Carlisle trip - what to do?

[Joey Beauchamp]

Unless it's rained or frozen off, I am heading to Carlisle in January for a football match. I have just booked advance tickets via Avanti, but chose an early morning train as it was dirt cheap!

I have two possible plans of what to do with my spare time, but feel that either would be rather risky in terms of making kick off:

1. Jump off at Lancaster (I know this isn't technically allowed on an advance ticket), train to Barrow, then Nethertown (I've always wanted to go here), walk to St Bees or train back to Drigg (depending on the weather), train to Carlisle. This relies on at least 3 Northern trains running close to time, with no cancelations, otherwise I miss kick off.

2. Jump off at Lancaster, train to Hellifield, Settle and Carlisle to Carlisle. This relies on 2 Northern trains running and nothing going wrong up on the moors.

Which option is safer in your opinion? My feeling is that option 1 is more likely to go wrong, but easier to rectify if it does!

if I decide against the above, does anyone have any suggestions of interesting places to visit in or a short train ride from Carlisle? My train is due into Carlisle at 09.48 so I'd have roughly 4 hours to explore.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

If you don't want to spend the time in Carlisle, which is a reasonably interesting place, you could perhaps consider an additional rail trip along the Tyne Valley line to maybe Hexham. It's also on the Carlisle-Newcastle bus route.

 

[ChrisC]

Carlisle is quite an interesting city with plenty of places to explore including the castle, cathedral, museums and art gallery. Lovely to wander around in summer but not if it turned out to be a wet January day. If it‘s cold and sunny it’s not so bad, but be warned if there’s a northerly wind blowing through the Market Place and down the main streets it’s a freezing cold place to be.

 

[Joey Beauchamp]

If you don't want to spend the time in Carlisle, which is a reasonably interesting place, you could perhaps consider an additional rail trip along the Tyne Valley line to maybe Hexham. It's also on the Carlisle-Newcastle bus route.

I did think about going to Haltwhistle because I went to Hexham recently. The station looks fantastic, especially the signal box and wrought iron bridge. Only issue is if it is raining, there doesn't seem to be much going on there until the pubs open!

Carlisle is quite an interesting city with plenty of places to explore including the castle, cathedral, museums and art gallery. Lovely to wander around in summer but not if it turned out to be a wet January day. If it‘s cold and sunny it’s not so bad, but be warned if there’s a northerly wind blowing through the Market Place and down the main streets it’s a freezing cold place to be.

I've never been to Carlisle so that's good to know. Maybe a morning of culture is the answer - I will actually be able to take it in without my five year old in attendance.

 

[W-on-Sea]

I have to agree that Carlisle is an interesting and pleasant city to explore (more so than a majority of towns with football teams in their present or recent past league), and I'd be really wary of placing too much trust in Northern's reliability if it can be avoided. Cathedral, castle, art gallery/museum, they are all good (the castle is obviously at risk of being windswept in the wrong conditions). Some appealing pubs in the centre too (and the interesting historical experiment of the pubs there having been nationalized between WW1 and the 1970s for good measure).

 

[_toommm_]

then Nethertown (I've always wanted to go here), walk to St Bees or train back to Drigg

The walk from Nethertown to St Bees isn’t that interesting. I’d recommend the walk back to Sellafield which I’ve done quite a few times, or even to Drigg if you’re fit enough. Get off at Drigg (a quiet request stop) then walk to Nethertown (an even quieter request stop).

 

[DaventryRabbit]

The walk from Nethertown to St Bees isn’t that interesting. I’d recommend the walk back to Sellafield which I’ve done quite a few times, or even to Drigg if you’re fit enough. Get off at Drigg (a quiet request stop) then walk to Nethertown (an even quieter request stop).

Or alight at Braystones and make the walk to Nethertown (which I have done). Best to stick to the shingle beach for most of the way (if the weather is agreeable) as the inland route is a kot longer.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Problem with such an itinerary involving either or both of Braystones and/or Nethertown request stops is then getting a suitable train into Carlisle in good time for a 15:00 KO at Brunton Pk. Can be done, but you might well miss the start of the game. Not much margin for delay.

 

[Kite159]

Maybe head towards Hexham firstly by the train, returning to Carlisle by the bus route [or vice versa]. Would allow a different view of the scenery.

I believe Northern offers some reasonably priced advances available on the day and the bus will be £2

 

[Iskra]

Personally, I'd just spend time in Carlisle, the risk of a rail or weather mishap is too great to be messing about. There's a nice bar called The Last Zebra, or a couple of Wetherspoons and a decent chippy called Fontanas.

 

[yorksrob]

When you're there, look out for the stuffed fox