Cumbria

Perhaps most famous for being home to the Lake District, Cumbria is England’s most north westerly county and a rural, mountainous one at that, with a population of just under half a million.  It contains every peak in England over 3,000 feet above sea level, including Scafell Pike, the highest at 3,209 ft.  Cumbria’s history is dominated by invasions, migrations and settlements, leaving behind rich heritage sites such as Carlisle Cast, Furness Abbey and Hadrian’s Wall.  But it’s the Lake District National Park that continues to attract the majority of its tourists.   Over 15.8 million visitors descend on this, the largest National Park in England, each year.  Like the poet William Wordsworth and children’s author Beatrix Potter before them, people never fail to be inspired.

Barchester homes in Cumbria: