Temple Sowerby

Temple Sowerby prides itself on the title Queen of Westmorland villages, an accolade justified by its lovely setting in the Eden valley. For many years it suffered from the heavy traffic on the A66, which passed through the centre of the village. Happily, a bypass was opened in 2007 and peace has been restored to this charming place.

A bonus that comes with living in Temple Sowerby is that the average rainfall here is half that recorded in the Lake District National Park to the west. To the north, the massive bulk of Cross Fell, the highest point in the Pennines, swells skywards to provide a spectacular backdrop. The village itself, picturesquely grouped around a sloping green and an 18th-century red sandstone church, takes its name from the medieval Knights Templar who owned the manor of Sowerby until their Order was suppressed in 1308.

From Temple Sowerby there are delightful walks through the Eden Valley or, if you prefer a gentle stroll, it’s only a mile to the National Trust gardens at Acorn Bank where Crowdundle Beck splashes beneath an elegant 18th-century bridge. The 16th-century manor house is now a Sue Ryder Home and not open to the public, but visitors are welcome to explore the attractive gardens planted with a collection of some 250 medicinal and culinary herbs. There’s also a pleasant tearoom that uses fruit and herbs from the gardens. A circular woodland walk runs along the beck to a watermill that was first mentioned on the site as far back as the 14th century. At different times it has been a saw mill, a corn mill and a source of power for the local gypsum mines; now restored, it is open to visitors.

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