In my opinion, Cartmel is one of the best villages on the Lake District Peninsula. Located just outside of Grange-over-Sands and the Lake District, we discovered Cartmel through a stall at nearby Ulverston’s Dickensian Festival. We discovered a village through a stall? Sounds confusing but, you’ll soon learn why.
Getting There
First of all, Cartmel is a seven minute drive from Grange-Over-Sands and 35 minutes from Windermere. The nearest motorway is the M6 which is only around 25 minutes away too. The nearby Cark also has a train station that serves the two villages and has links to Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster. Lancaster then, has links to basically to Scotland and London.
History
First references to the village date back to 677 AD when King Ecgfrith of Northumbria conquered the area. However, the village was initially put on the map, so to speak, by Cartmel Priory which was built in the late 1180s by William Marshall, Earl of Pembrokeshire. The priory has undergone many changes due to a series of disasters including when Scottish raiders caused damage to the priory in both 1316 and 1322 as part of the ongoing conflict between England and Scotland. The southern end of the priory fully collapsed in the mid-fifteenth century due to the area being built on an Ice Age lake. The local villagers did, however, manage to petition to Henry VIII to not destroy the priory entirely. It continues to be restored today and acts as the villages local church.
The village itself used to be called Kirkby-in-Furness as was part of Lancashire until 1974. Perhaps the name change was partly due to the fact that there was already a Kirkby-in-Furness in Cumbria, outside of Barrow.
Things to Do/See
Cartmel Sticky-Toffee Pudding
Cartmel Village Shop is the best place to stock up on the Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and other desserts. We were first introduced to the best Sticky Toffee Pudding I have ever had in my life at Ulverston’s Dickensian Festival when we bought them as gifts for friends and family. It’s safe to say we haven’t looked back since. Cartmel Village Shop is home to fresh produce and local artisan stock including the famous puddings which also include Sticky Chocolate (also great), Banana and Toffee Apple flavoured desserts. I also managed to have Sticky Toffee ice cream in a collaboration between the village shop and Lakes ice cream company. You can buy the desserts from Booths (think Waitrose of the North West) but, nothing beats buying it from Cartmel.
Cartmel Priory Gatehouse
What was once the gatehouse to the old Priory, is now separated from that building and instead crowns an entrance to the market square. This is a fourteenth century piece of architecture and old stone faces are carved onto either side of the archway that formally led to the Priory precincts. The gatehouse is now owned and maintained by the National Trust and remains one of around one hundred or so gatehouses to remain untouched in their original condition.
Michelin Star Cuisine
Surprisingly, Cartmel is home to not just one but two Michelin star restaurants. I’m not exactly talking from experience here as I haven’t been to either of them but, L’Enclume is a three star Michelin restaurant. That is the highest accolade of Michelin star and there are only nine of them in the UK. The restaurant is ran by chef Simon Rogan who uses produce from his own farm, Our Farm, which is located in the Cartmel Valley. The second Michelin star restaurant is also ran by Rogan but Rogan & Co. has just the one star.
Cartmel Racecourse
Earlier in the year, we cycled down to Cartmel and were surprised to see that there was a Racecourse next to the village centre. We arrived to find that the Cartmel Races were happening. A few weekends throughout the summer, there are horse races, fair ground rides and all sorts of things going off. The Racecourse also hosts other musical events throughout the year. It is usually quite busy around the area when the races are being held but, it is worth coming to take a look. Notably, the racecourse has the longest stretch from the final jump to the finish line of any other course in the UK, lasting four furlongs.
Pubs and Cafes
If Michelin star restaurants aren’t quite in the budget (understandable), the village is also home to a wide selection of country pubs and cafes. We have, on quite a few occasions, enjoyed a pint sat in the market square and it makes for a wonderful setting for a drink on a summers day.
Walks Around the Area
There are also many different walks that you can do around the area. We recently walked to the Hampsfell Hospice which is a great shorter walk of around 9km and is perfect to have an afternoon walk whilst visiting the village. For a full route, read the Hampsfell Hospice Walking Route.
Other options include walking to Grange Over Sands which is around 5km there so would be a 10km round trip. You could also head across to Hod Barrow which is also an 8km round trip.
Have you been to Cartmel?
Amie x
Explore with Amie 
Leave a comment