Things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale: a beautiful market town in Cumbria

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Here are some lovely things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale, a beautiful market town in Cumbria, UK. If you like cute cobbled streets, quirky independent shops, and consuming your own body weight in food/beer, you’re going to love Kirkby Lonsdale. Set on the banks of the River Lune amid verdant countryside and rolling hills, this quaint town is almost unbelievably picture-perfect. But it’s not just a pretty face. It’s a real bustling little community, with loads going on. Every time I visit, there’s something new to take in, whether that’s a new café where I ‘need’ to sample several cakes or finding a walking route nearby that I’d never done before. 

Kirkby Lonsdale is perfect for a tranquil weekend away. But you can easily do a longer trip there if you pack your hiking boots and use the town as a base for exploring the stunning surrounding countryside, not to mention visiting all the nearby towns and villages to get to know them too. And the best thing about Kirkby Lonsdale is that it’s relatively unspoilt and much less touristy than neighbouring areas in the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District.

Please note: I update this guide regularly so it’s all current and accurate information for you. I hope you find it useful! But please let me know in the comments if you spot anything that no longer exists: cafés and bars in the UK change so often that it’s hard to keep on top of all my 100+ travel guides on the blog.

Anyway, here are my personal recommendations for things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale…

Things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale: a quick intro 

Kirkby Lonsdale was my childhood holiday place. I have the best memories of holidays there when I was growing up and luckily it’s just as lovely going back as an adult, which is why I can never stay away for too long.

Kirkby Lonsdale is in Cumbria but often overlooked for the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales because it’s on the edge of both. This means there are fewer tourists, which is of course a good thing. That’s not to say it’s entirely unknown: there’s a good atmosphere in the pubs and a popular market full of shoppers. But it hasn’t got the annoying crowds you find in Bowness or the Dales (or the tacky tourist tat in the shops – Kirkby Lonsdale shops are far too classy for that!). I think you could combine it with a trip to the Dales or the Lakes as well but it’s 100% worth going to in its own right.

Kirkby Lonsdale is also easy to get to. I’ve done lots of trips there by public transport and without a car, which seems to confuse many people, but it isn’t difficult at all. I get the direct train to Oxenholme Lake District with my other half, usually for a bargain £18 between us (heading straight from work in Manchester city centre). Once we’re in Oxenholme, it’s an easy 15-minute taxi to Kirkby Lonsdale, although there’s also the local bus if you have the patience. Of course, you can also do it by car and you’ll probably want to do that if you’re keen to explore the wider area. 

It’s a really good place for forgetting about work and real life for a bit. And despite it being a small town that’s very compact, there are loads of lovely things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale that make it perfect for a weekend break.

Things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale

1. Admire all the charming cottages and cobblestone streets

If you like pretty towns/villages and taking photographs while also wishing you lived there, you’re going to enjoy walking around Kirkby Lonsdale.

I recommend starting any trip there by hunting out the town’s finest selection of cute cottages. This includes what I like to think is the ultimate ‘chocolate-box’ cottage, pictured below. It has an incredible year-round floral display outside and looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale. You can find it on a little cobbled path that leads through to the grounds of St Mary’s Church.

2. Take in Ruskin’s view – one of the best things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale

The famous Ruskin’s view is probably what Kirkby Lonsdale is most well known for. From a bench at the edge of St Mary’s churchyard, sit and take in the panorama of the Lune Valley. The River Lune sweeps along the foreground, with rolling meadows set against the lush green hills as a backdrop.

Ruskin’s view is so named because John Ruskin decided to announce in 1875 that he thought it was one of the loveliest views in England ‘and therefore the world’. A bold claim to be honest, and I assume he’d not been on holiday much. But it is a really good view.

In case you don’t know the guy, Ruskin was a 19th-century art critic, but also a social theorist, painter, conservationist, poet and early pioneer of environmentalism. That’s quite the CV, isn’t it? He was really into the works of JMW Turner, who’d painted ‘Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard’ and what we now know as Ruskin’s View, which is how Ruskin came to know about it. You can see Turner’s work on the Tate website (and you’ll notice it was actually done from further around the corner from where the bench is).

3. Burn off some calories climbing the ‘radical’ steps

To get to Ruskin’s View, as just mentioned above, you can clamber from the River Lune up the 86 ‘radical’ steps.

Despite being called the Radical Steps, there’s absolutely nothing radical about them. The name just comes from someone called Dr Francis Pearson, who had a reputation as a political radical. He had the steps built in the 1820s to divert the existing public footpath that ran through his garden. There is an incorrect apostrophe in the sign explaining this at the bottom of the steps. As a copy editor in my day job, this upsets me greatly. But I still love the steps, especially because the climb up them goes a small way to working off all the beer and food you’re likely to consume while in Kirkby Lonsdale. More on that later.

Don’t worry if the steps look too much like hard work, though. You can easily get to Ruskin’s View from the town by going through the churchyard and avoiding the workout. You just won’t be able to be as smug when you reach it.

4. Visit Devil’s Bridge (bacon butties optional)

When in Kirkby Lonsdale, I always walk down to the famous Devil’s Bridge on the River Lune. It’s one of my favourite childhood walks and I find it just as lovely now. The bridge is probably one of Kirkby Lonsdale’s main landmarks and tourist attractions, too. It’s very old (Wikipedia says 1370) and has three arches. 

Loads of bridges around the UK are called Devil’s Bridge. Maybe people really liked to tell the same story and apply it to somewhere local. Here’s Kirkby Lonsdale’s version…

Apparently, the Devil appeared to some woman, saying he’d build a bridge in exchange for the first soul to cross over it. She obviously really liked bridges and agreed to this. So he built the bridge and showed up waiting for the first person to cross it. Not fancying it herself, the woman threw some bread over the bridge and her dog chased after it, thereby outwitting the Devil because allegedly dogs don’t have souls. Please note, bread is not good for dogs and this woman was an idiot (and didn’t exist).

A blog reader emailed me to say that you can find the supposed handprint of the devil on the bridge, which makes the tale even better. I’ve made a mental note to look for this next time I’m there. Anyway, it’s a very pretty bridge and a lovely spot for walking.

More importantly, there’s an absolutely legendary food van on the bridge: home of childhood bacon butties for breakfast and famous with motorbiking people, who are queued up for it pretty much all day. I don’t eat meat so I give it a swerve now but I love the fact it’s still going and is such an icon of Kirkby Lonsdale. Some people seem to think it’s an eyesore but it must be doing something right to still be getting daily queues as if it’s a cool new hipster pop-up in a city centre.

5. Sample a local beer or three at the Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery

I can’t resist some delicious (and oh-so-clear) Ruskin’s bitter from the local Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery. Ruskin’s bitter is one of the nicest bitters I’ve ever had (equal only to The Grace from the Sulwath Brewery in Castle Douglas, Scotland, if you’re interested in my mental beer rankings).

Although various pubs and restaurants serve beers from the Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery in town, the best place to indulge in a few is definitely the brewery’s own taproom bar, the Royal Barn.  This is in a gorgeous converted barn, with a perfect mixture of modern bar style and traditional Cumbrian stone interior. It has a really lovely feel to it so is a great place to while away a few hours while working your way through some of the 20 cask/keg or numerous bottled options. If you’re not into beer, they also make their own delicious gins and serve nibbles too.

The brewery is very focused on quality but at reasonable prices. Maybe I’m just used to city-centre prices and Cheshire prices but I think it’s brilliant value. You can also buy beer to take home, which is a nice idea for beating the post-weekend-away blues.

Side note: I know I have a fair few American and Asian readers of this blog now (hello if that’s you). I just wanted to add that if you’re visiting from abroad, note that Kirkby Lonsdale does British-style craft beer, not so much the American hoppy IPA kind. You can only really get this style of craft beer in the UK and not many places do it justice, so you’ve come to the right place.

6. Head to The Sun Inn for lovely and local pub food

Everything always comes back to gorging on food on my blog. Unsurprisingly, Kirkby Lonsdale is a great place to indulge in this activity. 

The Sun Inn is my favourite place for an evening meal in Kirkby Lonsdale. It’s a pub (possibly would be classed as a gastropub, if we’re splitting hairs) that specialises in locally sourced food. They have open fires, beams, oak floors and a general cosy atmosphere. It’s ideal if you’ve been out walking all day and want somewhere really snug to recover for the evening but you don’t want your bog-standard pub grub. The menu is fairly small, which is always a good sign, and it changes with the seasons. If you don’t want a big meal, you can also do a selection of small plates or boards and have a ‘picky tea’.

The pub also caters really well to vegan and veggie food, even though there’s not much of this on their menu. You just have to ask and they’ll adapt, which always makes me happy.

7. Find the house you’d most like to buy if you won the lottery

In case you couldn’t tell already, Kirkby Lonsdale has a plethora of gorgeous houses.

I don’t know about you, but I spend a significant proportion of my UK trips standing outside estate agents’ windows pointing at pretty houses I can’t afford. This kind of torture is apparently fun to me. It’s even worse in Kirkby Lonsdale because so many of the loveliest properties are bang in the middle of town so you have to walk past them multiple times, gazing longingly at them like a weirdo.

This is the old manor house, which is my absolute dream home. It has a lovely little summer house in its garden, looking out over a higher-up angle of Ruskin’s View. I probably can’t even afford the summerhouse on its own. But I can dream.

8. Find ‘Salt Pie Lane’ and other brilliantly named streets around town

Some of the names of lanes around Kirkby Lonsdale are really lovely. I imagine they’re the sort of thing that visitors from abroad would love for their olde-worlde charm, too.

Salt Pie Lane used to be called Cattle Market Yard because cattle used to be sold in the adjoining lane (which is, confusingly, called Horse Market). A lady living in the yard made hot salted mutton pies (obviously not wanting sheep to be left out of the menagerie) to sell to the farmers at the market. The salt in the pies would build up their thirst so they’d have to head to the pub next door for a drink, which just so happened to be owned by someone in Pie Lady’s family. Very enterprising.

You’ll notice that some of the cottages on Salt Pie Lane also have great names. My favourite is The Mustard Pot.

9. Walk around St Mary’s Church and its grounds

The pretty St Mary’s Church is one of the landmarks of Kirkby Lonsdale. It’s a very typical English country church, complete with Norman features. Great job, Norman.

It was built between 1093 and 1130, but there was an old Saxon Church on the same site before that so it has a lot of history. Outside, its doorway arch is quite impressive. Inside, there’s some pretty stained glass and nice diamond-patterned columns.

But my favourite thing about it is the churchyard surrounding it. The groundskeepers leave a whole area with long grass and wildflowers in the summer months as a home for wildlife. This means if you visit on a warm summer’s day, there are usually butterflies and bees enjoying themselves. And it’s interesting walking around reading the old gravestones and seeing who the oldest one you can find is. There are also some nice floral borders. And a folly. And a sundial. It’s all happening.

9. Have lunch at the gorgeous Crossing Point Café

Please note: This café has been sold and re-named since I wrote this guide – I am going to visit very soon and test out the new version so I can update this! It’s now called Elodie’s.

What could be better than a really pretty little cafe serving homemade food? A pretty little cafe serving homemade food and loads of wine.

Based on my visits to the Crossing Point Café over the years, which is also a specialist wine shop, I think wine is sorely lacking from most quaint cafés. Anyone going for a nice homemade scone only drinks tea with it because there’s no wine. Fact.

Anyway, other than wine, the Crossing Point Café does some excellent lunch options. Soup and sourdough, sandwiches with skinny chips, salads, and all the cake. They also do breakfast, which looks great. Plenty of veggie options too, some of which I’m sure they could make vegan if you ask. It’s located in the market square so well placed for lunch while you’re in town.

10. Spend all your money in Kirkby Lonsdale’s independent shops

Kirkby Lonsdale has more than its fair share of lovely independent shops selling stuff that you’ll need for either presents for friends or for yourself. And all the shops are within a small area so you can really get your money’s worth from a short visit (or bankrupt yourself, depending on how you look at it).

Some of the independent shops I love include:

• The Bath House – Artisan, beautiful-smelling bath/shower stuff and perfumes. The white cedar and pear scent is 10/10. Most of their stuff is made in Cumbria and it’s all cruelty-free (plenty of products are also vegan). Part of a small northern chain (the Windermere shop is nice too).
• Chocolat – A lovely shop selling very classy artisan chocolates – a bit like if Hotel Chocolat was independent and not a rip-off. The deli counter display is dangerous.
• The Book Lounge – A wonderful new and second-hand book shop that also does tea and cakes. I always love a rummage in a book shop to add to my ever-growing to-read pile (and to get ideas for my Book Club). Highly recommend taking your time here.
• Just N So – Another homeware shop, which sells lovely cushions and ornaments.
• Boo & Belle – For years I thought this just did children’s stuff so I completely ignored it. Somehow went in on my last trip and found that it also does clothing, homewares and gifts. Excellent socks in particular, which I can never have enough of. 

I’m sure there are more shops I’ve forgotten, too. It’s also worth checking out Kirkby Lonsdale’s regular market, which is held on Thursdays in the square. 

11. Have a drink at the Orange Tree

I recommend going up to The Orange Tree pub at the ‘top’ of Kirkby Lonsdale. It serves local ales from the aforementioned Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery and is generally a very friendly and cosy pub with a lovely atmosphere. It’s always full of locals. Something about it feels like if you lived there, you’d be a regular too.

If you want to eat here, they do fish and chips in Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery beer batter. Just a suggestion. That beer is clearly a running theme now in this blog post…

12. Do a trip out to Barbon

Barbon is a tiny picturesque village just north of Kirkby Lonsdale. It’s so tiny that there are only really two things to check out as a visitor in the village itself:

• The Churchmouse, which is the village shop and specialises in local cheeses (it also has a small café serving local produce)
• the Barbon Inn, a beautiful and cosy 17th-century coaching inn that does excellent food.

However, the main thing about Barbon is the incredible countryside around the village, namely the area along the river (Barbon Beck). It’s spectacular all year round – fresh and green in spring (with plenty of bluebells in the woods, too) then golden and dramatic in autumn (as shown below). This has always been one of my favourite places in the world.

If you have a dog, they will LOVE it at Barbon Beck and the surrounding area. Ultimate walkies. There are plenty of good hiking routes from here (this one is well described) for all levels of walker. The scenery is as good as (or superior to, but I may be biased) the more touristy Lake District areas. But it never has all the annoying swathes of people, so is infinitely better. 

13. Go on some of Kirkby Lonsdale’s stunning walks

There are plenty of scenic walks you can do around Kirkby Lonsdale. Many of them are a short drive or bus/taxi journey away to start off from, but there are some you can do from the town itself.

Here are 3 lovely ones in areas I really like. You’ll be relieved to hear that these are written in detail by people who understand routes/directions far better than me:

• Kirkby Lonsdale 8 mile loop
• Hutton Roof (a village 4 miles away) limestone walk
• A walk to Barbon via Casterton.

14. Admire the beautiful and quirky doors – one of my favourite things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale

As well as having some of the most gorgeous cottages and houses ever, you’ll also notice as you explore Kirkby Lonsdale that it really goes to town on its doors. This is a niche interest, I know, but I also know that my regular blog readers appreciate a good door as much as I do so it’s not just me being weird.

I always like to see what colourful and pretty ones I can spot. I think my favourites are the duck-egg cottage door near St Mary’s and the one surrounded by beautiful ivy, which is as you walk up from town towards the Booths supermarket.

Side note: If you have a thing for doors too, I recommend checking out the doors of the world project. It’s brilliant.

15. Explore some of the lovely surrounding towns and villages

Although there are plenty of things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale itself, there’s also loads to see and do in the surrounding villages and countryside further out.

Some of my favourites like Casterton, Hawes, Milnthorpe, Arnside, Cartmel and Kendal are all close by. And of course, there’s always lots of National Trust action to be had, including the excellent Sizergh Castle very nearby.

Some of the nearby towns and villages you can do by bus but most need a car, so if you want to explore further afield it’s best to save it for a trip when you’re driving.

Things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale: useful information

How to get there

If you want a car-free trip, it’s perfectly doable. Get the train to Oxenholme Lake District (well connected and a lovely journey in itself). Then an easy 15-minute taxi to Kirkby Lonsdale (or a less easy bus).

Where to stay

Here are some accommodation options that I recommend. They’re all in the centre so very well located for all the things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale. All prices are correct at the time of writing:

• Treat yo’self: If you want to go absolutely mental and really splurge, you can do so at Absoluxe Suites. The rooms are stunning and some even have breathtaking mountain views. You’ll be looking at around £335 a night, so it’s definitely one for a special occasion.
• Mid-range: At around £115 a night, the Sun Inn is a nice option. The rooms are so lovely, with gorgeous exposed brick. And you’re ideally placed to stagger up to bed after a delicious meal and drinks in the pub below.
• Budget: My most affordable recommendation in the centre is the lovely Plato’s. It’s still not what I’d normally class as ‘budget’ on here (it’s around £100 a night) but Kirkby Lonsdale is always going to be on the pricier side for accommodation generally.

How to get around

Kirkby Lonsdale is only small and very walkable. There’s a decent bus service, too. But if you want to venture out of the town further afield to see some beautiful nearby attractions, you do ideally need a car. The same goes for most of Cumbria and the Lake District, to be honest.

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You might also like some of my other UK-based travel guides:

• 35 lovely things to do in Pitlochry, Scotland: a highland escape
• 22 things to do in Knutsford, a pretty market town in Cheshire
• 18 of the best UK city breaks
• Things to do in Stockport: a local’s guide
• 18 lovely things to do in Skipton: a pretty market town in North Yorkshire
• 20 things to do in North Berwick, Scotland
• The best places to visit in Dumfries and Galloway
• 23 lovely things to do in Rye, Sussex.

And if you’ve used one of my travel guides and enjoyed it, you can also buy me a drink. Cheers. 

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