The Rum Story and more: what to see in Whitehaven
We list 3 places to visit inside Whitehaven’s built-up area and one within 5 km of its edge. Egremont Castle lies 7.3 km out, the pick for a day trip.
Whitehaven’s big names
Alongside The Rum Story you find 3 museums.
MuseumThe Rum Storyin townMuseumMuseumThe Beacon Museumin townMuseumMuseumHaig Colliery Mining Museumin townMuseumMuseumWest Cumberland Railway Museum3.4 km outside town, to the southEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
How they lie
Furthest out is West Cumberland Railway Museum, at 5.4 km.
The dashed line is Whitehaven’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 you can see
Every one of them is among museums or galleries.
Green: inside Whitehaven. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Full list of places
The 3 inside Whitehaven come first, then one more within 5 km of its edge.
The 3 inside Whitehaven 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.
170 listed buildings and 4 scheduled monuments are on Whitehaven’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Whitehaven →
Further out, the best known
Egremont Castle, at 7.3 km, heads the 12.
CastleEgremont Castle7.3 km southeastCastleCastleMuncaster Castle24 km southeast
Historic house · National TrustWordworth House19 km northeast
CastleCockermouth Castle20 km northeast
CastleHayton Castle28 km northeast
Abbey or prioryHolmcultram Abbey39 km northeastHeritage railwayHeritage railwayRavenglass and Eskdale Railway23 km southeast
MuseumDerwent Pencil Museum29 km east
Historic houseRydal Mount40 km east
Historic house · National TrustDerwent Island and House29 km eastAbbey or prioryAbbey or prioryDundrennan Abbey38 km northwest
MuseumThe Ruskin Museum38 km southeastPlaces well known beyond Whitehaven (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.
Know before you go to Whitehaven
What are the main attractions in Whitehaven?
The best known inside Whitehaven’s built-up area are The Rum Story, The Beacon Museum and Haig Colliery Mining Museum. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 1 more within 5 km.
Does Whitehaven have a museum?
4 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Whitehaven: The Rum Story, The Beacon Museum, Haig Colliery Mining Museum and West Cumberland Railway Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Whitehaven?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Wordworth House (National Trust), 19 km northeast.
What are the best-known days out near Whitehaven?
Within 40 km: Egremont Castle (7.3 km), Muncaster Castle (24 km), Wordworth House (19 km), Cockermouth Castle (20 km).
Where are Whitehaven’s historic buildings listed?
Whitehaven has 170 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. 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 Whitehaven 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 (10)
- The Rum Story: Darrin Antrobus, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Egremont Castle: Paul Lakin, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wordworth House: MarcusBritish at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cockermouth Castle: Richard Nevell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hayton Castle: Belinda E Wroe, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Holmcultram Abbey: John Lord, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Derwent Pencil Museum: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rydal Mount: P.K.Niyogi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Derwent Island and House: ThereWereNoWMDs, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Ruskin Museum: Paul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.