. A few I loved the most include, Birdoswald Roman Fort, Pike Hill Signal Tower and Banks East. They were all lovely and peaceful to explore, with great views. 

9. Explore the backstreets. 

I have only been to Carlisle once and like I said, I thought it was so beautiful. To top it off, whilst we were there, there was a bike race going on. If I had a little more time, I would have also loved to explore the Watchtree Nature Reserve. Again, it's quiet and not too busy, but also one of the few completely accessible nature reserves for all.