Appleby-in-Westmorland

Appleby was the county town of Westmorland, and despite its small size it still carries itself like one. It sits in a loop of the River Eden, and its main street, Boroughgate, is a broad, tree lined slope with a pillar at each end, running from St Lawrence's Church at the bottom up to the gates of Appleby Castle at the top.

The town's great figure is Lady Anne Clifford, the seventeenth century heiress who restored the castles of the north and is buried in St Lawrence's. Her almshouses, St Anne's Hospital, still stand on Boroughgate. The castle was founded in the early twelfth century; its Norman keep still stands over the town.

Appleby is best known for the Appleby Horse Fair, held over several days in early June, when Gypsy and Traveller families from across Britain and beyond gather to trade horses and wash them in the Eden. It is a remarkable spectacle but brings heavy traffic and crowds. The rest of the year the town is quiet, with a Saturday market on Boroughgate, riverside walks and easy access to the North Pennines. Riverside paths lead from the town along the Eden in both directions, and the high Pennine villages of Dufton and Murton, below the scarp, are only a few miles away for bigger walks such as High Cup Nick.

The Settle to Carlisle railway calls here, and the station is a handsome stop on the line. During fair week, book accommodation well ahead or choose another week if you want peace.