Local Amenities
Co-Op
Just 9 minutes from Willow Tree, this small but perfectly formed supermarket on Kent Bank Road offers just about everything you could need day to day. It stocks fresh and frozen food, drinks, household essentials and more. Opening hours are 7am to 10pm, seven days a week, and it even offers same-day delivery.
Postcode: LA11 7EY
Alternative: Tesco (also on Kent Bank Road)
Grange Pharmacy
A quarter of an hour’s drive from Village Green, the Grange pharmacy on Kent Bank Road is open from 9am until 6pm every weekday (with 5pm closing on Saturday and closed on Sunday). Grange Pharmacy offers wide range of services including prescriptions, vaccinations and blood pressure checks, alongside other pharmacy provisions and a store.
Postcode: LA11 7EY
Telephone: 01539 532993
Westmoreland General Hospital
A half-hour drive north-east from Scout Cragg, WGH in Kendall offer general hospital services (including elective operations, outpatient appointments and midwifery-led maternity services). It has an Urgent Treatment Centre which can deal with non-life threatening conditions such as broken bones and minor illnesses. Be mindful of the fact that this is not an A&E so is unable to treat emergencies.
Postcode: LA9 7RG
Telephone: 01539 732288
Bupa Dental Care
This private practice on Yebarrow Terrace in Grange-over-Sands offers a range of dental treatments including implants, orthodontics and cosmetic treatments. It’s open Monday (8am to 5pm, or 7pm on Wednesdays, but closed at weekends), and can cater for emergency enquiries.
Postcode: LA11 6ED
Telephone: 01539 534554
Archway Vets
Opened more than 50 years ago, this independent business is the leading provider of veterinary services and customer care in the local community. Archway is open 8:30am to 6pm on Monday to Friday, and 9am to 12pm on Saturdays. It also provides 24 hour emergency care in addition to other small animal and equine services.
Postcode: LA11 6LU
Telephone: 01539 532669
Grange Over Sands Library
Grange Library is located at Grange Fell Road in Grange over Sands, and is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, and on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. It offers services like browsing and borrowing, computer access, printing, and access to loanable items like storysacks and dementia bags. The library also hosts book clubs and rteading groups, plus various events including author talks.
Postcode: LA11 6BQ
Things To Do
Ornamental Gardens
Known to locals as ‘the duck pond’, the Victorian-influenced ornamental gardens in the middle of Grange-over-Sands date back a couple of hundred years and offer a beautiful stroll. The fountain and pond (with wildfowl including ducks, geese, mallards and gulls) is the focal point, with paths going right around it. There are plenty of seats available to rest or enjoy the views. The war memorial is worth a visit, and there are public toilets available (chargeable / card payment only).
Postcode: LA11 6DY
The Promenade
Taking a walk along the promenade at Grange-over-Sands is essential (including the ornamental gardens). There are stunning views of the coastline available (and even the fells of the Lake District can be seen in the distance). At the southern end of the promenade lies the Recreation Ground, a popular park which includes a 9-hole mini-golf putting green plus crazy golf, plus a skate park and games courts. There are a few cafes along the promenade so you can grab a bit to eat or refresh with a drink, and parking is available at Main Street.
Postcode: LA11 6DY.
Holker Hall
This popular spot is a mere five minute drive to the north of Willow Tree. There are more than 20 acres of gardens and woodland to explore, as well as the Neo-Elizabethan hall itself. You can explore in your own time or take a guided tour. Dogs are welcome everywhere except inside the Hall itself. Holker is open Wednesday to Sunday each week, plus bank holiday Mondays. Admission to the hall and gardens is £15.50, or £11.50 for the gardens only. Children under 12 can visit for free. There is free parking, and a courtyard café serving food made with locally sourced ingredients.
Postcode: LA11 7PL
Cartmel
Two miles north of Grange-over-Sands is Cartmel, a picturesque village known for its 12th-century priory (around which it developed) plus its award-winning restaurants. There are cobbled streets to explore, lined with quaint shops, plus Unsworth’s Yard, a collection of artisan food retailers offering local produce. There are also Michelin-starred eateries, including the famous L’Enclume (which also held top spot as the UK’s best restaurant in The Good Food Guide from 2014-2017).
Postcode: LA11 6QB
Festivals / Events
Grange-over-Sands hosts festivals and events each year to celebrate local culture, music and food. The Edwardian Festival sees the town transported back to the early 20th-century, Classics Over Sands features vintage cars, and Holker Hall hosts the Wild Goat Festival (in late May / early June), featuring a mix of music, food, guest speakers and sporting events. Each July over 20,000 visitors descend on Flookborough (8 minutes south-west of Grange-over-Sands) for the Cumbria Steam Gathering event, with steam engines plus classic cars, motorcycles, bikes, agricultural and industrial tractors, farm equipment and stationary engines visit from across the world.
Laurel & Hardy
A mere twenty minute drive from Grange-over-Sands lies the market town of Ulverston – a surprising sight-seeing mecca for comedy fans around the world. It was the birthplace of Arthur Jefferson – aka Stan Laurel, one half of early to mid 2oth-century film duo Laurel & Hardy. There is a museum at Ulverston’s Roxy cinema, including personal artefacts and memorabilia, plus a statue of the loveable pair in the town centre. The house on Argyll Street in which Stan was born in 1890 is still standing.
Postcode: LA12 7AH
Skydive North West
Close by Willow Tree, this is one of the longest established skydiving centres in the UK, having offered skydiving experiences for more than four decades. Jump from up to 15,000 ft, reacha speed of about 120 mph, and get truly spectacular views across the Lake District, Lake Windermere and Morecambe Bay. Solo jumping is available, though the tandem experience (with the instructor deploying and landing the parachute) is the most popular option. The maximum weight limit is 15 stone, the minimum age is 16, and under 18s must have parental consent. A picnic area, cafe and toilets (including a disabled toilet) are available for everybody.
Postcode: LA11 7LS
Places to Eat & Drink
The Derwent Arms
This fantastic pub in Edmundbyers serves traditional menus including light bites, traditional pub grub, fish Fridays and Sunday roasts, focusing on seasonal and local produce. There are also plenty of local ales available. The Derwent Arms is open Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 11pm (drinks only), and Thursday to Sunday (12noon to 11pm for drinks and / or food). It’s also kid friendly (with a kids menu available) and dog friendly, and has ample outdoor space for summer plus a roaring log fire in the winter.
Postcode: DH8 9NL
The Baa
This unique, eccentric, cosy micropub-style bar is located within Low House in Edmunbyers, and offers a decent selection of local ales, including Penine Pale. The drinks menu also includes popular beers, wines and a growing list of gins and tonics. It’s open Friday to Sunday (noon to 11.30pm) and Monday to Thursday (4.30pm to 9.30pm). The Kitchen, also within Low House, offers homemade pizzas every day.
Postcode: DH8 9NL
Eagles Head
This charming village pub in Over Kellet, near Carnforth, serves great food and beers, at lunchtimes and in the evenings (there’s no food available on Tuesdays). There’s a fireplace in the welcoming bar plus outdoor seating, and the Eagles Head hosts quiz nights and live music on a regular basis.
Postcode: LA6 1DL
The Manor House Inn
Five minutes north of Edmunbyers is the Manor House Inn, a classic British pub with a touch of modern flair. It serves traditional food, cooked to order and can get extremely busy, particularly at weekends, so booking is always advised. The Manor House Inn serves a very popular Sunday Roast Menu on Sundays. There is outdoor seating, parking, free Wi-Fi and well-behaved dogs are welcome.
Postcode: DH8 9 LX
Sale Pepe
This family-owned Italian restaurant in Shotley Bridge was established in 2004 and has built a strong reputation for serving delicious fresh, homemade food including pizzas, pastas and meats and fish. Sale Pepe is open Wednesday and Thursday (12noon to 10.30pm, with last booking at 8.30pm), Friday and Saturday (12noon to 11pm, with last booking at 8.45pm), Sunday. (12pm to 6.30pm, with last booking at 4.30pm). It is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Booking online is advised.
Postcode: DH8 0HH
