Askham ASKHAM A Michelin-star restaurant, an open air, public swimming pool and a skeleton castle, Askham is another of Cumbria’s extraordinary villages that offers outstanding quality of life. Beautiful 18th century properties lie along the edges of its long village greens, which drop down towards the River Lowther, there is a vibrant shop Askham Stores and two pubs, the Punchbowl Inn and Queen’s Head. Askham Hall is a hotel and wedding venue and home to Allium, which has held a Michelin star since 2019.
Home reared fresh meat is available from Lakeland Valley Wagyu nearby. The Health Barn offers a range of complementary therapies by professional practitioners and there are riverside and field paths around the village. St Peter’s Church was designed by Sir Robert Smirke while working on the design for Lowther Castle up the hill from the village.
Beetham [Charlie Wearden/Cumbria Tourism] BEETHAM Beetham lies on the A6 just inside the Cumbria-Lancashire border but to drive past is to miss its charms. The pretty village is small and centred around St Michael's Church and a pub, The Wheatsheaf, but it also has some unique features. The village boasts The Heron Theatre with a vibrant programme of shows, screenings events; the Heron Corn Mill, a grade II* working 18th-century water mill on the River Bela; and one of the county’s most highly regarded garden and plant centres, Beetham Nurseries.
Just outside the village are the Fairy Steps, a natural staircase in a limestone.
