England's
third largest port behind London and Bristol in the18th century, with coal and
iron exports bringing wealth to the area; merchants and sea captains took
advantage of the relationships forged with the new Americas and dipped their
slimy fingers into slavery, as some of the finer Merchant’s houses in the town
bear witness to.
The herring
industry brought another wave of trade in the 1960s and now the shellfish catch
keeps this port on the map – mostly scallops and Nephrops, yes, indeedy, I had to look it
up. The daily passage is to the Isle of Man now, rather than the West Indies , but there is still a tang of rum in the air,
and ample memories of the coal industry that once employed so many here. This
is also the start (or finish) of the famous Coast to Coast walk or ride, see www.sustrans.co.uk
Protected
from the sou'westerlies by the landmass of St Bees, the marina at Whitehaven is
a calm haven once in behind the mighty lock, and today the sun shines on the Solway Firth and we can see snow on the hills of
Gallaway. Old pal Mark Bowden (Marina Projects) shows me round.
Whitehaven
makes a very welcome stop off enroute to Scotland
(50 miles) and Northern
Ireland , and is a prime weekend break for
Manx sailors stocking up.
Whitehaven
also has some surprising food choices: as this is home to BBC One Show's tv chef Ricky
Andalcio, who runs Zest Restaurant
and the more casual Zest Harbourside, which is open daily as is the renowned
fish and chip shop, Crosby’s, there
is a good choice of bars, cafes and restaurants, spreading back from the
harbour.
painted by
Keswick artist Paul Wilmott. Café West
is another favourite, on King
Street , that helps get people with learning issues
back to work through training and encouragement. Good bread.
Keswick artist Paul Wilmott's version of Gulliver |
We found them
in the Waterfront (10% discount to
berth holders) and had a good lunch before the cocktail team arrived at 1.40,
impressive eh. My scallops with melt in the mouth pork belly were fresh, plump
and excellent value at £9.95. The cod and chips came with the usual mushy peas
and good chunky tartare, but also a small Caesar salad – nice touch. Mark had
the crab linguine which had a superbe sauce, lightly spiced to give a nice
chili frisson. The Mussel Bay Marlborough was lovely and light, and available
here by the glass – I’m going to track that one down for Christmas
the afore mentioned scallops |
Good fish and chips with nice salad addition |
Best pub on
the quay Vagabond, with a good range
of ales and a wood fired pizza oven, this is a cosy lock down on a windy night
and good value
Zest: run by the One Show roving
superfoods reporter, Ricky Andalcio, claim to fame is that Tony Blair dined
here in 2001, but don’t let that put you off. The casual Zest Harbourfront is
open daily and the burgers make a great lunch, the more refined Zest Restaurant
up the road is open Weds – Sunday and is a good choice for a more special night
out.
A trip to Lakeland Distillery is a good rainy day option |
Crosbys Fish & Chips had a fine
reputation but has recently changed hands, the word is that quality is still
good but any updates gratefully received (01946 62622
The hike: along the coast path to St
Bees www.colourfulcoast.org.uk
Or 2.6 miles
to Sandwith, and lunch in the Dog and Partridge, then on to St Bees to enjoy
ice cream at Hartleys sea front café. Details can be found in the marina
office.
The drive: Lakes Distillery, CA13 9SJ.
I liked the whisky best www.lakesdistillery.com
There’s a bistro here, and you could go large and have the
tour and afternoon tea or American Pancakes with Whisky Sultanas and Caramelised
Apples!
Or drive out
to the Inn at Ravenglass www.theinnatravenglass.co.uk
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