• Alston
• Allonby And Aspatria
• Ambleside And Troutbeck
• Appleby In Westmoreland
• Askam In Furness
• Barrow In Furness
• Bassenthwaite
• Borrowdale
• Bowness On Windermere
• Brough
• Buttermere
• Brampton
• Broughton In Furness
• Carlisle
• Cartmel
• Cleator Moor
• Cockermouth
• Coniston
• Dalston
• Dalton In Furness
• Dent
• Grange Over Sands
• Grasmere
• Greenodd
• Grizedale
• Hawkshead
• Kendal
• Keswick
• Kirkby Lonsdale
• Wasdale And Gosforth
• Kirkby Stephen
• Longtown
• Loweswater
• Maryport
• Melmerby
• Milnthorpe
• Nenthead
• Newby Bridge
• Orton
• Penrith
• Pooley Bridge
• Ravenglass And Eskdale
• Sedbergh
• Seascale
• Shap
• Silloth And Solway
• St Bees
• Skiddaw
• Staveley
• Tebay
• The Duddon Valley
• Threlkeld
• Ulverston
• Vale Of Lorton
• Wasdale
• Wetheral
• Whitehaven
• Wigton
• Windermere
• Workington
• Spa Hotels In Windermere The Lake District
• Hotels With Hot Tubs In Windermere
• Hot Tub Hotels In Windermere And The Lake District
• Romantic Breaks In Windermere And The Lake District
• Themed Hotels In Windermere And The Lake District
• Weekend Breaks In Windermere
• Windermere Attractions And Boat Trips
• Boutique Hotels And Accommodation In Windermere And The Lake District
• Windermere In The Rain
• One Way Ticket To Windermere Por Favor
• Horse Riding In The Lake District
• Walks In The Lake District
• Windermere Boutique Hotel Bedrooms
• Holiday Accommodation Wanted In The Lake District

Brough

Situated in the south of the picturesque Eden Valley is the beautiful town of Brough. Famous for its ruined 12th Century castle, and set in rugged countryside on the site of the Verterae Roman Fort, Brough is a haven for visitors who want to get away from it all. Brough is 4 miles north of Kirkby Stephen.

Brough Castle was restored in the 17th Century by Lady Anne Clifford, and it boasts magnificent views of the Pennines.

The twin village of Brough is divided into Church Brough, which lies on a former Roman road and was once the site of a Roman camp, and Market Brough which sits on a medieval road. The two villages are quite different, and the houses in Church Brough are situated around a market square, while the Market Brough residences were built around a wide and long main street. A bridge at Market Brough crossed Swindale Beck in the 14th Century, and the village was one of the most important coaching towns in England during the 18th and 19th Centuries for travellers going to Scotland. More than ten inns in the area catered to the stagecoach trade.

Both 17th and 18th Century buildings still remain, and culture vultures should visit the market cross on top of the clock tower and the late-Georgian Golden Fleece Inn in the centre of town. Market Brough, as its name might suggest, holds a weekly market. Its charter was granted in 1330 to Robert Lord Clifford by Edward III, for the markets. Many years ago in the 1700s, Brough Hill Fair was frequented by local residents trying to sell their sheep, cattle, horses and ponies. The ponies sold at the fair became known as ´Brough Ponies.´

Brough´s

St Michael´s Church dates back to 1150, although most of the work was done from the 1500s to the early 1700s. The four-belled steeple was built in 1513, and the stained-glass windows were modernised. An inscription in the chancel is

dedicated to the memory of the Reverend Francis Thomas, a vicar of 1701. The chapel in Brough was established in Market Brough in 1506, and eventually became a grammar school.

The Twelfth Night Holly Tree is an ancient custom which was celebrated in the town, and was originally a Christian Christmas celeb

ration. The holly tree was said to guide the wise men to the manger, and the annual event evolved into a procession of men going from one pub to another, and drinking plenty of beer along the way. The use of holly, not only in Lake District Celebrations, but throughout the UK, was said to have come from the Norse people who believed it guarded them against evil spirits.

If you are visitin

g Brough, take a trip to the Rey Cross which is situated about 6 miles east of the village, and marks the ancient English-Scottish border. A hospice once stood here for travellers and pilgrims.

Wherever you decide to stay in the Lake District, you can easily tour around Windermere, Bowness, Ullswater, Keswick and Grasmere from most towns and villages in Cumbria. You may decide to stay in a boutique hotel in Windermere, or plump for a b & b in Grasmere, but one thing is for certain. You will find a wealth of things to see and do in the Lake District whatever time of year you choose to visit.

Home >> Places to Visit