Shopping in Cumbria and North Lancashire

Your route to retail therapy - the best shopping in Cumbria and North Lancashire

The old saying goes that ‘You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ and we never realised just how much we enjoyed shopping until we couldn’t do it anymore. 

But in the last few weeks it’s been great fun heading out into the high street as shops have reopened their doors. Here are a few of our favourite places for a post-lockdown spending spree. 

Lancaster Charter Market

Taking place every Wednesday and Saturday, the city’s historic charter market in Dalton Square hosts a plethora of stalls brimming with delicious artisan food and drink, crafts, jewellery, ceramics and much more. It’s just a short walk from the historic Lancaster Castle and, of course, close to all the other shops the city has to offer (we love having a poke around GB Antiques Centre and a coffee at Atkinsons Coffee Roasters). 

The yards and shambles of Kendal

Kendal’s layout is based on a system of narrow yards and lanes, which still exist today and are often named after the owner of the main house that stood at one end. Every one of these historic locations has its own story and is fascinating to explore and combine with a trip around the town’s great range of independent shops and chain stores. 

Keswick’s shopping community

Keswick is blessed with being surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, if not the world, but the town itself is also a lovely place to while away a few hours. The huge outdoors stores of George Fisher is almost a day out in itself, while the rest of the town is filled with plenty of proudly independent retailers and cafes who work hard to make visitors as welcome as possible. 

Lose yourself in Carlisle

Carlisle is well known as a major shopping destination for people from all over the north of England and across the border in Scotland. The Lanes Shopping Centre is the first stop for those looking for major chains and famous brands, but the city’s back streets and alleys have a world of shops and eateries to discover. We love to get deeply immersed in the endless rooms and shelves at Bookcase and Bookends, in Castle Street, then have a cuppa at the shop’s Cakes and Ale cafe. 

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