For other places with the same name, see Carlisle (disambiguation).

Carlisle is an English cathedral and historical fortress city in the modern county of Cumbria, at the northern end of the Lake District and 10 miles (16 km) from the Scottish border. It's an ideal base for exploring the English Lake District, the world famous Hadrian's Wall and the Northumberland National Park.

Get in

By plane

Manchester Airport (MAN ^IATA) is usually best choice for its global connections and competitive fares. An hourly direct train from the airport takes two hours to Carlisle and continues to Glasgow.

Newcastle upon Tyne (NCL ^IATA) and Glasgow (GLA ^IATA) airports are reasonable alternatives.

Carlisle Lake District Airport (CAX  ^IATA) has air freight, aircraft maintenance and private light aviation but no commercial flights. From time to time there's upbeat talk of relaunching these, but the list of flopped ventures is longer than the list of destinations ever served. It's six miles east of town near Brampton, see below for the aviation museum at the airport.

By train

Trains run hourly from London Euston, taking 3 hr 20 min via Warrington, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme (for Lake District) and Penrith, and continuing from Carlisle non-stop to Glasgow Central (another 70 min).

Trains from Manchester Airport and Piccadilly, and from Liverpool Lime Street, also run via Preston to Carlisle and continue to Lockerbie, where they branch either for Motherwell and Glasgow Central, or for Edinburgh Haymarket and Waverley.

An hourly train runs from Dumfries via Annan and Gretna to Carlisle. Every few hours these start from Glasgow Central and meander through Kilmarnock and a dozen small places.

Trains run every 30 min from Newcastle upon Tyne, taking 90 min via Metrocentre, Prudhoe, Hexham, Haltwhistle and Brampton. Some start from Morpeth.

Trains from Leeds run a scenic route every couple of hours, taking 2 hr 40 min via Shipley (for Bradford), Keighley, Skipton, Settle, Ribblehead and Appleby.

The Dalesman is a steam-hauled excursion train running June-Sept from York or Chester to Carlisle via this line.

Trains from Barrow-in-Furness wend and wind along the coast hourly via Millom, Ravenglass (for Eskdale), Sellafield, Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, Wigton and Dalston.

1 Carlisle station is central in town. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, toilets, a cafe and waiting rooms. There is step-free access to all platforms.

By road

Carlisle Castle

Carlisle is the terminus of the historic A6 from London via Manchester, meeting A7 from Edinburgh. It's now bypassed by M6 from the Midlands and Preston, which reaches the Scottish border 10 miles north of town to become A74(M) / M74 to Glasgow. Cyclists must stay on A6 / A7.

From northeast England take A1(M) to Scotch Corner then cross the Pennines on A66 to Penrith to join M6. When A66 is closed by bad weather (a regular winter occurrence) stay on A1(M) to Newcastle then cross on A69 via Hexham at lower altitude.

A75 runs from Stranraer (for the Belfast and Larne ferries) via Dumfries.

From Edinburgh the usual route is A702 via Biggar to join M74 at Abington. A scenic slower alternative is A7 via Galashiels and Hawick.

By bus

National Express runs from London Victoria, once daytime (NX590) taking 9 hours via Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester and Penrith, and once overnight (NX594) taking 7 hours via Heathrow airport. Both continue to Glasgow, and NX594 carries on to Edinburgh. Megabus competes head-to-head on the same route.

NX 182 from Edinburgh takes 3 hr 20 min via Glasgow and Hamilton, and continues to Penrith, Manchester city and airport, and Birmingham.

Stagecoach 685 runs hourly from Newcastle Eldon Square, taking 2 hr 30 min via Hexham, Haltwhistle and Brampton.

Bus 104 runs every 30 min from Penrith, taking 50 min.

Bus 300 runs every 30 min from Workington, taking 90 min via Maryport and Aspatria.

Bus 554 runs every 2 hours from Keswick, taking 85 min.

Carlisle Cathedral

Bus 79 runs hourly from Dumfries, taking 1 hour 40 min via Annan, Gretna and Longtown.

Buses no longer run along the Solway coast from Stranraer ferry port, you have to double back via Glasgow,

Borders Bus X95 runs from Edinburgh along A7 via Galashiels, Selkirk, Hawick and Longtown.

McCall's Coach 382 runs four times a day from Lockerbie via Ecclefechan and Gretna.

2 Carlisle Bus Station is on Lonsdale St near the shopping centre.

Get around

Most sights are within walking distance of the centre.

Stagecoach Bus 93 follows the route of Hadrian's Wall west of town, running 2-3 times a day to Glasson, Port Carlisle, Bowness-on-Solway, Anthorn and Kilbride.

A dozen taxi firms ply the town and nearby countryside.

See

• 1 Carlisle Cathedral, The Abbey CA3 8TZ, ☏ +44 1228 548151. M-F 7:30AM-6:30PM, Sa Su 7:30AM-5PM. Built from 1112 as an Augustinian priory, it became Anglican after the Dissolution of 1536. It's small and the exterior looks somewhat scruffy, as the local red sandstone is vulnerable to industrial soot and smoke. Within, the finest feature is the great intricate east window. The choir has a wooden barrel vault roof and wooden seating with misericords. These are shelves on the undersides of hinged seats, so that during the lengthy standing periods of a service, monks could prop themselves upright. Candle scorch marks reveal that they sometimes fell asleep. Donation £5. (updated Nov 2024)
• Guildhall Museum, Fisher St CA3 8JE. Closed until March 2025. In a half-timbered house of 1407, this exhibits the Trade Guilds, the town's medieval merchant societies. Free. (updated Nov 2024)
• 2 Carlisle Castle, Castle Way CA3 8UR, ☏ +44 370 333 1181. Sa Su 10AM-4PM. The earliest fort here was the Roman Luguvalium from 72 AD, 50 years before construction of Hadrian's Wall. The Normans built a wood-and-earthwork fort in 1092 and rebuilt it as a stone castle from 1122. It withstood attacks by the Scots and in 1568 the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots watched football on the green outside. The Jacobites seized it in 1745 before retreating before the advance of the Duke of Cumberland, and those that didn't scarper were put to death. The border then became peaceful so the castle was neglected. The army still have a small presence here and the castle houses Cumbria's Museum of Military Life, no extra charge. Adult £11.30, conc £10, child £6.80, English Heritage free. (updated Nov 2024)
• 3 Tullie House Museum, Castle Street. M–Sa 10AM – 4PM, Su noon - 4PM (5PM in summer). An excellent museum dedicated to all aspects of Border life and featuring great exhibits relating to Hadrian's Wall. An interesting permanent exhibition is dedicated to Border Reivers. Adult £6.50. (updated Jan 2019)
• 4 A World in Miniature, Houghton, Carlisle, Cumbria CA6 4JB (On the A689 near junction 44 of the M6), ☏ +44 1228 400610, houghtonhall@klondyke.co.uk. M-Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10:30AM-4:30PM (garden centre and farm shop), M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 10AM-4PM (restaurant). (updated Feb 2022)
• 5 Solway Aviation Museum, Carlisle Airport, Crosby-on-Eden CA6 4NW, ☏ +44 1228 573823. Mar-Oct F-Su 10:30AM-5PM. Collection of heritage aircraft and equipment, and historic displays. Adult £7, conc or child £5. (updated Nov 2024)

Do

• Vue Cinema is at 50 Botchergate by the railway station.
• The Brickyard is a live music venue on Fisher St, 50 yards east of the castle.
• West Walls Theatre (aka Green Room) is 200 yards north of the railway station.
• The Sands Centre is an events and live music venue on the south riverbank by the A7 bridge.
• Stanwix Theatre is on the university campus along Brampton Rd, a mile northeast of town centre.
• Football: 1 Carlisle United, Brunton Park, Warwick Rd CA1 1LL, ☏ +44 1228 526237. "The Cumbrians" were relegated in 2024 and now play soccer in League Two, the fourth tier. Brunton Park (capacity 18,000) is oversized for their present status, and sometimes floods, but plans to move elsewhere have flopped. (updated Nov 2024)
• 2 Eden Rock, 9 Brunel Way, Durranhill Industrial Estate, CA1 3NQ (Turn off at the road between the fire station and Cavaghan & Gray (on the left when heading off London Rd towards Warwick road (northwards) on Eastern Way)), ☏ +44 1228 522 127, carlisle@edenrockclimbing.com. M-F 10AM-10PM, Sa Su 10AM-8PM. Bouldering wall with 1000 m² of climbing surface, serves homemade pizza as well as tray-bakes, tea, & coffee. Occasionally there are some very friendly dogs around. £8.50 (non-member 18+). (updated Feb 2022)
• 3 Carlisle Racecourse (Durdar Rd a mile south of town.). Watch horse racing at Carlisle Racecourse, which has flat-racing Apr-Oct and jumps races Nov-March. (updated Jan 2019)
• Hike: use OS Landranger Map 85 for areas west of the M6 through town to the coast, and Map 86 for east of M6 to Brampton.

Best known is Hadrian's Wall coast-to-coast footpath, but there's nothing left of the wall itself this far west - go 20 miles east to Greenhead for the start of the best section. The local section approaches from Brampton along the north bank of the River Eden, crosses into town, then follows the south riverbank and Solway Firth out to Bowness.

• Golf: courses near town are Stony Holme, Carlisle GC and Eden GC.
• 4 Watchtree Nature Reserve. Watchtree was declared a nature reserve in 2003 though much of the ecological restoration began immediately following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease: Water storage lagoons, used to store surface water were designed with wildlife in mind by creating shallow margins and scalloped edges; A species rich grass mix was used to reseed large areas of soil following burials; Hedgerows were planted on top of the burial pits which attract a variety of farmland birds and other fauna, and; over eighty thousand broadleaved and coniferous trees have been planted to enhance the existing woodland in addition to creating habitat for endangered species including the Red Squirrel. 

Buy

• Supermarkets: lots around the periphery, serving a wide tract of Cumbria and Dumfries. For example Asda by jcn 44 of M6 is open M-F 6AM-midnight, Sa 6AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.
• Bookcase, 17 Castle Street CA3 8SY (50 yards north of cathedral), ☏ +44 1228 544560. M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su 11:30AM-4PM. Huge secondhand book store spanning four floors with a large stock of fiction and non-fiction, CDs and LPs, plus a small museum on The State Management Scheme for Carlisle's pubs. (updated Nov 2024)
• Market Hall is a traditional covered Victorian market a block north of the cathedral, open M-Sa 8AM-5PM.
• The Lanes just east is a modern indoor shopping mall.

Eat

• 1 Foxes Cafe Lounge, 18 Abbey St. Amazing coffee, healthy food, wonderful environment, art gallery, music, performance, art and more. 
• 2 Alexandros Greek Restaurant, 66-68 Warwick Road. A cheerful place with delicious Greek food and friendly staff. If you don't know what to order, order a meze (that is, a bit of everything) and you will not regret it. 

Drink

In 1916 during World War I, David Lloyd George was minister for war munitions, and was concerned by poor production and drunkenness in the workforce - any accident at the huge munitions complex near Gretna might shake Berlin let alone Carlisle. As Chancellor he'd already hiked the tax on alcohol, and he now took the entire industry and licensed trade under government control in three districts: Carlisle and Gretna, Cromarty Firth, and Enfield. For instance "treating" was forbidden - buying a round of drinks for your friends - and pub managers got a simple wage with no incentive to boost sales. Tatty premises were replaced by New Model Inns, looking like prosperous dwellings in John Betjeman's "Metroland". Enfield left this State Management Scheme in 1922 but in Carlisle it persisted until 1973.

• Concrete on Lowther Street is a popular nightclub. Very popular amongst students, it has a very positive atmosphere with 2 bars, 2 dance floors and a pool table.
• Walkabout, 1RP, 6 Botchergate, CA1 1QS. Su-Th noon-3AM; F Sa noon-4AM. Australian pub and restaurant. (updated Jul 2017)
• Botchergate is lined with bars of differing styles and expense.
• 1 King's Head Inn, Fisher Street Carlisle CA3 8RF, ☏ +44 1228 533797. A very pleasant pub in the heart of the city which is well worth searching for. Reasonable priced lunchtime meals served. The variety of guest ales is second to none. Very large outside smoking area includes a large screen TV for sports coverage. Food 10AM-3PM weekdays. 11AM-3PM Saturday. Live music and theatre gigs in the pub courtyard. 

Sleep

• Ibis Carlisle City Centre, Botchergate CA1 1RL (100 yards SE of railway station), ☏ +44 1228 587690. Decent Accor chain hotel, very central. B&B double £70. (updated Nov 2024)
• Travelodge Carlisle Central, Cecil St CA1 1NL (200 yards NE of railway station), ☏ +44 871 984 6374. Boxy downtown hotel, comfy enough. B&B double £70. (updated Nov 2024)
• 1 Premier Inn Carlisle Central, Warwick Rd CA1 2WF, ☏ +44 333 777 3988. Reliable budget chain. This is the most central of their four hotels around town. B&B double £90. (updated Nov 2024)
• Premier Inn Carlisle Central North is on A7 Kingstown Rd two miles north of town centre.
• Premier Inn Carlisle M6 Jct 44 is three miles north of the centre, junction of M6 and A7.
• Premier Inn Carlisle M6 Jct 42 is five miles south of the centre, junction of M6 and A6.
• 2 Willowbeck Lodge, Lambley Bank, Scotby CA4 8BX (off jcn 43 of M6), ☏ +44 1228 513607. Charming spacious place, an oasis of calm off the busy motorway. B&B double £170. (updated Nov 2024)
• 3 Travelodge Carlisle Todhills, Warwick Rd CA1 2WF, ☏ +44 871 984 6127. Budget motel at Moto service station, only accessible via southbound M6. B&B double £90. (updated Nov 2024)
• 4 Pentonbridge Inn, Penton CA6 5QB (five miles east of Canonbie on B6318), ☏ +44 1228 56636. Great reviews for this former coaching inn turned into a smart modern hotel. B&B double £260. (updated Nov 2024)
• Self catering: scores of places available, usually in renovated farm cottages and let by the week.

Connect

As of Nov 2024, Carlisle and its approach roads have 5G from all UK carriers.

Go next

• North across the border into Scotland is the wedding industry of Gretna. For Robert Burns associations continue to Annan and Dumfries.
• West to Cockermouth
• Southwest to the Lake District National Park including Keswick
• South to Penrith, Appleby-in-Westmorland and the Eden Valley
• East to Brampton and Haltwhistle, for the best sections of Hadrian's Wall.

Routes through Carlisle

Glasgow ← Gretna ← merges with ←	N  S	→ Penrith → Preston
END ←	NW  S	→ Penrith → Lake District
Edinburgh ← Hawick ←	N  S	→ END
END ←	W  E	→ Brampton → Newcastle upon Tyne