BOB LAWRENCE discovers Cockermouth is the ideal base to explore the Lake District.

COCKERMOUTH may be off the beaten track, but it's a lovely little town from which to explore the western part of the Lake District and avoid the worst of the traffic jams.

We've been particularly fortunate in that we were invited to spend two short breaks at The Trout Hotel, in Cockermouth, in less than a year - once while building work was going on to extend the hotel and its facilities, then, quite recently, to see the hotel as it is now.

The town itself, situated at the junction of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent, is well worth exploring with its wide main street and quaint shops.

A good place to start is the tourist information office which is in a very old building which started life as a Methodist chapel on the banks of the Cocker.

The town is steeped in history, with a castle, ancient market place and interesting buildings, including Wordsworth House, the birthplace of the poet, right next to The Trout.

Cockermouth was also the birthplace of Fletcher Christian, first mate on the Bounty under Captain Bligh, and the famous astronomer, Fearon Fallons.

Other attractions include a brewery tour of Jennings Brewery which moved to Cockermouth in 1874.

There is also the opportunity to relive your childhood at the Cumberland Toy and Model Museum, featuring numerous visitor-operated displays, working railway layouts, dolls houses, dolls, cars, boats and planes.

For those who like to look at paintings and ceramics, a visit to the Castlegate House Gallery is worthwhile. The Georgian house has open fires and a warm atmosphere and there are sculptures in the walled garden.

Within easy reach of Cockermouth is the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway - a must for me, a railway fanatic - where small steam engines haul trains from the coastal village of Ravenglass through two of the loveliest of Lakeland valleys to the foot of England's highest mountain. A full return ticket is valid for travel all day and stations, tracks and lineside are kept tidy so there is nothing to spoil the enjoyment of the journey.

Close to Ravenglass is Muncaster Castle, with its 77 acres of dramatic Himalayan gardens. Muncaster is the headquarters of the World Owl Trust and a popular feature is the chance to "meet the birds" at 2.30pm every day.

Nearby is Egremont where you can find Florence Mine, the only working deep iron mine in Europe, with underground tours at 10.30am and its own mining museum.

For Lakeland scenery you cannot do much better than visit Bassenthwaite Lake, Loweswater (where there is an early warning system to protect the local red squirrels from the grey squirrel), Crummock Water and Buttermere. All offer great opportunities to get out of car and do some walking.

More spectacular scenery can be found by driving through Honister Pass, perhaps stopping off at The Yew Tree, Seatoller, in Borrowdale, which boasts "the best bacon butty in Cumbria" for £2.50 each.

The coastal towns of Maryport, where there has been a lot of conservation work, particularly down by the harbour and the docks, and Whitehaven are also worth exploring.

At Maryport we were disappointed to find that the Maritime Museum was closed because of staff holidays, but the walk along the cliffs to a Roman Museum (in a former Naval training establishment) was well worth the exercise for the views across the harbour and to see the huge collection of Roman altars found in the area around the town. There is also a sealife centre down by the docks.

At Whitehaven, The Beacon offers the chance to relive the town's fascinating history, take a look at the Met Office Weather Gallery, with its interactive exhibits and try out some heritage walks.

In fact, there is so much to see and do in Cockermouth that it's worth going back again.

Updated: 16:14 Friday, May 07, 2004