I live here in West Cumbria, and I want to add to this section, by summarising what I explored, in the small town known as Whitehaven.
Historical attractions
I don’t know much history about places, but Whitehaven has a lovely attraction where they share the history of the town. It’s called ‘The Rum Story’. It’s very informative, and quite interesting, to get a deeper understanding of the story. When you pay for admission, you get a little £10 voucher off their large rum bottles in the store, and another voucher to the Beacon Museum, which is at the Harbourside. They also have a selection of alcoholic beverages, especially Rum. I purchased a small bottle of strawberry and cream gin. I’m not a huge gin fan, but it’s a nice flavour.
I’ll admit, as a person of colour in the area, it was mentioned during the Rum Story, that a lot of freed slaves, moved to Whitehaven. Where are they? If there was a larger ethnic population, I feel the area would have more relatable contents in shops, or small businesses. I do miss shopping for my ethnic foods, and travelling all the way to major cities such as Newcastle or Manchester can be hard to organise. Especially, if you consider the transport links aren’t as good as places with higher population densities.
Harbourside
Whitehaven has a beautiful harbourside, which has glorious views of Scotland, on a good day. You can walk along the whole harbourside in about 45 minutes. It’s glorious on a sunny day. On a windy day, it hits you with the fresh sea air, and on a calm day, you can sit on the walls and admire the little jellyfish in the sea. They don’t get close to the beach, so you can enjoy the sand and the water.
The harbourside is also on the west side of the country, so when there are no clouds, you get glorious sunsets. Additionally, Whitehaven is about 30 – 45 minutes from the Lake district. It’s also an hour away from the nearest motorway. No one is making the casual trip here, compared to other beach towns. That means on hot summer days, the beach has about 10- 20 people max. Even locals rarely stay here on the hot days, especially when there are lakes 30 minutes away. So, no crowded beach, what more can you ask for.
Shops and local amenities
Whitehaven maybe small, but it is mighty packed with shops. It has a subway, 2 Greggs, a costa, and various independent cafes, which all accommodate to the employees of local businesses. The local Wetherspoons hits the spot, when it comes to drinks, and there are quite a few tasty restaurants. The local amenities are in walking distance of each other, but to leave Whitehaven, a car would be recommended.
It has quite a few housing districts which are on large hills. If you want to attempt those walks, enjoy, but a car with a good clutch is necessary round here. There are quite a few gyms round here too, in case walking up hills isn’t your thing. People here are very friendly and generous.
It’s a very nice place to live… if you don’t need a lot of variety. Personally, I’m still looking for adventure and variety, but it’s a lovely place to live whilst I work at my current job.
Entertainment
There are a range of opportunities to enjoy Whitehaven. It has an adorable cinema, which shows 1 move for a few nights, before changing movies. Its affordable, it’s cute and it’s still an enjoyable experience.
There are lovely restaurants locally, which vary in price and food styles. Whitehaven has plenty of Pay and Display car parks, but there are also bays which allow free parking after 6pm. I can’t leave out the local delicacy that is Chattanooga. It’s in most of the west Cumbria towns, and is perfect for food after a good night out.
Whitehaven does have a train station, and the one train passes right through it. So, it is indirectly connected to main train lines. If the local entertainment isn’t your cup of tea, there is easy access to other towns and possible cities but Whitehaven has so much to offer, it’s worth exploring when you’re here.
Moral of my story:
- Whitehaven is nice– it has a known historical past, so it’s interesting, and the locals are very sweet
- Whitehaven has a lot to offer– You can’t get too bored round here, as it gives you the opportunity to explore and go on an adventure
- It’s affordable– Everything is reasonably priced for what you will experience. I’d definitely recommend giving it a visit.
