← Kirkbride Marathon·Day trip

Carlisle: A Slow Day in a Border City

A castle with a gentler side, an indoor museum 800 metres from the station and a day that can be shortened the moment legs complain.

DurationDay trip
TransitPrebooked taxi or car, roughly 30 to 45 minutes from Kirkbride
DepartsKirkbride

After the Kirkbride Marathon: Carlisle

The Route: Kirkbride → Carlisle → Kirkbride (or onward by rail) Logistics: A road transfer from the race hotel, then short walks in the city. There is no reliable public transport from Kirkbride on a Monday morning, so book the lift. Marathon Month: June Duration: Day trip

Kirkbride ──(30 to 45 mins by road)──> Carlisle
                                          │
                              Tullie / Carlisle Castle
                                          │
Kirkbride <──(30 to 45 mins by road)──────┘

The Kirkbride Marathon finishes at the White Heather Hotel on a Sunday in late June, and the Monday is for doing very little in a place with a roof. Carlisle is the nearest city, and it has a castle, a museum and a railway station, which is what you need if you want to be able to stop.

June in Carlisle is mild, with an average daytime high of about 18°C and rain on eleven or twelve days of the month. Sunrise is early and sunset is close to 22:00, so there is no hurry. A wet Monday is the reason to put the museum first.

Fix the road transfer before you leave Kirkbride. Allow 30 to 45 minutes each way as a planning figure, and book the return as well as the outward leg, since a taxi at a rural address is not something to improvise. The Sunday 93S bus does not run on a Monday and is no use here.

Tullie

Tullie is an indoor museum on Castle Street. Its own visitor information puts it roughly 800 metres from Carlisle station on a mostly level route, which at post-marathon pace is 12 to 20 minutes. The building and the galleries have different opening hours, so check the part you want before you set out. If the legs object, a bench inside is never far away.

Carlisle Castle

English Heritage looks after the castle. The grounds and exhibition are manageable on stiff legs. The keep and ramparts are not: they involve spiral stairs and cobbles, and seating is limited. Walk the grounds, see the exhibition and leave the ramparts for a better day. Book against the actual date and check the opening calendar, as admission prices change.

Back

The road transfer takes the same 30 to 45 minutes back. If you are heading on by train, Carlisle station is the place to leave from, and a Northern service to Newcastle takes roughly an hour and a half. Many city centre restaurants shorten their hours on a Monday, so check before you plan lunch.