Penrith is a busy red-sandstone market town on the edge of the Eden Valley, long a gateway between the Lakes and the Pennines. The ruins of Penrith Castle, held by Richard of Gloucester before he took the throne as Richard III, stand opposite the station, and narrow old yards run off the market place. The beacon on the hill above gives a wide view over the valley. Trains stop here on the main Lancaster–Carlisle line.
