Brampton
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This is an ancient market town, given its own charter in 1252. The town has delightful cobbled streets and slate-roofed brick buildings, but the most striking building in Brampton is the octagonal Moot Hall, constructed in the market place in 1817. The hall has a handsome clock tower cum belfry, and a pair of cheerless iron stocks at the foot of a double flight of external stairs - these have not been employed since 1836... but stand ready! Worth seeking out is St Martin's Church, with its excellent stained glass windows, designed by the Victorian artists William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones.
Bonnie Prince Charlie made Brampton his headquarters in 1745, and barracked his army here, while he lay siege to Carlisle Castle. On the surrender of the latter to the Scots, the keys to the city of Carlisle were brought to the Prince. Only a few months later, on the news of the Prince's defeat, six of his supporters were hanged from a tree on the south side of Brampton. The tree no longer stands, but on its site is a monument commemorating the event.
Two miles north-east of Brampton is Lanercost Priory, founded in 1166 - a most striking, red-sandstone ruin set in secluded woodland. Scottish border raids during the 13th and 14th cents repeatedly damaged the priory. Included among the culprits were Robert the Bruce and William 'Braveheart' Wallace, the latter eventually hung, drawn and quartered for his continual incitement against English rule. The ruined naïve of the priory was restored, in the mid 18th cent, to form the parish church, where weekly services are held to the present day - by candle and lamplight after dark. Its vaulted ceilings are delightful, and it is a great shame that its close proximity to the Scottish border resulted in its premature demise. A beautiful medieval bridge, with two arches spans the nearby River Irthing.
Lying just to the south of Brampton is Talkin Tarn Country Park. The tarn is a lake of 65 acres set in 100 acres of wood and farmland. A nature trail has been constructed through the tangled woodlands, the starting point being a Victorian boathouse; this has proved a marvellous way to experience the wild Cumbrian countryside at first hand.