Alston

Alston is a small town in Cumbria, North West England. Alston lies within the North Pennines, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Alston is noted for its cobbled streets and 17th-century stone buildings. The Pennine Way, the UK's first National Trail, passes by the edge of Alston and the Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) passes through the town.

Understand


It shares the title of the 'highest market town in England', at about 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, with Buxton, Derbyshire.

The landscape of the area is built up from limestone, sandstone and shale. The area is rich in minerals, in particular lead deposits, and the landscape has been heavily influenced by the effects of varying methods of mining over the centuries. Historically the area has been mined for lead, silver, zinc, coal and fluorspar. The nearby Roman fort of Whitley Castle (Epiacum) may in part have been sited to control and protect the lead mines there.

Get in
There are good transport links into Alston. Although the railway is no longer running, main roads extend to Alston from Carlisle, Hexham, Penrith, and Barnard Castle. Each of them is 20–30 miles distant.

By foot
Alston and Garrigill are on the Pennine Way.

Get around
Wrights' buses run a daily service in the summer months to Penrith, Newcastle (via Hexham), and the villages of Garrigill and Nenthead.

Alston is set in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. There are many walks to be had on the moor, and the Nenthead and Garrigill walks are good, 8-mile (13-km) round trip walks which can be taken along the rivers Nent and Tyne respectively.

See

 * Killhope is a lead mining museum east on A689 in County Durham, see Stanhope. It's closed for refurbishment in 2024.
 * Killhope is a lead mining museum east on A689 in County Durham, see Stanhope. It's closed for refurbishment in 2024.
 * Killhope is a lead mining museum east on A689 in County Durham, see Stanhope. It's closed for refurbishment in 2024.
 * Killhope is a lead mining museum east on A689 in County Durham, see Stanhope. It's closed for refurbishment in 2024.
 * Killhope is a lead mining museum east on A689 in County Durham, see Stanhope. It's closed for refurbishment in 2024.

Eat
Like much of Cumbria, after the Foot and Mouth crisis in the early 2000s, many businesses combined and diversified, leaving Cumbria with a gastronomical edge.

Drink
Alston used to have many pubs considering its small size. There are fewer than 2000 people living on the whole moor and the village used to 10 pubs. Each pub had its own individual character and many of were free houses, serving local beers from the microbreweries of Cumbria. In 2014 just four pubs remained open (Cumberland, Angel, Turks Head, and Victoria), and one hotel/restaurant (Alston House), although the Cumberland and Victoria also provide accommodation.

In Alston Moor
Here is a guide to the pubs of Alston Moor.

Go next

 * Haltwhistle
 * Penrith
 * Hexham