A few weeks ago, Hubby, The Dog and I had done a walk from a little village called Bardsea, just outside Ulverston. We had done a 5 mile walk along the coast, through woodland and over common land and back to the village. I had heard a lot about Ulverston and was intrigued to check it out, so on the way home, we dropped in. It was a Sunday so all the shops were closed, but we wandered around, much to The Dog’s reluctance, and felt a vibe. This place needs checking out.
https://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/ulverston/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulverston
So a few weeks later, accompanied by our very good friends and The Dog, we drove back and parked on the edge of town. Ulverston is hard to describe – driving in on the main A591, which carries traffic to Barrow and beyond and lies just south of the main shopping area, it gives you the impression that the town’s fathers looked like they had some spare concrete left over from the trunk road and celebrated by building some really uninspiring buildings to match. It’s not particularly attractive, but persevere and Ulverston is a little gem.
We parked up and weaved our way to the High Street. At ground level, Ulverston is probably best described as shabby chic, with shops looking a bit world weary, (and some with shop fronts so out of keeping, it was a crime – why do councils do that?) But look closer and Ulverston has an eclectic range of shops – well heeled clothes shops, a fantastic double fronted butchers, whisky shop, hardware shop, health food shop, greengrocers and much more. This was my kind of town and wished it was nearer to me – I’m a real advocate for small independent shopping and this had everything. And then look up above the shop fronts and see the stunning architecture to reflect a town that was prosperous and wealthy – there are some very handsome and imposing buildings here, all very different in styles. I was liking Ulverston very much. We found the indoor market, housed in a red brick edifice down a side road with a variety of traders – a pet shop, haberdashery, clothes, a deli, book stall, rugs and a hardware stall which overspilled to the opposite wall. I spent a small fortune at the pet stall, so much so that I had to traipse back to the car to dump it and we lost our friend to the book stall. The deli provided us food for tea and feeling happy, we went off to find out more about Ulverston.
We wandered back onto the High Street and carried on looking. It’s quite quirky, with a spiritual/New Age feel with the cobbled High Street and people bustling about. Yes, the odd national chain had a toehold, but Ulverston had retained its charm. We nosed through the outdoor market, some half a dozen stalls stretching across the cobbles and reached the top of the High Street.
The road split both ways here and more shops beckoned us down to the right, so off we set. Again a selection of shops, but it was sliding more towards the fast food as there were pizza houses and other eateries. On another corner, having just run out of shops, we hesitated until we spotted The Mill pub, tucked down a side street and looking an enticing and feasible lunch spot. But first, we fancied burning a few calories in preparation of indulging ourselves and decided that a little stroll up to the nearby Hoad Monument, would suffice. The Hoad, just outside Ulverston and perched on a tall hill, dominates the town and the surrounding area, resembles an inland lighthouse which makes it somewhat pointless. It transpires that it’s not supposed to be a lighthouse at all – the locals crowdfunded it for the commemoration of a local worthy. I just love stories like this – just so British. It can be seen for miles and it had been on my list to cross off for many months.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoad_Monument
To reach it, we wandered along residential streets with handsome houses until we reached the church – up through the church yard, which was full of snowdrops and carpeted the ground between the headstones. The Hoad peered over the town and we kept catching glimpses of it. We walked up another path which then opened up on the foothills of The Hoad and spotted a clear path snaking its way up the side of the hill. We went through the kissing gate, took a deep breath and began to climb.
There was quite a few people either coming down or walking slowly upwards. It was a gentle pull initially on a paved path which gradually got steeper as it curled its way around the hill. The surrounding landscape opened up – Ulverston nestling at the bottom, expansive views across Morecambe Bay and across the River Levens estuary. We stopped periodically under the pretence to admire the view but really was to gather our breath. We carried on climbing steadily around the back and approached the rear of the Monument over a grassy mound. Here, the wind which had been a steady breeze, now roared past us and was quite cold, making exposed flesh chill quickly. Finally we were at the base of the monument and stood amazed at the far reaching views – Blackpool Tower right on the horizon and in the opposite direction, the fells of the Lake District and Scafell Pike. There were two very useful information boards – the ones with an outline of the local topography and the names of notable landmarks etched into the metal. There were even Welsh names and we realised on a very clear day, Wales probably could be seen. Today it was hazy, so we waved to the day trippers in Blackpool and ventured to the other board to see if that offered any shelter from the howling wind. We were wrong – it was blowing straight out of the Lakes and made The Dog squint and her ears flap.
We didn’t linger there long. The monument wasn’t open today – you can climb up to the top on certain days and with the incessant wind making us feel quite chilly, we opted to walk back down to our beckoning lunch pub, taking the more gentle footpath off the back of the hill and back into town. We meandered back and found ourselves outside the The Mill pub again, where we studied the menu outside. It seemed to tick our culinary boxes and so we headed inside. We’re ready to eat.
Inside it was cosy with a log fire blazing and armchairs around it. We found a large dining table by the window and studied the menu while hugging a well earned pint. It was reasonably busy and had a nice atmosphere. Above us was the old flour chute, remnants of the old working mill which was a nice touch. It was a pleasant place to eat and we ordered our meals -good quality food and reasonably priced for this day and age.
https://www.mill-at-ulverston.co.uk/
Suitably stuffed, we had another wander around and came across the Coronation Hall, a beautiful stucco building not far from the indoor market. It’s the main theatre known locally as The Coro and it was rather splendid in its architecture. Outside was a life sized statue of Laurel and Hardy as Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston before emigrating to America and enjoying enduring success. Beside them, etched into the pavements, were their famous quotes and around the corner was a Museum dedicated to the duo. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go and visit that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Laurel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Laurel
We sauntered back to the car, admiring the stonework above the shop fronts again. The old Co-Operative Building with its stone carvings and high windows, enforcing its reputation as a major force in town. Then there was yet another sturdy building with an engraved stone lintel with the words BANK high above, giving the impression of security and invincibility. And here was two lintels across the top of another building with one engraving crudely filled in by cement, the surviving lintel reading BUILDING. Below was a shabby door with the words Central Buildings, so we presumed it originally read Central Buildings, but wondered why just one lintel was so dishearteningly vandalised.
We wandered back to the car and started to notice beautiful residential 3 storey cottages – each one painted a different colour. White, blue, grey. They looked smart and the surrounding houses and cottages looked well looked after despite facing a council car park on the edge of town. I discovered later that Ulverston has a wealth of listed buildings which didn’t surprise me. Across the way was the old Hartley’s brewery, a towering edifice now sadly empty and looking shabby – broken windows, weeds growing out of guttering and a general neglected look. It had been shut in 1990 and left, though there are plans to convert it into apartments which I don’t mind as long as the outside of the building remains intact. It’s part of Ulverston’s history and hopefully will be part of Ulverston for many years to come.
It was time to go home and driving back onto the A591, I made a concerted effort to look at the buildings on the edge of town. In amongst the new supermarket, industrial units and others flotsam of modern life, there were pretty little cottages and buildings. It’s so easy to miss as you whizz past and pick out the bigger, dominant, utilitarian buildings and make assumptions.
And as we drove passed The Hoad, high on its hill, looking after little Ulverston, I looked up and thought “Blimey, that looks a long way up!”
apathtosomewhere 