This busy commercial town, just 40 minutes away from the Lake District National Park, offers good shopping and a glimpse of the past. The Curwen family name has been synonymous with the history of Workington for over 700 years and in Curwen Park, you will find the remains of Curwen Hall. You cannot enter the ruin, but it is nevertheless an impressive site. To find out what it looked like in its heyday, walk 200m across the park to the Helena Thompson Museum, which houses a scale model of the Hall. Bequeathed to the town by Helena Thompson, the various galleries give an intimate flavour of the town’s development and heritage. Entrance is free too. Close by is the oldest part of the town, radiating out from the market square – worth exploring too for its range of local shops and pubs.