Cartmel's medieval priory is one of only a handful to have survived the ravages of the dissolution of the monasteries largely unscathed. Its most unusual feature is its square belfry tower, set diagonally across the original lantern tower. Inside, light filters through the stained-glass east window, lighting up the wooden pews and stone tombs set into the floor. Note the skulls and hourglasses carved into many tombstones, designed to remind parishioners of the transience of life.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.47 MILES
Two miles south of Hawkshead, in the tiny village of Near Sawrey, this idyllic farmhouse was purchased in 1905 by Beatrix Potter and was used as…
1.56 MILES
Three miles east of Cartmel on the B5278, Holker Hall has been the family seat of the Cavendish family for nigh on four centuries. Though parts of it date…
17.07 MILES
The poet William Wordsworth's most famous residence in the Lake District is undoubtedly Dove Cottage, but he actually spent a great deal more time at…
Dove Cottage & The Wordsworth Museum
17.74 MILES
On the edge of Grasmere, this tiny, creeper-clad cottage (formerly a pub called the Dove & Olive Bough) was famously inhabited by William Wordsworth…
12.05 MILES
Lancaster's most imposing building is the castle, built in 1150 but added to over the centuries: the Well Tower dates from 1325 and is also known as the…
27.09 MILES
Built in 1894, this 154m-high tower is Blackpool's most recognisable landmark. Watch a 4D film on the town's history in the Blackpool Tower Eye before…
29.35 MILES
This sprawling country estate once belonged to one of the Lake District's most venerable families and is currently undergoing a huge, multimillion-pound…
11.37 MILES
Windermere gets its name from the old Norse, Vinandr mere (Vinandr's lake; so 'Lake Windermere' is actually tautologous). Encompassing 5.7 sq miles…
Nearby Cumbria & the Lakes attractions
1.56 MILES
Three miles east of Cartmel on the B5278, Holker Hall has been the family seat of the Cavendish family for nigh on four centuries. Though parts of it date…
4.25 MILES
Two miles south of Newby Bridge on the A590, this museum houses a wonderful collection of antique cars: classic (Minis, Austin Healeys, MGs), sporty …
5 MILES
Located at the southern end of Windermere, 7 miles south of Bowness, this 7-hectare lakeside estate originally belonged to a manor house. It's now owned…
5.09 MILES
Two miles south of Ulverston, Conishead Priory has variously served as a stately home, military hospital and miners' hostel, but it now houses a Kadampa…
5.3 MILES
Towering on a grassy hill above Ulverston, this tower commemorates the explorer Sir John Barrow (1764–1848), who helped map the Northwest Passage. The…
5.4 MILES
At the southern end of the lake near Newby Bridge, this aquarium explores a range of underwater habitats from tropical Africa through to Morecambe Bay…
5.76 MILES
Founded by avid Laurel and Hardy collector Bill Cubin back in 1983, this madcap museum in Ulverston (the birthplace of Stan Laurel) has new premises…
8.16 MILES
This Elizabethan manor is built around a mid-13th-century fortified pele tower, and fine Jacobean furniture litters its interior, although the real draw…