Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness, commonly known as Barrow, is an industrial port town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness local government area of Cumbria, England.
Historically in Lancashire, Barrow is at the tip of the Furness peninsula, 24 miles (39 km) south-west of Kendal and 18 miles (29 km) west of Lancaster. It is bordered by Morecambe Bay to the east, the Duddon Estuary to the west, and the Irish Sea to the south. In 2021, Barrow's population was 55,489, making it the second-largest urban area in Cumbria after Carlisle and the largest in Westmorland and Furness.
Getting to Barrow-in-Furness
Trains run hourly from Preston to Barrow via Lancaster, Carnforth, Arnside, Grange-over-Sands and Ulverston; some stop at other halts in the Cartmel and Furness peninsulas. The journey is scenic, sweeping round Morecambe Bay and crossing the Kent and Leven estuaries on viaducts. Change at Preston or Lancaster for fast trains to London, the Midlands and Scotland; these never stop at Carnforth.
- 01Barrow
By bus: Stagecoach Bus X6 runs between Barrow and Kendal (M-Sat hourly, Sun every 2 hours, taking 2 hours) via Dalton, Ulverston, Haverthwaite, Grange-over-Sands and Levens.
Worth seeing
- 01Dock Museum
Local history from Roman to industrial times.
- 02Piel Island
The pretender Lambert Simnel (1477-1530?) landed here in his campaign to supplant Henry VII; his rebellion was crushed but he was spared and given a menial court job.
- 03Roanhead has Sandscale Haws National Nature Reserve
- 04Furness Abbey
Apr-Oct: daily, Nov-Mar: Sat Sun, 10AM-4PM.
- 05South Lakes Safari Zoo
Melton Terrace, Lindal-in-Furness, Ulverston, LA12 0LU (bus X6 to Melton Top), fax: +44 1229 461310.
Things to do
Beaches: Earnse Bay, Biggar Bank, Roanhead and Rampside. The first two of these provide views of the Isle of Man and Anglesey on exceptionally clear days. Football: Barrow AFC were relegated in 2026 and now play soccer in National League, the fifth tier. Their home ground is Holker Street (capacity 5400, 1000 seated) half a mile north of the railway station.
Where to eat
There's a slew of cheap eating places on the retail park off Ironworks Road, with another cluster in the terraces around the railway station. Oscar's Restaurant within Abbey House Hotel (see "Sleep") is open M-Sa noon-2:30PM, 5:30-9:30PM, Su noon-9PM King Alfred Hotel has ten bedrooms but you mainly come for the food. It's on Ocean Rd, Walney Island LA14 3DX, and open daily for lunch and dinner.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Tadeusz Hare (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.