Property Market
The Cockermouth and North Lakes housing market is very diverse with everything from starter homes to retirement homes, and family homes to second homes. Cockermouth itself is popular with local house buyers raising their families and working either on the west coast, Carlisle, or in the tourism industry within the Lake District National Park. Towards Keswick and the surrounding villages within the national park there is a noticeable rise in selling and rental prices as ‘home hunters’ seek to live in one of the UK’s most beautiful destinations.
The Town
Cockermouth is a popular town that lies 25 miles south east from Carlisle, and 30 miles west of Penrith where the M6 motorway can be picked up. The town’s main street is full of local shops selling everything from fresh fish to toys, ladies’ clothes to ironmongery. The town is very well provisioned with well-known high street names and smaller independent shops for the more specialised goods and discerning customers. ‘Taste Cumbria’ food festival events are hosted in Cockermouth a couple of times a year; this brings trade and visitors to the town as well as providing a lovely community event.
Attractions
Hunters Cockermouth staff love working in this picturesque town that is steeped in history and packed with things to see and do. Cockermouth Castle is well worth a visit; it is believed that Mary Queen of Scots visited here while fleeing her home in Scotland and heading South. William Wordsworth, the poet, and Fletcher Christian, the infamous mutineer on Captain Bligh’s ‘Bounty’ were both born in the local area, and the town market that hosts craft and continental markets is known to pre-date 1221.
Schools
Cockermouth School offers secondary and sixth form provision and is rated one of the best schools in the locality, making Cockermouth popular with families wishing to live within the catchment area. There is also a choice of state primary schools offering a good standard of education.
Activities
For the active residents of Cockermouth, the town offers a leisure centre and a local Golf Course at Embleton that was designed by James Braid, and The Reivers Cycle route passes through the town as part of its 150-mile route through the lakes and borders. Harris Park is located in the town and has tennis courts, a bowling green, a children’s activity play area, and many lovely terraces to wander along taking in the views of the town. Highfield Sports ground on the outskirts of the town provides good quality space for amateur football and rugby.
The town sits on two rivers, the Derwent and the Cocker, and although the area has suffered from flooding in the past, much preventative work and investment has been provided to prevent this occurring in the future.
Surrounding Areas
Within the Hunters® Cockermouth area is Keswick, located 14 miles from Cockermouth, it is a popular market town in the northern part of the Lake District National Park and was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the home of the only actual lake in the Lake District, Bassenthwaite, all the rest are meres or waters, it also sits on the banks of Derwentwater. Towering nearby are some of the largest mountains in England, known locally as fells, including Helvellyn and Skiddaw, making the area incredibly popular with walkers who return time and time again, often eventually deciding to settle here.
The Keswick Adventure Centre is the perfect place to go ghyll scrambling, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, paddle boarding, and canyoning, or perhaps whiling away the hours with a wander through the town centre taking in a little bit of retail therapy and a rest at one of the many restaurants, cafes, bars, and pubs. Unsurprisingly, tourism is the largest industry and employer in the town and surrounding areas.
Another popular location in our area is Aspatria, a small town to the north west of Cockermouth and close to the coast. Aspatria is more industrial than the other neighbouring towns and has more of a focus on a farming and agricultural economy. Split down the middle by the A596, which is one of the major trunk roads linking Carlisle with the west, it is an ideal place for anyone looking to commute to Carlisle, Keswick, or Cockermouth area. There is a real feeling of community here and locals tend not to move away.