Local Villages
This page is packed with information about the local villages.  Having lived in the area all my life, I've transferred my local knowledge onto this page.  This page, and many of the other pages on this website, will be invaluable to you for local knowledge of our villages and area, if you log in, through the WiFi internet access during your stay.

Hesket Newmarket  1.5 miles
Hesket Newmarket was built up initially from probably England's richest mineral mining, 
(in the local Caldbeck and Northern fells, during the past five centuries),   which used to dominate this area.                 
During the 17th century, virtually every household in the village would have had connections with the local mineral mining activities.      
The large area of, now the village green, was then covered by houses which have since been demolished.
There's more about the Mineral Mining on this link:  
If, during your stay at Riverside, you have relatives or friends, who are not Caravaners, but wish to stay in the area near you, the well respected Denton House Guest house is situated in Hesket Newmarket.               
Its the Large white building,  (top left of aerial photo), which was originally built in the late 1700's as the area's Work House for the homeless.
Hesket Newmarket, in the early 1800's had "five" pubs, and was famous for its country produce market.                                                       
The Market cross still stands at the head of the large village green.                                                        
You may have noticed the Bus stop sign next to it. This is the Bus stop for the "Caldbeck Rambler" operated by Stagecoach which provides a daily service between Carlisle & Keswick, during the Summer.
Formerly  FELLSIDE STORES,
with Jon & Liz Crossland. (in photo)
Now re-named
"THE VILLAGE SHOP", POST OFFICE & TEA ROOM, in Hesket-Newmarket. 
A well stocked, Groceries and fresh produce Shop, Post Office and Tea Room.
"If it's good enough for royalty, it should be good enough for you" 
or,  "If its good enough for you, it should be good enough for royalty".                            
Shop manageress in the maroon top is Diane, with June, a previous manageress in black.  

The Village Shop is currently in the process of becoming a Locally cooperatively owned Shop and Post Office and Tea Room, owned and run by the local people.

We are ecstatic with the result of our first share offer for the shop, it's truly amazing but we still have a (slightly smaller now!!) mountain to climb. The community support is incredible! The shop and Post Office are so important to us all and the staggering total of over £300,000 and astonishing number of almost 300 members has proved that everyone wants to be involved. We have had lots of people coming forward as volunteers and it shows the solid support of an amazing community and the wider community with applications from America, Germany and Australia to name a few.

We will not rest until we secure grant funding to go ahead with purchasing the buildings and business.

In the meantime we cannot express our gratitude enough to the current owner, Andy, and his staff, Diane and Ann who have been so welcoming and accommodating to us popping in with questions and photographers and reporters.

The community has shown its commitment and now we need the Government to support it.

Our previous MP Mark Jenkinson was very supportive and the new incumbent Markus Cambell-Savours has visited and lent his weight to our campaign.

Diane & Ann are currently still at the Helm with the Day to Day running of the Village Shop, Post Office and Tea Room.

The Secret Garden event on August Bank Holiday Monday by Dr. Mike Townend raised a staggering £680 for the Hesket Newmarket Community shop. The gods smiled on us as it rained both before and after the event BUT not on the day. We lost count of how many visitors there were but it was great to see so many residents and a good number of new faces. Mike himself made delicious lavender biscuits which so delighted an eight year old visitor that she asked him for the recipe and made him some as a thank you and delivered them the next day rechristened as 'Skye and Mike's Lavender Biscuits'. Special thanks must go to all those who helped us by making biscuits, scones and cakes and to Mike's amazing team of Celia Stobart, Margaret Brough and Isobel Madden who kept the event running so smoothly both in the kitchen and serving in the garden.

 THE VILLAGE SHOP, POST OFFICE & TEA ROOM, at Hesket Newmarket is only 1.5 miles from the site, and stocks all your everyday needs. The Shop is a valuable alternative to you having to travel to large supermarkets in the local towns, which is what you come on Holiday to escape from.  It even has a good range of home baked products, actually prepared and cooked on the premises. 
The Post Office is a valuable asset to the local residents and visitors which offers Banking Services. 
Time for a quick pint.                                                       
The (now famous) "Old Crown Inn" (dog friendly), with its adjoining associated Brewery, not only serves its own award winning "Real Ales" on the premises, but now distributes them to a multitude of Public Houses and outlets all over the country.
The Old Crown has a warmly appraised comprehensive Food Menu,     

Oh, and its a "gaelly good laal pint". Cheers!
For Food at the Old Crown, pre-booking is essential.


"Double tops to win"

Hesket Newmarket is the venue for the anual vintage motor cycle rally, which has been held over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend every year for more than 5 decades.

Hundreds of vintage motor cycles gather in the village for the virtually unrivaled event.
Founder: Tommy Richardson
And Hesket Newmarket is the birth place of the Stobart family,        
and the now famous                  "EDDIE STOBART LTD"              
                                                                                                Founder:  Edward Stobart
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Caldbeck, 3 miles.
Not only built around the rich mineral mining past, but from the strength of its river, which used to power up to as many as "Eight" Mills of various descriptions, one of which has been restored to its former glory, (Priests Mill) and is open to the public.   

Priests Mill website:
Also, the Bobbin Mill, in the "Howk", housed the largest steel water wheel in England,
(42ft diameter) and at the time the 2nd largest in the world.
Unfortunately the unique steel water wheel had to go to be melted down to make weapons to sort Hitler.     
KIRKLAND STORE, in Caldbeck.    A well stocked, Groceries and fresh produce Shop, Off licence Post Office and Filling Station,  where Petrol, Diesel and Calor Gas can be obtained. Kirkland Store is only 3 miles from the Site, and has proved to be a valuable life-line to visitors, stocking all the every day requirements, and saving an unnecessary longer journey to a big supermarket in one of the local towns.

The "Odd Fellows Arms", Caldbeck, boasts a reputation for a good range of Food, as well as drink. 
Caldbeck was home to perhaps Britain's most famous Huntsman "JOHN PEEL" brought to fame nationally by the locally written song "DE-YA KEN JOHN PEEL".    His grave is situated in the Church Yard.
An aerial view of Caldbeck Church,

and the former Rectory,
(now a privately owned house).                                                      


The recently restored Priests Mill is on the extreme top right of the photo. 
St.Kentigerns Church is prominently situated in the centre of the village of Caldbeck.
The interior is rather unusual  for a rural Church.    It has an elaborate architectural feature of multiple stone built arches and pillars.  

Also, at high level, discreet windows provide lots of natural day light. 

The roof timbers are of Teak
Caldbeck websites:   https://www.caldbeckvillage.co.uk/      and       http://www.visitcumbria.com/car/caldbeck/
CALDBECK SURGERY.         
Frier Row, (The road just behind the church)                                                            
If you need medication or medical attention, during your stay in the area, please rest assured,  you will get all the preferential attention and treatment you need at the Caldbeck Surgery, and the associated prescription pharmacy.

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MUNGRISDALE,  BOWSCALE & MOSEDALE
MUNGRISDALE,
(locally pronounced "Mungrizedale")

A small but very pituresque Northern Fells village nestled between Southerfell & Bowscale Fell.
Mungrisdale is a popular Wainwright walk starting point. 

Bannerdale Craggs, (centre) is one of them, Southerfell to the left and, the Tongue on the right.
The appraoch to Mungrisdale, with Southerfell as the back-drop.
Johnny Richardson.  He was one of the area's most famous Huntsmen over the later decades of the 1900's.  

He was the leader of the Blencathra pack, who did all his huntsman work on foot, not horse back. 

Mungrisdale was, and still is , a popular start venue for the Blencathra pack.
St Kentigerns Church, Mungrisdale.

With Raven Craggs, on the end of Bowscale Fell, behind.

The Church Interiour.
THE MILL INN, Mungrisdale. 

Famous for it's good food and drink.
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BOWSCALE village
Bowscale Village.
Carrock Fell in the background.

A Bridalway starts here, created in Victorian times, as an easy gradient ascent to the picturesque Bowscale Tarn.
Looking back from Carrock Fell, to Bowscale Village where the previous photo was taken.
Bowscale Tarn.

"The Tarn of the immortal fish"
   (according to Wordsworth)
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MOSEDALE Village
MOSEDALE VILLAGE is located at the base of the southern end of Carrock Fell.
Mosedale End Farm, with the base of Carrock Fell directly behind.
Feeding time.
At the tee junction in Mosedale village you can gain access to "Swineside Valley".  One of most picturesque, unspoilt valleys in the Lake District.
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MILLHOUSE
Last,  but not least, our own Hamlet of MILLHOUSE is actually the largest built-up community of the parish of Castle Sowerby.  
It once had "three" pubs.  
A blacksmiths smithy, which shoed horses, made and repaired cartwheels, and general iron work.           
And a water powered saw mill which specialised in cutting locally felled soft and hardwood trees into planks.

We were fortunate to receive lottery funding, to add to local fund raising, to build a brand new, but traditionally styled MILLHOUSE Village Hall, which serves as the main meeting and function room for the parish of Castle Sowerby.  It was officially opened in 1999.
Castle Sowerby Church is situated in complete isolation, well away from any community,  and well up out of the Caldew Valley, overlooking the Northern Fells.
St. Kentigerns Church, Castle Sowerby,
shares some of the same internal architectural theme as Caldbeck church, but on a much smaller scale.
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