The Cockermouth Ale Trail, The Lake District, Cumbria

Distance: 2.33 km

Difficulty: Easy

Dog Friendly: No

Ascent/Descent: Easy (+/- 50 metres)

Toilets: At the various pubs

Wildlife: Nothing of note

Endomondo route: Download here

Cockermouth Ale Trail

Pictures

 

Directions

The ale trail starts outside the Jennings Brewery. This is because you’ve booked yourself on the brewery tour and upon arriving in Cockermouth, the first thing you’re going to do is locate the brewery so you aren’t late!

1. From the brewery, leave and head east along Wyndham Row with the castle wall up to your left. At the end of the road, you will be able to see the castle (picture 1). Turn right onto Castlegate and head downhill, taking the first left onto Market Place. At Seth’s Bar (on the right), turn right onto Kirkgate and head uphill. After a short way, the first pub on this Ale Trail, The Bitter End, is on your left.

2. Exit The Bitter End and turn left, continuing up Kirkgate just a short way. Turn left onto a narrow and difficult-to-spot road called Cocker Lane. Follow this lane all the way to the river, where you will cross over the River Cocker on the Quaker’s Footbridge (picture 2).

The Quaker’s Footbridge was originally built around 1887 and the bridge was renewed in 1984. During the 2009 floods, the bridge was partially swept away by trees and debris in the surging waters. 

3. Over the bridge, continue straight ahead, passing a sports pitch on your right. After a short distance, turn right onto the B5292 (the next right turn after Challoner Street). Walk for approximately 100m, crossing over at some point over to the left hand side, where you will come to The Brown Cow pub.

4. Exit The Brown Cow and turn left onto the main road through Cockermouth (still signposted as the B5292). Immediately ahead, you should see the Mayo Statue (picture 3) sitting between the two lanes of the road.

The Mayo Statue is a fine marble statue of Richard Southwell Bourke, sixth earl of Mayo, M.P. for Cockermouth 1857-68. The statue was erected after Mayo was assassinated in 1872. Whilst visiting a convict settlement in the Andaman Islands as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, a prisoner stabbed the earl with a knife, seemingly motivated by the injustice of his incarceration. The 800-guinea cost of the statue (made by Messrs. Willis of London) had been raised by public subscription.

5. Pass by the Mayo Statue and on the left will be the next pub, The Fletcher Christian. Exit the pub and go left, continuing along the main B5292 road. Cross over to the other side of the road at the crossing point just before the mini-roundabout. When you reach the mini-roundabout, William Wordsworth’s house (picture 4) on the right.

William Wordsworth’s house is the birthplace and childhood home of romantic poet William and his sister Dorothy. It is a National Trust property and is presented as it would have been when they lived here with their parents, three brothers and servants in the 1770s. The cellar is also rumoured to be haunted by a host of characters, including 13-year-old William, the grumpy manservant, and Amy, the maid.

Continue on straight ahead and after just a short way you will come to The Trout on your right. This is the final pub before the brewery tour. Exit The Trout and continue along Crown Street. At the roundabout, turn right and cross over the bridge, admiring the view of the River Derwent (picture 5). Once over the bridge, take your next right and enter the Memorial Gardens through the metal gate.

The Memorial Gardens were created to commemorate the lives lost in WWII. The land was officially acquired in 1946 and was officially opened to the public on 11 August 1956. The grounds were severely damaged in the catastrophic floods of 2009, and the access bridge from Main Street (Miller’s Bridge) was swept away. In 2010 a number of trees were planted to mark the anniversary of VE Day, but also the reopening of Millers Bridge and of the grounds.

6. Follow the path through the Memorial Gardens as it joins alongside the River Derwent. Turn right and cross over the first footbridge you come too. Over the other side, continue straight ahead along Bridge Street, coming to the main road (B5292) you walked along earlier. Turn left, retracing your earlier route, but this time staying on the other side of the road from The Fletcher Christian. At the crossroads where The Brown Cow is located, turn left onto High Sand Lane. At the end of the road, do not turn left onto Waterloo Street. Instead, continue on ahead over the small bridge aptly named Brewery Bridge. You are now on Brewery Lane. Follow this road as it bears around to the right and you will find yourself back at Jennings’ Brewery. Enjoy the tour!

Pub 1: The Bitter End

The Bitter End is a traditional English Pub and restaurant that boasts its own micro-brewery that can be viewed through a glazed partition in the pub. Up to eight ales on pump, they certainly give Jennings a good run for their money! The pub has an appetising menu with all meals freshly prepared using fresh local produce whenever possible. All their meat is supplied by local butchers and is 100% traceable to Cumbrian Farms. You can view their website here.

Pub 2: The Brown Cow

The Brown Cow has a humble exterior, but don’t let this put you off. The inside is really cosy, with comfortable seating and an open fire to warm yourself by on a cold day. We were really impressed with the food here, choosing to stop for our lunch after browsing many Cockermouth menus. The staff were really friendly, the food portions were filling and reasonably priced and the ale selection was good! If you’re looking for lunch in Cockermouth, we recommend this place.

Pub 3: The Fletcher Christian

The Fletcher Christian is a modern and contemporary pub that sits in the centre of the main high street. Having built up a great reputation for live music, entertainment and sports and games, this appeals to a wide variety of customers and is a focal point for the local community.

Pub 4: The Trout

The Trout is a modern, idyllic, picture-postcard hotel, restaurant and bar located on the bank of The River Derwent. Given its location, it may seem surprising that The Trout does not offer a wide selection of local ales, serving only Cocker Hoop ale from Jennings. The Trout chooses to instead to focus on wines and premium beers, which matches the upmarket clientèle this pub targets. Nonetheless, the settings are beautiful, the staff friendly and the beer tasty, if not a little overpriced. The Trout is also on the Cask Marque Ale Trail, so it’s well-worth a call in. You can view their website here.

 

Pub 5: Jennings Brewery

We aren’t going to say too much about the Jennings Brewery tour, other than that for just £12, you get a 45 minute tour where you learn all about how Jennings ale is produced, as well as and three half-pints of ale in the brewery bar. You can book a brewery tour here. A must-see when visiting Cockermouth!

  

Tips

There are multiple other pubs along the route that you may wish to call in; we’ve picked our favourites.

Brewery tours fill up quickly, especially during peak times. So book early!

Chris & Shaz