Cartmel Peninsula is a
peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
in
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It juts in a southerly direction into
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is an estuary in north-west England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second largest ga ...
, bordered by the estuaries of the
River Leven to the west and the
River Winster to the east. It is, along with the
Furness Peninsula, (from which it is separated by the
River Leven) one of the two areas of that formed ''
Lancashire North of the Sands'', and the better known 'Furness' is often used to describe both peninsulae together. To its north, the peninsula's borders are usually given as the banks of
Windermere
Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...
and the border with the historic county of
Westmorland
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland''R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref>) is an area of North West England which was Historic counties of England, historically a county. People of the area ...
between the Lake and the head of the Winster.
Historically, the area was controlled by the monks of
Cartmel Priory. Following its dissolution, much of the local land fell into the ownership of the Preston family at
Holker Hall. Through marriage Holker became part of the estate of the
Cavendish Family, and today is the home of
Lord Cavendish. As well as the estate around Holker, the Cavendish family still owns much of the land of the Peninsula.
The Cartmel Peninsula is largely rural dominated by
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
outcrops and the overlooking
Cumbrian mountains. There is some agriculture, with
saltmarsh lamb raised on the sands of
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is an estuary in north-west England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second largest ga ...
that surround the peninsula, but this is limited by the challenging landscape. The modern peninsula is a popular tourist destination, and together with Furness, Cartmel has been marketed as part of the ''Lake District Peninsulas'', though the
Lake District National Park
The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
only covers the northern portion of the peninsula. Cartmel's only town is
Grange-over-Sands
Grange-over-Sands is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District Lake District National Park, National Park. In the United Kingdom Census 201 ...
, a
Victorian seaside resort. Grange's growth was a result of the
Furness Railway, which runs along the peninsula's southern edge, with stations at
Grange,
Cark and Cartmel and
Kents Bank.
Cartmel's name is known internationally as a '
foodie
A foodie is a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food, and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobby. The related terms "gastronome" and "gourmet" define roughly the same thing, i.e. a person who enjoys food for pleasur ...
' destination. It is home to
L'Enclume, a
Michelin two-star restaurant named the best in the UK by the
Good Food Guide between 2013 and 2017, and to Cartmel
sticky toffee pudding, produced in the village shop and sold globally.
The following settlements and sites can be found on the peninsula:
*
Allithwaite
Allithwaite is a village in Cumbria, England, located roughly west of Grange-over-Sands. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Allithwaite, and the village of Cartmel situated to the north, are part of the civil parish ...
,
Ayside
*
Cartmel,
Cartmel Priory,
Cartmel Racecourse
Cartmel Racecourse is a small National Hunt racing, national hunt racecourse in the village of Cartmel, now in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, historically in Lancashire. Until 1969, the two day Whitsun meeting was Cartmel's only fixture, whe ...
,
Cark
*
Flookburgh
*
Grange-over-Sands
Grange-over-Sands is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District Lake District National Park, National Park. In the United Kingdom Census 201 ...
*
High Newton,
Holker Hall
*
Lindale,
Low Newton, Cumbria
*
Newby Bridge
*
Ravenstown
References
{{coord, 54, 13, 27, N, 2, 57, 49, W, region:GB-CMA_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Landforms of Cumbria
Peninsulas of England