Historic Carlisle & Hadrian's Wall
Carlisle, to the North of Lakeland is the last bastion between England and the Scottish border. The city has played an important role in shaping the development of English and Scottish history and is now a major tourist attraction. Parking is very good in the centre, so you will be able to spend a number of hours happily exploring. A vist to Tullie House in Carlisle explains the historic development of the region from pre-Roman times to the present day. Tulie was built in 1689 for Thomas Tullie, Chancellor of Carlisle. It houses a number of Roman artefacts, however, this is no old-fashioned stuffy museum. Tullie is alive with energy and brings the history of the area alive with a number of tableaux and exhibits. 

St Cuthbert's Church is also worth a visit. The West Wall is a remnant of the medieval city walls and you can walk from the city to Tullie House. Coffee is served under the trees or in the Tithe Barn. Some old grey stone from the old Roman Forts is said to have been used to build Carlisle Cathedral , the Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. This is one of the smallest English cathedrals, and was founded in 1122 after Henry 1 granted a site at Carlisle in 1102. The east Window is particularly worth seeing as it contains some 14th century glass.

Carlisle lanes and streets offer a shopper's paradise that will provide hours of retail pleasure. Traffic free and pedistrian friendly and with ample parking close by, the city is a major shopping experience. Pavement cafes and alfresco meeting places are developing. Most weekends, you'll be able to take advantage of Farmer's Markets or French Markets set up around the square. Additional attractions include street entertainment and sometimes even a fairground for the kids just off the main square. Carlyle Court is a little walkway between Fisher Street and the Cathedral offering a paved mall with fine shops and pavement cafes.

Hadrian's Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of modern-day England. It was the second of three similar fortifications built across Great Britain, the first being Gask Ridge and the last the Antonine Wall. All three were built to prevent military raids by the Pictish tribes to the north (ancient inhabitants of Scotland). It was also to physically mark the frontier of the Empire. Hadrian's Wall is the best known of the three because its physical presence remains most evident today.

The wall marked the northern border in Britain, also the most heavily fortified in the Empire. In addition to its use as a military fortification, the gates through the wall would also have served as customs posts to allow trade taxation.

A significant portion of the wall still exists, particularly the mid-section, and for much of its length the wall can be followed on foot. It's the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England, where it is often known simply as the Roman Wall. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.