Priest's Hole

A small cave tucked into the fells above Penrith, Priest's Hole gets its name from the legend of a Catholic priest who supposedly hid here during the penal times when saying Mass was illegal. Whether that's historically accurate or local folklore run amok, the cave itself is genuine - a modest rocky shelter in the landscape rather than anything cathedral-like.

You'll need to walk to reach it, and it's not signposted in the way you'd expect from a major attraction. That's rather the point. The appeal lies in the scramble up the fell, the views across the Eden Valley, and the slightly illicit thrill of discovering something that doesn't announce itself. Once you're there, you've got a hole in the rock that's perhaps twenty feet deep. Don't expect dramatic stalactites or underground chambers - it's intimate and weathered, the kind of place that rewards those who've bothered to find it rather than those expecting visitor facilities.

Walkers will get the most from this. It works as a waypoint on a longer Pennine ramble rather than a destination in itself. Families with younger kids might find the hike rewarding but the actual cave anticlimactic. There's no entrance fee because there's no formal site management - you're basically exploring a natural feature on common land.

Stay at Lakeside Retreat Glamping just four miles away, and you're positioned well for both this walk and the broader Lake District circuit. Weather permitting, late spring through early autumn gives you the best light and firm ground underfoot.