Residents of this English town are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to enjoy the countryside because their home is nestled between not one but two national parks.

Penrith, in Cumbria, lies in the Eden Valley and like a Biblical garden of the same name, the beauty of the surrounding area is some of the most breathtaking in the UK.

To the west the Lake District National Park offers some of the finest vistas in the country attracting visitors from all over the world to enjoy the Wordsworthian wonders of the lakes and mountains.

And travel just 14 miles south and you enter the Yorkshire Dales National Park with its dry stone walls and rural down-to-earth culture that inspired TV shows like All Creatures Great and Small and Heartbeat.

Just to add to the mix, as well as two national parks, Penrith is also a close neighbour of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

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As a settlement Penrith can trace origins back to pre-history with evidence of human habitation dating back to 4,000BC.

During Roman times, although they did not found the town, it did sit close to several forts and was situated on the main road running north and south. That road later became the modern-day M6, which still runs through the area heading north to Carlisle and south to Manchester.

The now ruined Penrith Castle dates back to the 1300s as was used as a defence against raiding forces from the north when England and Scotland had many wars.

Somewhere still very much intact is the attractive Dalemain Historic Mansion and Gardens which lies just five miles from the town.

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Set on the edge of the far Eastern Fells, the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dalemain has a global reputation.

Visitors fly in from Australia, Japan and the USA to attend the world-famous Marmalade Festival every April, while the Cumbria Classic and Motorsport Show is always popular with residents and tourists alike.

Tourism site Discover Penrith describes the town as having “easy access to the beautiful Eden Valley, the Pennines and Lake District” and says the area is “truly…the heart of Cumbria”.

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