Penrith Museum, Penrith

Advantages: A lovely place and a lovely hobby
Disadvantages: None

...Penrith to me means only one thing and that’s Lilliput Lane, because that’s where the studio is based. I will begin my opinion with an apology to those of you who were expecting an opinion about Penrith in general, but there was no other suitable category for this so I have decided to put it here. Penrith is in Cumbria and is known as the Gateway to the Lakes, being as it is, on the edge of the Lake District. The Lilliput Lane studio is easy to find as it is just off the Penrith exit of the motorway. I began collecting Lilliput Lane cottages when I moved into my current house in 1989 and my parents bought me a cottage called Inglewood as a housewarming present. It started a hobby that has grown and grown. I now have over 100 cottages and am fast running out of space to house them all. David J Tate MBE founded... Read review

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Advantages: Interesting arrangement (man made for the Olympics), not too far to get to, or too expensive
Disadvantages: The trip you get depends on your raft leader and raft mates, over which you have little control

..."Arse Wax" yelled Kate a split second before the raft flipped and the group of us were spent spiralling into the water. My Australian flatmates seem constantly surprised by me, for all sorts of random things. For example, I'm British but until last week had never seen a movie version of Pride and Prejudice. I grew up near Blackpool, but I don't like roller coasters. Here's another one: I'm scared of log flumes. That moment at the top when you pause before coming hurtling back down the chute? Scary. And yet…last weekend I agreed to go White Water Rafting. Penrith is home to a set of man-made rapids, created especially for the Kayak event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It's an hour from Sydney by train, and is close to the edge of the Blue Mountains. Penrith itself, however, is not very picturesque. In fact, the main thing we... Read review

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Advantages: Close to the Lake District
Disadvantages: Maybe be strategicallyplace so it rains more than any where else in England

...Penrith is a small historic market town with a population of around 15,000 situated just of the M6 motorway. Due to its location is is often used as one of the main enternaces to the northern Lake District. This small town offers a wide range of local conviniences for both tourists an locals alike. Penrith makes an idea base for holiday makes due to its situation about 25 miles south of the scottish border and just outside the Lake district National Park, with the A66 dual carrageway running past Penrith linking the West coast of Cumbria with Newcastle and Tyneside. Places to visit Just outside is Rheged Discovery Center, an underground all weather tourist attraction. Rheged is named after the Celtic Kingdom which lay where Cumbria is now. It offers the unique chance to view an exciting film on the legends of Cumbrian history... Read review

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