Cockermouth

The Cumbrian town of Cockermouth was hit by devastating floods in 2009 which made the national news, but after a lot of effort and a good deal of local spirit and determination, you would never have guessed that it had been flooded at all. This is Main Street, looking east.

Main Street looking west.

The colourful painted buildings in Market Place. It reminds me of similar painted buildings in Ireland.

Market Place,

Looking in the other direction from Market Place towards the town. Sadly I didn't partake of the all day breakfast!

The junction of Castlegate, Market Place and Main Street, the latter narrowing in the distance for the bridge over the River Cocker, from where the town gets its name. 

Cockermouth Town Hall. Note the impressive pair of lions guarding the entrance

More colourful buildings. 

The advertising for 'Fletcher's Fearless Clothing' has been well preserved on the side of this building in Main Street.  

A reminder of the floods in 2009.  They were at least eight foot deep at this point. 

The 555

The 555 bus service between Lancaster and Keswick, which goes right through the heart of the Lakes via Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere, is a fantastic bus journey, no matter the time of the year. I never get tired of it. This view taken from a northbound service shows a bus going in the other direction toward Lancaster as it passes by The Low Wood Hotel. 

Keswick Market

I had a brief stop in Keswick on my way to Cockermouth a couple of weeks ago. The usual Saturday outdoor market was in full swing. Note the collie dog. It always seems to be here when the market is on, so must belong to one of the stall holders I presume. 

A look in the other direction.

Ruskin's View: Kirkby Lonsdale

Overlooking Ruskin's View, the plaque commemorates the merging of the old County of Westmorland into the new County of Cumbria.  The name of Westmorland continues to live on though with many references to it, notably the weekly newspaper, The Westmorland Gazette, being just one example.

Reflections in the River Lune at Ruskin's View.

Looking in the other direction, down stream.

Kirkby Lonsdale Shops

Like its fellow Cumbrian town of Ulverston, Kirkby Lonsdale has many and varied local, individual shops, full of character, as the following set of images show. This one shows G.R. & R.D. Taylor General Stores.

Dales the traditional butchers. The pork and haggis sausages which I bought here after taking this photograph, were extremely tasty!!

You can choose from a vast range of cheese at Churchmouse Cheeses.

Isaacs Jewellers occupy this very old looking building.

The Green Room cafe. Note how many of the shops have the small windows. 

Could there be two more diverse businesses? Foxy Lady Fashions and Anthony Collinge, an Optometrist.

There is nearly always a Chinese takeaway in every town. This one is called the Silver Moon.

The Newsagents window was full of hand written cards advertising everything from hay for sale, to a cleaner wanted.

Possibly one of the least interesting buildings from an architectural point of view, is this one for the Edge of the World outdoor shop.  Note the date of the building.

Soooo tempting! In the sweet shop window.

Kirkby Lonsdale

The town map.

The main shopping street. Narrow and quiet!

Jingling Lane, is home to a very good and personally recommended chippy, which can be seen down the lane in the right background. The local Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery also have a beer named Jingling Lane - also very good!

One of several very old, part cobbled, courtyards in the town.

And another, with a door at the end.

Kings Arms Hotel, seen from Church Street. 

The other end of the main shopping street which is just as narrow!

The various colours caught my attention.

Now that's a promise! 

Looking toward the main street, with the square on the right where the cars are parked, and a weekly market is held.

Kirkby Lonsdale: St. Mary's Church

St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale. The Church is a mixture of architecture, some dating from the early 12th Century. The tower houses six bells, the oldest dating from 1633, and the newest, from 1724.

The pace of inflation. Gates to the Churchyard 

The main entrance to the Church,  A Norman feature is the outer door archway to the tower, which displays a variety of styles of stonework. 

Restoration of the Sundial

The Sundial.

The tree-lined Churchyard

The well kept grounds of the Churchyard.

Looking in the opposite direction towards the Church.

Ulverston: Bits & Pieces!

Calling into The Mad Hatters Tearooms, we were joined by these two!

Through the window of The Mad Hatters Tearooms.

Lower Brook Street with its wall murals. 

Honeysuckle Cottage.

The imposing and solidly built Victorian Police Station. 

Ulverston: Shop Fronts

As mentioned and featured previously, the Cumbrian town of Ulverston is renowned for its independent, colourful, local shops. Here are a few more. Not the 'hanging' figure at Pine-Oakio.

The colour schemes are so reminiscent of being in Ireland. This one is for Working Class Heroes.

A 'floral bike' outside Gillam's.

A fairly recent opening is the books and gift shop, Cornerstone. 

What a great name for a clock repairer! 

Tucked away down Lower Brook Street is Unique Image.