Clifton Hall is the place to visit in Clifton
Clifton and its surroundings hold 5 castles, 3 attractions and 2 water parks. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 12 beyond the one inside Clifton’s built-up area. 3 of the places on the list are maintained by English Heritage. Further out, Carlisle Cathedral is 33 km away.
Clifton’s big names
Along with Clifton Hall, see 4 castles and a zoo.
Castle · English HeritageClifton Hallin town
Castle · English HeritageBrougham Castle1.9 km outside town, to the north
Castle · English HeritagePenrith Castle3.3 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleLowther Castle2.7 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleBrougham Hall1.2 km outside town, to the northwestZooZooWetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary1.5 km outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Map of the places
At the edge of the map sits Penrith & Eden Musuem, 4.5 km out.
The dashed line is Clifton’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What sort of places
The two biggest groups: castles or historic places (6) and zoos, theme parks or other days out (3).
Green: inside Clifton. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
3 places are cared for by English Heritage (Clifton Hall, Brougham Castle and Penrith Castle).
All of it
13 places in all: one in town and 12 within 5 km of its edge.
The one inside Clifton comes first, then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
7 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Clifton’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Clifton →
A little further out
The 12 days out are led by Carlisle Cathedral, 33 km away.
CathedralCarlisle Cathedral33 km northwest
Castle · English HeritageCarlisle Castle33 km northwest
CastleAppleby Castle16 km southeast
CastleDacre Castle7.6 km west
CastleGreystoke Castle11 km northwest
Historic houseDalemain6 km west
Castle · English HeritageBrough Castle28 km southeast
Historic houseHutton-in-the-Forest12 km northwest
Abbey or priory · English HeritageShap Abbey11 km south
Historic house · National TrustHill Top35 km southwest
CastlePendragon Castle34 km southeastCastleCastleKirkoswald Castle15 km northPlaces well known beyond Clifton (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.
Your questions on Clifton
What are the main attractions in Clifton?
The place to visit inside Clifton’s built-up area is Clifton Hall. In all, 1 place to visit is mapped inside the town, and 12 more within 5 km.
Does Clifton have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Clifton: Penrith & Eden Musuem.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Clifton?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Clifton, 3 places are cared for by English Heritage (Clifton Hall, Brougham Castle and Penrith Castle).
What are the best-known days out near Clifton?
Within 40 km: Carlisle Cathedral (33 km), Carlisle Castle (33 km), Appleby Castle (16 km), Dacre Castle (7.6 km).
Where are Clifton’s historic buildings listed?
Clifton has 7 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 Clifton 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 (16)
- Clifton Hall: The original uploader was Brookie at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brougham Castle: Michael D Beckwith, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Penrith Castle: David Rogers, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lowther Castle: Burtonsi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brougham Hall: Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carlisle Cathedral: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carlisle Castle: John Gibson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Appleby Castle: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dacre Castle: Geoff Gill, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Greystoke Castle: Simon Ledingham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dalemain: Geoff Gill, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brough Castle: Supergolden, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hutton-in-the-Forest: Mdbeckwith, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shap Abbey: Mik Peach, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hill Top: Chris Brown, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pendragon Castle: Matthew Hatton, 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.