British Isles Friday

Joy's Book Blog is hosting this weekly meme.

May 2010 - Carlisle England

We stopped here overnight on our drive from Scotland to Manchester.

Carlisle is the administrative centre of the City of Carlisle borough in North West England. Carlisle is located at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril, 10 miles (16 km) south of the Scottish border.

The early history of Carlisle is marked by its status as a Roman settlement, established to serve the forts on Hadrian's Wall. During the Middle Ages, because of its proximity to the Kingdom of Scotland, Carlisle became an important military stronghold; Carlisle Castle, still relatively intact, was built in 1092 by William Rufus, and once served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots. The castle now houses the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and the Border Regiment Museum.

Driving into Carlisle on a not so pretty day, however, we couldn't complain as we had had great weather most of the time.

My favourite coffee shop in the UK and Ireland!

The two imposing drum towers, prominently located at the southern edge of the city centre, are collectively known as the Citadel.

Originally erected in 1541 by Henry VIII to strengthen the southern approach to the city, the twin towers were re-built in 1810 and housed the courts and County gaol. The west tower held criminal trials and the east tower held civil trials, though these courts no longer take place in the Citadel.

Breakfast at The Griffin.

 Driving from Carlisle to Manchester