Things to do in Appleby. Eden Valley tourist information, walks and cycle trails

Local Attractions & Places To Visit

Appleby is an attractive market town set on raised ground on a bend of the river Eden, with a Norman castle at the top and the church at the lower end of town. Between the two, the tree-lined street of old buildings includes small shops and places to eat. There are plenty of walks, both long and short distances, in and around the town. It also has a swimming pool by the river and, just up the road, a golf course with wonderful views.

Once a year, in early June, the town hosts the famous Appleby Horse Fair, which attracts interest from far and wide, with horses to be seen on all sides and two trotting meetings held by the river.

We are 12 miles from Penrith and 30 from Carlisle; both are good places to explore the shops, or you can visit the museum and Cathedral in Carlisle. The area is well worth a visit in its own right, but is also within easy reach of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland, including Hadrian's Wall. The Pennines provide some excellent hiking country with day trips centred on the many small villages which are a feature of the valley.

Cycle Routes

National Route 71 of the National Cycle Network branches off the White Rose route near Northallerton in Yorkshire and into Cumbria passing through Appleby, Penrith, Whitehaven and Workington. The route is well signed. The main traffic-free sections are a part of the Sea to Sea (C2C) cycle route between Workington or Whitehaven and Penrith.

The Pennine Cycle Way (South Pennines) runs from Holmfirth to Appleby. The route is a total of 124 miles and features a wide variety of landscapes, including a huge canal embankment, textile mills, market towns, pastoral farmland and high open moorland. There are some traffic free sections include the green corridor of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath, and bridle tracks near Clapham.

For more information about cycling in the Eden Valley click here.