The horses here are very well cared for. You are given a talk on each of the horses followed by a…read morecarriage ride (either indoors or out depending upon the weather). There is a play area and large tractor type toys for children upto the age of ten years. Also a range of smaller animals. If you are lucky you may see the horses having new shoes fitted. Great panoramic views. The food is good and reasonably priced. All of the staff are very friendly and welcoming.

I saw a leaflet for the Puzzling Place during a stay in the Lakes, and thought it looked…read moreinteresting but maybe a bit rubbish, but we were going somewhere via Keswick so we decided to pop in. It was brilliant. Entry was £3.50 per adult and we ended up having to rush at the end because the car park was about to run out - we didn't know we'd be spending nearly an hour there! The illusions are really interesting and very well presented, with an explanation of each. The shop is good as well, containing loads of brilliant gifts. If you're in Keswick then definitely give the Puzzling Place a go, you won't be disappointed.

If you're in Keswick and looking for something to do the Puzzling Place is definietly worth a…read morevisit. It's a fun and eye opening experience based on optical illusions. The anti gravity room is a good laugh, balls roll up hill, you can sit on a powerless chair lift and roll up hill. There is a great hologram exhibition where all kinds of famous characters come out the walls at you, as well as opitical illusion exhibitins. I loved the Ames room which creates tall and little people. Superb for taking funny photos. The Puzzling Place is great for kids and adults a like. Defo worth checking out.

What a truly magical place! Everyone was so cheerful and accommodating! There is a lot of space…read moreinside and out to move about, shop, and even enjoy a meal. The location is clean and open whether you are eatMing a meal, shopping for gifts or souvenirs, visiting the museum, or getting married! The quality and variety of the gift items as well as the service is 5 star! Everyone is incredibly kind and helpful! Ask for Vikki the Gretna Green Experience Manager! She is exceptional at making your experience meaningful! Leslie

The old adage says that if you've got nothing good to say, then say nothing. Therefore my review of…read morethe so-called famous old blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green is that it is obviously a great place for a sandwich and maybe a cup of coffee. That's pretty much all anybody there was doing - sitting around eating their bring-your-own sandwiches and drinking a takeaway coffee. And that's because eating a sandwich and having a coffee is pretty much all there is to see or do unless of course you want to buy any manner of English/Scottish memorabilia/food/junk that you could buy anywhere else in England/Scotland or online. For an incredulous experience, visit Gretna Green's infamous blacksmith's shop. You'll leave wondering why! Oh, apparently you can also marry or renew your wedding vows there but I think guests have to bring their own sandwiches.

The Leadhills Reading Society is actually Britain's oldest subscription library having been founded…read morein 1741 in the Leadhills Miners Library, effectively though this is now a museum containing a number of artifacts pertinent to the areas historic industrial past including samples of the mineral wealth and some miscellaneous local artifacts. Being a library there are books, however these are not for loan and are available only to view on the shelf as it were. Amusingly there are notices on the shelves warning against touching the books, which for a library carries a certain irony! The library is defintely worth a look though, particularly if you have an interest in local history and the staff are on hand with a wealth of knowledge for those with specific questions. Entry is only £1 which is about the minimum I think anybody would donate to other museums which may achieve greater funding from elsewhere. Sadly if this local museum doesn't attain a greater footfall it's likely to be forced to close. http://www.miners-library.fsnet.co.uk/

I don't know about you, but my hometown or current city of residence doesn't date back to the 13th…read moreCentury. Yes, that's right, the pretty little Cumbrian town in the Lake District of northwestern England (current population, 750) dates around 1270. TWELVE SEVENTY! I lived in Brigham for a year ... and it's a place I would LOVE to live again. Why review a town? Well, guess what, sometimes people want to live in a quiet hamlet where you know your neighbors (and the whole town!) and there's lush greenery and open spaces. Sometimes people want to walk around town, amble down to the river, live in a close-knit community. This all, to me, perfectly represents Brigham. A must see--and the town's most stunning location--is St. Bridget's Church. An active Anglican parish church, it's stunning inside and out. The interior: Painted plasterwork and timber work ceilings by William Butterfield, a famed architect of the mid to late 1800s. The ceilings, much of which was recently restored, are unlike any that I have seen in England's churches. Come inside on a sunny day, and the light beams a spectrum of colors from the gorgeous, Victorian-era stained-glass windows. And then there's the outside graveyard of the Church. Its most famous connection is to Fletcher Christian (the HMS Bounty mutineer); he was Christened in the Church, and his father has a table tomb here. Also notable are members of poet William Wordsworth's family (Wordsworth lived 2 km down the road in Cockermouth). His son John was Vicar of St. Bridget's Church for 40 years. The graveyard is quite stunning, with more than 700 monuments. While it'll never be mistaken for Wembley Stadium or a megaplex theater, Brigham Memorial Hall (found in High Brigham) is the epicenter of fun in town. Concerts, dances, a big kitchen for big gatherings (e.g., Wedding receptions), meetings, movies, and even Zumba classes are found here! There's also a lovely primary school. I went to St Bridget's for a year and it was then (and is still now) a place with friendly teachers and comprehensive learning. If you want to move to Brigham, I give it the Drew B Seal of Approval. Just a few km from great goods and services (Cockermouth, Keswick, Workington), it's a great way to live the small village life without being far from civilization.

Hot Pipe, England's answer to Hawaii's Jaws, a wave of such tremendous proportions that... locals…read moreare scared to surf it (or can't be bothered). Okay seriously, one of the city's few places to surf and favoured by die hards, you can park nearby on the road running to Shoreham Power Station and bob up and down waiting for Poseidon to produce a swell. When it's big elsewhere this spot picks up some wave. Warm up afterwards with a coffee at Carat's Cafe.