Lowther Castle, Rheged and one of Britain's largest stone circles. Penrith is the northern gateway to the Lakes — and better than it looks from the M6.
The northern gateway
Penrith sits just outside the National Park boundary on the M6 — direct trains from London Euston (3 hours 15 minutes) and Manchester Piccadilly (1 hour 30 minutes), Junction 40 two miles from the town centre, and the northern gateway to Ullswater (Pooley Bridge is 7 miles, Glenridding 16 miles) and Keswick (17 miles). The town itself is a serious market town with a Tuesday and Saturday market, a network of medieval yards and the surviving ruins of Penrith Castle in a park in front of the train station.
Is Penrith worth visiting? Yes — and underrated. Lowther Castle alone is worth the detour: the most-searched single attraction in Cumbria, with 18,000 monthly searches. The Gothic Revival castle, commissioned in 1806, was stripped of its roof in 1957; the romantic ruin that remains sits surrounded by restored gardens, the famous Lost Castle adventure playground and one of the best family days out in the north of England. Rheged — Europe's largest grass-roofed building just off Junction 40 — houses the Giant Screen cinema, a food hall, arts and crafts and the answer to every "what to do when it rains" question in the eastern Lakes.
A classic Penrith day: Lowther Castle in the morning (allow a full 3 hours), lunch at the Rheged food hall, afternoon at Penrith Castle and the town centre yards, evening at Rheged's Giant Screen cinema or the George Hotel bar. The Eden Valley south of the town is one of the most beautiful and least-visited valleys in northern England — drive it if you have an extra hour. The free Lakes Planner times it all around the weather and the Lowther opening hours.
Live conditions
Penrith is drier than the central Lakes — and Rheged covers any rainy hour you've got.
Tomorrow
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Live data via Open-Meteo · updates each visit
M6 Junction 40 is the main entry — slows on Friday afternoons. The A66 west to Keswick can queue at the Threlkeld junction at peak times.
4 miles south of Penrith · CA10 2HH
Penrith's biggest day out, and the reason a lot of people come to this side of the Lakes at all. A roofless Gothic country house — stripped of its roof and fittings in 1957 and left standing — set in 130 acres of restored gardens, with one of the largest wooden adventure playgrounds in the country in the woods beside it.
Our full guide covers what's genuinely free to walk versus what needs a ticket, the cafés, parking, dogs, opening times and the story of how a great house came to be taken apart on purpose.
Read the complete Lowther Castle visitor guide
Europe's largest grass-roofed building · M6 Junction 40 · CA11 0DQ
The answer we keep giving for "what to do when it rains" across every other town in the project — Rheged is the definitive wet-weather destination in northern Cumbria. Named after the ancient Celtic kingdom that covered this part of northern England. Built into a hillside just off the M6.
The Giant Screen shows mainstream and independent films on a screen that fills your entire field of vision — genuinely IMAX-scale, unlike a standard cinema. The scale is extraordinary. Best for visual films — landscape documentaries, big-budget action, animation. Check rheged.com for what's on; weekend evenings sell out.
This is the answer every other town in the project points to for rainy day options. Indoor, covered, warm, good food, Giant Screen, arts and crafts, local food hall. Free to enter the building. Easily fills three hours regardless of the weather outside — and the grass-roofed setting is genuinely beautiful on a sunny day too.
Order of attack: coffee at the café, browse the food hall, lunch in the restaurant, afternoon film on the Giant Screen.
Address
Redhills · CA11 0DQ
Parking
Free on site
Entry
Free · cinema extra
Book at
rheged.com
Bronze Age · prehistoric · genuinely odd
One of Britain's largest stone circles, 6 miles northeast of Penrith near Little Salkeld. Bronze Age, approximately 3,500 years old. 59 stones in a 300-metre oval — Long Meg herself is a 3.6-metre standing stone outside the circle, decorated with spirals and cup marks. Free entry, always open. Park on the farm lane near Little Salkeld.
Free ruins of a medieval castle in a park opposite Penrith train station. 14th-century origins, Richard III stayed here before becoming king. Atmospheric rather than spectacular but very free. CA11 7HX.
English Heritage medieval ruins 1.5 miles from Penrith on the River Eamont. Standing keep, gatehouse, atmospheric setting. Free for EH members; non-members pay. CA10 2AA.
Privately owned medieval pele tower, viewable from the road. 5 miles southwest of Penrith. One of the best-preserved 14th-century tower houses in Cumbria. Free to view from outside.
Drive the B6260 south of Penrith through Appleby-in-Westmorland and the limestone country. One of the most beautiful and least-visited valleys in northern England. Half a day if you stop properly.
Fell walk above the town with the beacon monument on the summit. Views north to the Scottish borders on a clear day. 3 miles circular, 1.5 hours. Free.
Travel styles
Adventure playground built around the ruined castle. The single best family attraction in northern Cumbria. CA10 2HH.
Visit websiteFamily films on an IMAX-scale screen. Free entry to the building, cinema tickets extra. CA11 0DQ.
Visit websiteFree, open ruins in a park opposite the train station. Good for running around. CA11 7HX.
Visit websiteKids love the local producers and ice cream. Free entry, casual lunch stop after the playground.
Visit website16 miles southwest. Kids half price, dogs free. The classic family lake day from Penrith.
Things to do in GlenriddingEnglish Heritage ruins on the River Eamont. Castle keep to climb, picnic spots. CA10 2AA.
Visit websiteWant a timed itinerary built around your group?
Tell the planner your budget, transport and weather — it'll do the rest.
On foot
Three walks — the town beacon, the Lowther estate, and the Long Meg circular through the Eden Valley.
The town classic
Distance
3 mi
Time
1.5 hrs
Ascent
170 m
Fell walk above the town with the beacon monument on the summit. Views north to the Scottish borders and south into the Lake District fells.
Included with admission
Distance
2 mi
Time
1 hr
Ascent
Flat
Through the estate, riverside and walled gardens. Included with Lowther admission. Pair with the playgrounds for a full family day.
Stone circle · River Eden
Distance
3 mi
Time
1.5 hrs
Ascent
Flat
To the stone circle and back via the River Eden. Flat, peaceful, extraordinary. The complete Eden Valley experience in a single hour and a half.
Where to park
Most central · 3 min from market · CA11 7TP
Large surface car park · good value · CA11 7JE
Central · near train station · CA11 8AU
For Rheged visitors · 1 mi south of town · CA11 0DQ
For castle visitors · 4 mi south · CA10 2HH
Eat & drink
Devonshire Street, CA11 7SU. A 300-year-old coaching inn. The best bar and restaurant in Penrith town centre — good food, proper atmosphere, worth booking for dinner. Sunday lunch is excellent.
Order this: a whisky from the back-bar shelf and the local beef. Sit near the fire.
CA11 0DQ. Local Cumbrian producers, good coffee, the restaurant does proper meals. One of the best places to eat in the Penrith area.
Independent restaurant on Devonshire Street. Consistently good — the local pick for a proper evening out. Book ahead.
Casual, lively, good pub food. Less formal than the George — the locals' Friday night pub.
A handful of independent cafés in the town centre yards — good for a quick lunch between Penrith Castle and the market. Costa and Caffè Nero in the centre for predictable quick stops.
On site at Lowther — proper café and a second outdoor café by the Lost Castle playground. Good lunch stop in the middle of a long visit. CA10 2HH.
Within reach
Ullswater Steamers, Aira Force, Helvellyn.
Things to do in GlenriddingDerwentwater, Catbells, the Pencil Museum.
Things to do in KeswickEnglish Heritage medieval ruins on the River Eamont. CA10 2AA.
EH free / payAppleby-in-Westmorland, limestone country, very quiet. Half-day drive.
Free · driveGetting around
Whether you want a Penrith taxi from the station, the seasonal Lake District buses out to Ullswater and Keswick, bike hire in Penrith or car hire to roam at your own pace — here's how to get around without the stress.
Need a Penrith taxi for a station pickup, a group run or a fixed-price airport transfer? These licensed local firms cover the town and out across the wider Lake District.
Based at Penrith North Lakes Station. One driver, one number — you speak directly to James. Local journeys, station pickups and fixed-price airport transfers. DBS checked, 13+ years' experience. 5-Star Google Reviews.
20 years serving Penrith and the Lake District. Licensed with Cumbria County Council and DBS checked. Covers Keswick, Glenridding, Windermere and Bowness. Card payments accepted, 24 hours.
8-seater available, ideal for groups and luggage. Fully insured and Eden District Council licensed.
Free, no sign-up. The planner times the day around Lowther's opening, Rheged's cinema and the weather.
Open the free Lakes Planner
Common questions
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