Where to go in Alston: Alston Railway Station and one more
There are 2 places to visit inside Alston’s built-up area, plus one within 5 km of its edge. On the list: an attraction, a museum and a heritage railway, among others. The trip to Hadrian's Wall is 25 km.
Leading places in Alston
Next to Alston Railway Station, the best known are a museum and a heritage railway.
Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Around Alston, mapped
The map ends at South Tynedale Railway, 4 km out.
The dashed line is Alston’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Kind by kind
Between them they are an attraction, a museum and a heritage railway.
Green: inside Alston. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Every place to visit
First the 2 in town, then one within 5 km of its edge.
The 2 inside Alston come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
39 listed buildings are on Alston’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Alston →
Around the region
Worth the drive, Hadrian's Wall (25 km) is first of the 12.
CathedralCarlisle Cathedral34 km west
Castle · English HeritageBrougham Castle25 km southwest
Castle · English HeritageCarlisle Castle34 km west
CastleFeatherstone Castle15 km north
CastleAppleby Castle27 km south
Castle · English HeritageBrough Castle33 km south
Castle · English HeritagePenrith Castle26 km southwest
Castle · English HeritageAydon Castle35 km northeast
CastleLangley Castle20 km northeast
CastleNaworth Castle23 km northwest
CastleBellister Castle17 km northPlaces well known beyond Alston (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Before a day out in Alston
What are the main attractions in Alston?
The best known inside Alston’s built-up area are Alston Railway Station and The Hub. In all, 2 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 1 more within 5 km.
Does Alston have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Alston: The Hub.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Alston?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Hadrian's Wall (English Heritage), 25 km north.
What are the best-known days out near Alston?
Within 40 km: Hadrian's Wall (25 km), Carlisle Cathedral (34 km), Brougham Castle (25 km), Carlisle Castle (34 km).
Where are Alston’s historic buildings listed?
Alston has 39 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Alston when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (11)
- Carlisle Cathedral: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brougham Castle: Michael D Beckwith, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carlisle Castle: John Gibson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Featherstone Castle: Margaret Clough, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Appleby Castle: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brough Castle: Supergolden, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Penrith Castle: David Rogers, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Aydon Castle: Hadrianus1959, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Langley Castle: Ken Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Naworth Castle: Peter McDermott, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bellister Castle: Anthony Parkes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.