Appleby-in-Westmorland

Appleby-in-Westmorland is a small town in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous today for the annual Horse Fair in June but is quietly picturesque for the rest of the year.

Understand

Appleby-in-Westmorland began life as a planned mediaeval borough. It has retained its castle and street layout and a very few extremely old buildings. The town has a population of 3,000 (2011).

Appleby was the county town of the former county of Westmorland. When local government was re-organised in 1974, Appleby became part of the county of Cumbria, and the town's name was changed to Appleby-in-Westmorland to preserve the county name.

Get in

From east side of England leave A1 at Scotch Corner and follow A66 west. From west side, quickest is to follow M6 to Penrith then A66 east. A rural short-cut is to leave M6 at Tebay and follow B6260.

🌍 Appleby railway station is on the scenic Settle-Carlisle railway. Trains from Leeds run every two hours via Skipton, Settle and Kirkby Stephen, taking 1 hr 45 min to Appleby and another 45 min to Carlisle. The station has a staffed ticket office and machines, and toilets. There is step-free access to platforms but the ramp is steep.

In summer tourist trains and steam-hauled specials run along this track.

Get around

Public transport is scarce. There are occasional buses each day between Kirkby Stephen and Penrith but own transport is necessary to see the area properly.

See
  • Sites associated with Lady Anne Clifford (1590 – 1676), Countess of Pembroke.
    • 🌍 St Anne's Hospital Almshouses, Boroughgate. Homes for 13 widows which are still occupied, but the chapel may be visited. (updated Jul 2018)
    • 🌍 St Lawrence's Church. The church dates from 1150, was damaged by Scots in 1388, and rebuilt by Lady Clifford in 1655. (updated Jul 2018)
  • The Eden. A designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, partly due to the diversity of wildlife. It is good for bird-watching and fishing. 
  • 🌍 Appleby Castle. Daily tours are available for this 12th-century castle, which is a private home. Advance booking required. £12.50. (updated Jun 2018)

Do
  • Appleby is a very quiet town in which visitors can experience traditional Westmorland life by spending time in the area. There is excellent countryside within energetic walking distance of the town centre. Walking leaflets are available from the Tourist Information Centre. There is an indoor heated swimming pool and a library.
  • Appleby Horse Fair is an annual gathering attracting 10,000 gypsies and travellers, and 30,000 other visitors. It embroils the whole town: the encampment is on Fair Hill, with horse trading at the nearby crossroads, and horses shown off by racing them along Long Marton Rd. Horses are also led through town and washed in the river. In wet weather the town becomes a morass, think Glastonbury with horse poo instead of ganja. The fair is nominally Th-W over the first weekend in June, but there's not much to see M-W as the travellers break camp and move on. The next fair is Th 8 - W 14 June 2023.

Eat

Appleby has a choice of traditional cafes and small restaurants including Indian and Chinese cuisine.

Drink

The town has several pubs. Some of the cafes are licensed and there is hotel with an open bar.

Sleep

Stay safe

The crime rate in the Eden Valley is extremely low. The busy A66 bypasses the town but is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. The river is not normally very deep and children sometimes play in it. At night, some pubs are quieter than others.

Connect

As of June 2022, Appleby and the nearby A66 have 5G from Three and Vodafone, and 4G from EE and O2.

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