When Michael Moon was on Roper Street back in the day I could have spent all day in that Bookstore…read moreit was better than the library which was not so far away but Moon's was the best

The best second hand bookshop in North West England. Well worth a visit. And Mr Moon is so…read moreknowledgeable. Graeme

This bookshop is a higgledy piggledy maze of interesting books and other lovely stuff - even though…read moreit's quite small but you could probably easily spend a happy hour or so exploring it all and I think they do coffee as well. It's got a great range of green/ethical/wildlife books, a big cookery section, sheet music, unusual cards, wrapping paper and stationery, cute childrens toys and games (and usually several kids playing with them). Look out for evening events too.

Penrith town centre was a little sleepy at lunchtime on Sunday. I pondered our chances of finding a…read morepot of tea and a freshly baked scone or a warm bowl of homemade vegetarian soup. Then I spotted a sandwich board advertising the quaintly named sconery and cafe at the Hedgehog Bookshop. The cafe is tucked away on the ground floor which houses a fabulous selection of children's books and has only three tables to its name. It was everything I wanted it to be! On the limited menu there were two types of sweet scone (both vegan) and cheese scones (vegetarian). In fact everything on the menu with the exception of the cheese scone was vegan and the hot drinks were Fair Trade. My lovely bowl of leek and potato soup with cheese scone cost £3.50 and arrived with some olives and salad leaves on the side. The lady who served us was warm and friendly and offered us a glass of tap water. How refreshing to see a note on the menu that they did not sell bottled water indicating they would rather give customers tap water at no extra cost. Its a small trail they are blazing but one that can only help the environment! I hope it catches on. I appreciate a business with a social conscience and am inclined to return when next in Penrith because of that. Lovely wee cafe and an equally lovely well-stocked bookshop. Recommended.

Support your independent bookshop. Knowledgeable staff. Great source of discounted children's…read morebooks. I always use Bookends to order books in. They get them for you the next day, and I can order in advance over the Internet and collect them and pay at the shop. They have a loyalty scheme, so you can collect stickers in exchange for a voucher which you can use at Bookends or at Bookcase (their sister shop which sells second hand books and classical music CDs).

This book shop is situated betwen the Town Hall and the Cathedral and from the outside looks quite…read moresmall but looks can be very deceiving! Once you go inside you will find lots of books about Carlisle and the local area as well as books that have just been published too. There is a wonderful children's section that has lots of different and discounted books to choose from. They have a great children's section too. They also sell calendars and notelets and address books and other things that make ideal presents for those people who are sometimes hard to buy for. This floor is just the tip of the iceburg. Downstairs there are three more rooms crammed with books. You could spend ages just browsing around. the staff are very knowledgeable and very helpful. They are also good at stepping back and letting you look without feeling pressured into buying. I always come here for my books as I feel it is important to support your local independent book shop.

Books, books and more books. There really is nothing like a book store in England. NOTHING. Ok,…read moremaybe there is, but I digress. This is not your borders, not your B&N, I was a lovely book shop with wall to wall books, including the newest craze, Adult coloring books, and yes, I picked a new one up! They didn't have the foul language one I was looking for, but they did have Notes from the Universe, which was just as nice.

The best selection of magazines in Penrith - all sorts of esoteric titles, especially good for…read moreoutdoor activities and passtimes like climbing, walking, running etc. etc. Also very conveniently located right in the town centre.

Astounding variety of magazines, e.g. at least 3 titles on yoga.read more