Cartmel

The village of Cartmel is the southern Lakeland area's most attractive, set in a gentler Cumbrian landscape of hills and fields beyond the trees of Grizedale and the southern tip of Windermere. It comes alive when more than 20,000 people descend on Cartmel Racecourse for steeplechasing on holiday weekends in May and August. Dominating the town is the ancient priory, now the village church. Market Square has pubs, bookshops, and the village shop, rightly famed for its delicious sticky toffee pudding. Helped by the L’Enclume restaurant, the town has a large and growing foodie reputation and some excellent gourmet shops, including a great cheese shop.