Maulds Meaburn Cumbria hotels:

The walk begins at the Low Cross in front of St Lawrence s church in Appleby; Appleby is the former county town of Westmorland, a fact reflected in its present official name, adopted after local government re-organisation in 1974. Regular assizes and sessions retained its status over Kendal.The town is famous for its Horse Fair, one of the last surviving gatherings of travelling folk. The Fair ends on the second Wednesday in June, after a week of trading. The Fair is still full of noise and colour, especially when horses are washed in the river down by the bridge. Once the Tuesday was a fair ......................... Walk from Low Cross towards the Moot Hall. A bull ring in the ground in the car park was last used in 1812 when bull-baiting was already illegal here. On this occasion, the bull escaped and, with a terrier gripping its nose, careered up Boroughgate, causing terror and injuries, rounded the High Cross and, finally, came to rest, frightened and exhausted, in Doomgate. Most of Boroughgate s buildings date from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, being rebuilt in stone on much the same sites as the Norman timber buildings. The area on the upper side of the Moot Hall was the Shambles, where numerous shacks and huts of slaughterers and butchers created a foul stench, with pigs foraging among the rubbish. Victorian improvements in health and hygiene resulted in their final removal in the 1880s. The avenue of lime trees stretching up to the castle was planted by St Lawrence s bell-ringers in 1874-6. Walk up the left side of Boroughgate, taking time to look into the courtyard of St Anne s Hospital almshouses founded in 1651 by Lady Anne Clifford. It is a peaceful haven even today. The chapel is opened for visitors and contains a portrait of Lady Anne. A service is held there every Wednesday for the residents of the almshouses. The gate is locked at 9.30 every evening....