Cool Places
Cartmel
Cartmel LA11 6QB
For centuries the grand priory church of St Mary and St Michael was the raison d’etre of the small medieval village of Cartmel, and it still stands proud above the babbling river and a small cluster of greystone houses. These days, though, Cartmel is rather better known as an upmarket gourmet retreat, based on the presence of its Michelin-starred L’Enclume restaurant. It’s a handsome place, well worth a coffee or lunch stop, particularly in the photogenic main square with its traditional village shop, archaic fish slabs and old stone cross – there’s a farmers’ and food market in the square on the third Friday of each month.
