Brampton

Brampton is a market town in Cumbria, 10 miles (16 km) east of Carlisle. It has a pleasant preserved old centre and is near the route of Hadrian's Wall. In 2021 its population was 4186.

Tourist information is available at Moot Hall in the market place.

Get in

Brampton is on the historic road between Carlisle and Newcastle upon Tyne, but nowadays bypassed by A69. A689 is a shortcut from Gretna and A74(M) in Scotland.

Stagecoach Cumbria Bus 685 runs hourly daily from Carlisle and takes 25 min. Most terminate in Brampton but every hour or two they continue to Haltwhistle, Hexham, Corbridge, Heddon-on-the-Wall and Newcastle upon Tyne. Bus 680 from Alston is just an occasional school service.

There is no bus station in Brampton, buses stop along Front St.

Trains from Carlisle run every hour or two and take 20 min to Brampton, continuing to Haltwhistle, Hexham, Prudhoe, Metrocentre and Newcastle, another hour. Some go further to Morpeth but don't always stop at Brampton. Change at Carlisle for fast trains from London Euston, Manchester and Glasgow.

1 Brampton station is a mile southeast of town. It's a simple platform halt with ticket machines but no toilets or waiting room. There is level access to the Newcastle-bound platform and a footbridge with no lift for the Carlisle-bound platform. You can reach the latter step-free via a three-mile detour down another lane.

Get around

The town is compact, but you need wheels for outlying sights and accommodation.

Taxi operators are Brampton Cars (☏ +44 1697 73386), Atkinsons (+44 7810 460982) and Airbus 2000 (☏ +44 1697 73735).

See

• 1 St Martin's Church, Front St. It was built in the 1870s (with the tower added in 1906) and is the only church designed by the Pre-Raphaelite architect Philip Webb. The stained glass windows were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. (The Earls of Carlisle were paying for all these big talents.) It's an active Anglican church but is often locked outside services, as it has been vandalised. (updated Nov 2024)
• 2 Moot Hall is a cute octagonal building in Market Square completed in 1817. Originally the ground floor was an open-plan poultry market; it was enclosed after 1896 when the building was handed over to the town council. The ground floor is now the Tourist Information Centre. The ring in the cobbles outside is no longer used to tether bulls for bull-baiting.
• 3 The Motte or Mote is an earthwork cut out of a ridge that in the 12th century had a wooden castle. A statue of the 7th Earl of Carlisle was placed atop in the 19th century.
• 4 Brampton Old Church a mile west of town became redundant when St Martin's was completed. It's an attractive little sandstone building that harks back to the 12th century, and stands upon the site of a fort on Hadrian's Wall. You may be able to get the key from the farm next door, but all interior fittings have been removed.
• 5 Solway Aviation Museum is 3 mi (4.8 km) west of town on the airfield, see Carlisle.

Lanercost Priory

• 6 Capon Tree Monument marks the spot where six Jacobite soldiers were brought from Carlisle and hanged on 21 Oct 1746 in the aftermath of their failed uprising. "And the wuddy has her ain, and we twa are left alane, Free o' Carlisle gaol in the dawing..." is the 1876 version of "Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond", lamenting those who took the low road by being put to death. It was 12 months since Bonnie Prince Charlie and his men marched south in high hopes, receiving the bloodless surrender of Brampton and continuing to Derby. But the rebellion had little support in England and thereafter retreated and retreated, to be crushed at Culloden. The ancient Capon Tree was a popular meeting place for townsfolk: it died in 1904 and was replaced by the stone monument. A new tree was planted in 2013. The British Legion holds a memorial service here on 21 Oct the anniversary of the executions.
• 7 Naworth Castle is the private residence of the Earls of Carlisle, so you only get to visit in expensive private parties to shoot fish or somesuch. It dates from the 13th century but was embellished and extended in Tudorbethan times. Much of the interior was lost to a fire in 1844 and was re-done in Pre-Raphaelite style.
• 8 Lanercost Priory, Lanercost CA8 2HQ (3 miles northwest of Brampton), ☏ +44 1697 73030. Daily 10AM-5PM. Impressive ruin of an Augustinian priory founded around 1169 and dedicated unusually to Mary Magdalene. Being close to a quarrelsome border it was raided by the Scots, and Edward I stayed here several times. He was ill during his last visit of 1306 and had to stay six months, impoverishing the priests with the cost of accommodating his family and retinue. The Scots King Robert the Bruce arrived in 1311 "committing infinite evils"; later the nations made peace, whereupon the priory was smashed up all over again. It was dissolved in 1538 and fell into ruin. Adult £8.50, child £4.40, concession £7.50. (updated May 2023)
• 9 Banks East Turret is the mostly westerly point on Hadrian's Wall that much resembles a wall. The wall, military road and fortifications stretched coast to coast but the best sections are further east between Hexham and Greenhead. The route passes a couple of miles north of Brampton, with a clearly marked footpath, but here all the masonry has been spirited away and there's just a shallow earthwork. Further west even that has been ploughed or built over on the approach to Carlisle. See Haltwhistle for Birdoswald Roman Fort near Gilsland, 7 miles northeast of Brampton.
• 10 Castle Carrock is a tiny village 3 miles south of Brampton. St Peter's Church, built in 1828, is over the site of the vanished castle.

Do

Hadrian's Wall at Banks East Turret

• Hike: OS Landranger Map 86 covers this area. OS 87 overlaps to the east and has better coverage of the Hexham-Gilsland section of the Wall.
• Golf: Brampton GC is two miles south near Talkin Tarn. White tees 6418 yards, par £72, visitor round £55
• 1 Talkin Tarn Country Park, Tarn Rd CA8 1HN (off B6413 towards Castle Carrock), ☏ +44 1697 73129. This is a "kettle lake": 10,000 years ago a great lump of ice persisted after the glaciers retreated. It created a hollow, flooded by water from the surrounding bedrock. The Centre has water activities such as sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. The perimeter path (mile and a third) is suitable for wheelchairs. 24 hours. (updated May 2023)
• Wild on the Wall is a folk music festival held at Walton two miles north of town in August.

Buy

• Co-op Food on Main St is open daily 7AM-10PM. The closest supermarkets are in Carlisle, but for big-ticket purchases head to Metrocentre on the west edge of Newcastle.
• Cumbrian Antiques Centre, Front St CA8 1NT (next to St Martin's), ☏ +44 1697 742515. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Excellent antiques shop, knowledgeable helpful staff. (updated May 2023)
• Farmers Market is held in the market place outside Moot Hall on the last Saturday of each month, 9:30AM-1:30PM.

Eat

Stained glass window in St Martin's

• Star Anise, 34 Main St CA8 1RS, ☏ +44 1697 507361. Th-Tu 4-10PM. Friendly reliable Indian restaurant. (updated May 2023)
• Off the Wall is a coffee shop at 4 Front St, open M-Sa 8:30AM-3PM.
• Takeaways are Brampton Tandoori, Lucky House Chinese and Brampton Roosters fish & chips.
• The Duke of Cumberland is a cosy pub in Castle Carrock by St Peter's Church. It serves good pub food and is open W-Sa noon-8:30PM, Su noon-7PM.

Drink

• The Shoulder of Mutton, Front Street CA8 1NG, ☏ +44 1697 72622. M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-10PM. Trad pub in town centre, but limited selection of ale or food. (updated May 2023)
• Nag's Head in Market Place is open M-Sa 11:30AM-10PM, Su noon-10PM. It doesn't have food.
• Old Vicarage Brewery is in Walton two miles north of town. The bar remains closed in 2023.

Sleep

Roman Emperor Hadrian

• Camping and caravans: Irthing Vale Caravan Park is west of town towards the old church. It's not open in 2023. Chapel House Caravan Park near Talkin Tarn is just for static units on long lets, no tourers or campers.
• 1 Howard Arms, Front Street CA8 1NG, ☏ +44 1697 742758. Comfy trad hotel in town centre with popular dog-friendly restaurant and pub. B&B double £80. (updated May 2023)
• 2 The Sally, Irthington CA6 4NJ, ☏ +44 16977 42954. Pleasant small hotel and restaurant near the airfield. B&B double £125. (updated May 2023)
• The Fleece at Ruleholme by the airfield also has rooms.
• 3 Blacksmith Arms, Talkin CA8 1LE, ☏ +44 1697 73452. Smart welcoming village inn with good meals. B&B double £100. (updated May 2023)
• 4 Farlam Hall, Hallbankgate CA8 2NG, ☏ +44 16977 46234. Gorgeous historic country-house hotel, great comfort and service. B&B double £300. (updated May 2023)
• Belted Will Inn half a mile east of Farlam Hall in Hallbankgate has rooms.
• 5 String of Horses, Faugh, Heads Nook CA8 9EG, ☏ +44 1228 670297. Coaching inn founded 1659 with rooms. B&B double £100. (updated May 2023)
• See Hadrian's Wall#Sleep for accommodation at some distance from any town but convenient for the Wall. The closest is east in Gilsland village.

Connect

As of Feb 2023, Brampton and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

• Hadrian's Wall is best seen further east between Greenhead and Hexham, where a substantial wall follows the crest of a ridge, and connects Vindolanda, "Robin Hood's Tree" and Housesteads fort.
• The Pennine Way joins the wall pathway at Greenhead, following it to Housesteads then branching north to the Scottish border.
• Carlisle is a pleasant market town with an impressive castle.