
Grange
is a lovely, traditional, small Cumbrian town on the Cartmel Peninsula
with the sea at its front and the Lakeland Fells at its back. It's
a quiet, gentle spot, an ideal base for walking or touring, or for
having a relaxing holiday without moving too far away. Although a
northerly English town, the climate is mild, feeling the benefit of
the Gulf Stream - even palm trees grow here! When the tide is out
you will see where the town's name came from - 100 square miles of
sands stretching across Morecambe Bay. You can walk the eight mile
direct route to Hest Bank near Morecambe across the sands, but because
of quicksands and the tides, it must not be attempted without a Sands
Guide. This used to be the main way from Lancashire to Grange and
the towns beyond, and in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries
a regular stage coach used to run. The coming of the Furness Railway
in 1846 via a bridge across the water at Arnside put an end to this
and started to bring more people into Grange. It became a popular
holiday resort in the late part of the last century and in this century
and up until the early 1960s when the British started going abroad.
Today
the town is crisp and clean with good amenities. It really is unspoiled,
the shops on Main Street's rising slope, don't look much different
from the way they did thirty years, perhaps fifty years ago - because
they have been well cared for. This is not a high street full of chain
stores like so many. There is no modern shopping centre here - but
everything you could need is here, supplied by local businesses. And
take the time to visit the Tourist Information Centre at the lower
end of Main Street - they have lots of information about Grange and
the surrounding areas. They're helpful - personal service again -
and will enable you to really make the best of your stay. At the top
of Main Street, stands the impressive Town Clock, donated by a local
resident earlier in the century with the attractive church gardens
nearby. Further along towards Kents Bank there are more gardens and
the attractive band stand.