Carlisle Library

The main library in Carlisle sits right in the heart of the city centre, a proper resource for anyone spending time in this part of Cumbria. It's a working library first and foremost - lending books, offering computers, hosting the sort of local history collections you'd actually want to browse if you're interested in how the region developed. The atmosphere is calm and studious rather than touristy, which means you get a genuine sense of how locals use the space.

It's worth a visit if you're already in town, particularly if rain cuts short your park holiday at Green Acres or Thornfield. History buffs will find the local studies section genuinely useful - there's material on Hadrian's Wall, the border region's turbulent past, and the city's Georgian architecture. Kids might get restless after thirty minutes unless they're serious readers, but the librarians are usually helpful if you're hunting for specific information about the area.

Free to enter, naturally, though borrowing requires membership. Allow an hour if you're just browsing, longer if you've got research to do. It's the kind of place that doesn't photograph well and won't give you an obvious highlight for your holiday snaps, but on a drizzly afternoon when the fells are shrouded in cloud, it's a sensible diversion. Parking in Carlisle is reasonably straightforward, and the library is well-signposted from the main roads through town.