Cleator Moor & Ennerdale Bridge

Route features

Ideal stop-over places for those arriving later in the day at Whitehaven or St Bees. You can dip your wheels in the sea at Whitehaven (5 miles) or St Bees (7 miles) then have a gentle ride to acclimatise for those bigger challenges facing you over the next few days. This also gets around possible accommodation log-jams in Whitehaven or St Bees (or Workington, for that matter). Ennerdale Bridge, a lovely rural village with two pubs and a shop, is about a mile to the east of the route at Kirkland (you can head straight there out of Cleator Moor or simply turn right at Kirkland). Cleator Moor, meanwhile, boasts an Indian and Chinese restaurant (both pretty good) plus a fine budget cafe. See details below.

eating places

Anamika - Indian restaurant highly rated highly by locals and has had some good write ups. Upmarket Bangladeshi cooking at downmarket prices. 43 High St, Cleator Moor. 01946 813220.

Canton Chef - Chinese eaterie, good service and good cooking. Tommy the chef knows his Szechuan and Cantonese spices. 9 Ennerdale Rd, Cleator Moor. 01946 815567

Scoffs Cafe - all the usual health villains available and expertly cooked for cheerfully low prices. Great value and could hardly be nearer the route. Cleator Moor. 01946 810455

cycle shops

Ainfield Cycle Centre, Jacktrees Rd, Cleator Moor. 01946 812427


Potted history...Ennerdale Bidge

Ennerdale village spans the River Ehen and is close to Ennerdale Water, the most westerly of the lakes (and the most remote - it is the only lake which has no road running alongside). Here lies one of the largest forests in Cumbria in the Ennerdale Valley, with more than 20 miles of forest road plus a tangle of footpaths open to the public. The village is only a short hope from the C2C (also known as the West Cumbria Cyclepath).

Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk travels through Cleator before reaching Ennerdale village, so the village is a popular stopping off point on the route.



Quick history of Cleator Moor

Forged in the red heat of old technology, Cleator Moor is a creation of the Industrial Revolution. The era's insatiable need for more coal, limestone and iron ore meant that the village became a town, which developed rapidly in the 19th century. As did the villages around it: Frizington, Rowrah, Keekle, Bigrigg produced the raw materials for iron works in Cleator Moor and Workington. To service this hive of industrial activity there was also an intricate network of railways, known as the Cleator & Workington junction railway.

The town's nickname was 'Little Ireland', owing to the influx of workers from across the water. World War I and World War II saw a fresh influx of migrant workers from the ravages of mainland Europe and in 1938 Jakob Spreiregen founded the company Kangol in Cleator, situated across the road from St Mary's Church. The original factory building still stands though manufacturing has since transferred to the Kangol factory in Panyu, Guangzhou, Guandong, China. Although manufacturing on the site has ended, the factory shop remains open for business and there are talks of redeveloping the site as a tourist attraction.

With the decline of traditional industries, the town's economy is now dependent on the nearby Sellafield complex, which provides employment to half the town's people. And, of course, the C2C! In the Market Square are three sculptures by Conrad Atkinson, an artist of international repute who was born in Cleator Moor in 1940. They are a memorial to the once thriving mining industry. The three sculptures represent the Miner, the Phoenix and the Hand.

The famous painter L.S. Lowry often stayed in Cleator Moor and there is a blue plaque outside the library to commemorate this. He painted several pictures of buildings, including the Cowles fish and chip shop opposite the library, the former Westminster Bank, and the Wath Brow Church.

The only remaining iron ore mine is Florence Mine at Egremont. The last coal mine, Haig Colliery at Whitehaven closed a few years ago. The remaining buildings at the pit head have been renovated to make a mining museum and heritage centre.

As well as at these two mining heritage centres, examples of various minerals mined in Cleator Moor and other nearby mines may be seen at the Natural History Museum in London.

For information about the history of Cleator Moor see Tom Duffy's site at www.themoor.ukf.net.

Sectarian trouble...

Following the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s and the rise of the Orange Order Cleator Moor found itself for a short period at the centre of sectarian troubles in the UK. In April 1871 several hundred Cleator Moor miners entered Whitehaven and attacked "Anti-Popery" campaigner William Murphy pushing him down the stairs of the Oddfellows Hall. The following year Murphy died, possibly as a result of his injuries. On 12 July 1884 the combined Orange Lodges of Cumberland, marched through Cleator Moor in commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne. This led to riots and the death of local postal messenger, Henry Tumelty, a 17-year-old Catholic, with others listed as having received injuries from bullets, cutlasses and pikes. Local Catholics later took revenge on members of the Orange Order living in the town.




Accommodation
Parkside Hotel, John Bruckshaw, Parkside Road, Cleator Moor, CA28 5HB

A friendly, affordable, family run hotel, ideally situated for the C2C and on the edge of the Lake District National Park. Ideally situated for C2Cers, who might be tempted to stay and explore the beautiful Western Lakes and Fells or the Solway Coast. En-suite rooms plus real ales and home-cooked bar meals.

Telephone : 01946 811001

Website : www.parksidehotelcumbria.co.uk

Email : enquiries@parksidehotelcumbria.co.uk

Rooms : 2T/D, 2F, 1S, 1Tpl.

B&B : £29.50 - £39. £25 each for triple

Evening meal : £6.95-£13.95

Packed lunch : £3.50-£4.95

On route : Real Ales

Secure lock-up :

:





Shepherds Arms Hotel, Shepherds Arms Hotel, Ennerdale Bridge,
Ennerdale, Cumbria, CA23 3AR

This is an ideal stop off for those arriving by train or car later in the day. It is seven miles from the start at Whitehaven and/or St Bees, so is a splendid way of easing into the ride and is only a mile from the route, near Kirkland. This is a small gem of a country hotel with public bar serving real ales and pub meals. Situated on the famous Coast to Coast walk, the area is fast becoming popular with cyclists using the new start. A busy local pub with comfortable rooms.

Tel : 01946 861249

Web : www.shepherdsarmshotel.co.uk

Email : shepherdsarms@btconnect.com

Rooms : 3D, 3T, 2D/T

B&B : £39.50-£49.50

Evening Meal : Under £10 for a main course

Packed Lunch : £3.95-£5.50

:





The Fox & Hounds, Malcolm Thomas-Chapman, Ennerdale Bridge, CA23 3AR

Comfortable and cosy country pub serving real ale and good food. The emphasis is on cuisine and gastro-bistro is the theme. Malcolm, who runs the nearby Shepherds Arms, recently took over and now runs both of the village's pubs. Great place to stop off if you want to have an easy first day having maybe arrived in the afternoon at the start.

Telephone : 01946 861181

Website : www.shepherdsarmshotel.co.uk

Email : shepherdsarms@btconnect.com

Rooms : 2D, 1T

B&B : £39.50 - £49.50

Evening meal : Under £10 for a main course

Packed lunch : £3.95 - £5.50

Secure cycle lock-up : 1 mile from route