Last updated 22:40, Thursday, 16 October 2008

DON’T leave home ’til you’ve seen your town!

As the recession starts to bite, I honestly believe that you don’t have to leave home at all to have a good holiday – and I’ve just proved it.

Our son and daughter-in-law were over here from New Zealand. We went up to the Isle of Skye for a week, and they eventually went to Italy and to Oxford to my daughter’s.

But we spent quite a bit of time at home in Flimby and we had a great time – without even going into the Lake District.

Last time they were here we did the Lakes in great detail. This time it rained every day and nobody could really be bothered, so we scratched around for things to do here.

I am going to tell you where we went and what we did, but what we did is by no means all there is to do.

First of all we hit Maryport. We went to the Senhouse Roman Museum. For two people whose entire lives have been spent in “new” countries, seeing Roman altars nearly 2,000 years old was mind blowing. Reading about the history of the area and learning about a civilisation that existed probably hundreds of years before there were even any people in New Zealand was fascinating. Then, of course, there were the beautiful views.

My son is of the view that one fish is much the same as another, so he wasn’t exactly thrilled when I offered him what he considered a bit of a childish visit to the aquarium.

I decided not to go in this time because I have been so often and imagined they would just rush through – given my son’s lack of enthusiasm. I waited and I waited, and eventually I had to go in. They were only about halfway around and my son was acting as though this fascinating trip into the underwater of the Solway had been all his idea in the first place. He loved it!

The next place on the list was the Heavy Horse Centre at Dearham. My daughter-in-law is really keen on horses. The rest of us have no great problem with them but also no huge interest.

I thought we might spend an hour there. We spent four, and not one of us even had time to get bored. It was so interesting! The great thing about the heavy horse centre, too, is the personal attention guests get from staff and owner who are just happy to answer questions.

Next was Trotters World of Animals at Bassenthwaite. I’ve only ever taken small children there but the big kids liked it, too.

We didn’t go to the Gin Case at Mawbray, however, and I am told I missed a treat. Neither did we go to The Wave in Maryport with its wonderful interactive displays. We didn’t do the Helena Thompson in Workington or Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, just because there was not enough time.

There are more than enough places to visit the next time they come – and more than enough places for my husband and I to still visit on our own doorstep.

Some of the places we visited had an entry fee and some, like the museum, took donations.

But visiting every attraction within a 10-mile radius of Maryport would still be a lot cheaper than going abroad – and, for my money, it is just as interesting.

West Lakes Tourism Partnership used to have a “locals” week where they reduced prices or offered prizes to local people to encourage them to visit the many tourist attractions here.

It is a fantastic idea. We’re all the same; we all think the grass is greener on the other side of the hill and we don’t appreciate what we have on our own doorsteps.

But let’s give it a try. As this newspaper’s Maryport reporter, I will talk for my town alone and I can tell you that I can easily think of at least 10 places where you will get good food and a decent cup of coffee.

There are three definite tourist attractions in Maryport and one at Dearham.

And that is just Maryport. What have you got on your doorstep worth visiting?

Go and try it out, and then let me know.