Carlisle
Carlisle is one of the most northerly cities which we list at LakesUK.com. Carlisle is located on the river Eden, with two tributaries meeting it, the Peteril and the Caldew. In Roman times this marked the end of the empire, with Hadrian's Wall close by, stretching from coast to coast.
The Romans brought prosperity to the area, leaving about the fifth century. Four hundred years later the Danes sacked the city, demolishing the walls and killing everyone - strange how this has been forgotten whilst people still condemn Oliver Cromwell over certain similar actions. After the Danes, Carlisle had no walls or anything, it reverted to countryside!
Today Carlisle is the administrative centre of Cumbria, with food production and textiles being important industries. There is a fine cathedral founded in 1122, well worth a visit. It's a small cathedral, but interesting. Very little of the original building is left, and evidence of rebuilding and use of previous walls etc is apparent within.
There is an excellent museum telling the city's history.
Hadrian's wall
Close by, running 80 Roman miles (73 UK miles) coast to coast, built from AD122 onwards in sections. There are forts every mile, with smaller turrets between them. These were built before the wall itself by more experienced workmen together with short lengths of wall attached. The remainder of the wall was then filled in.
In places this later wall is not as thick as the parts attached to the turrets and forts. There were also deep ditches.
Some sections of the wall are in an excellent state of preservation, although much of it was 'recycled' because it was a readily-available source of building material.
There are a number of sites to visit, unfortunately English Heritage charges exhorbidant entrance charges that seem designed to prevent access rather than encouraging people to visit.
Accommodation in and around Carlisle