The river Eden runs through the Eden Valley. It is the main river in Cumbria and runs virtually the length of the County.Locally the Eden Valley tends to refer to the area between Appleby and Carlisle.
Major historical events and attractions include:- Long Meg and her seven daughters, a stone circle close to Great Salkeld.
Pendragon Castle at Mallerstang, reputed to have been built by Uther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur. A tradition of dissent and violence, from Sir Hugh de Morville ( murder of Thomas a Beckett) through to insurrections including the Pilgrimage of Grace which led to 10 local men being hanged.
Even though the river and it's valley are far away from the main seats of government they still had their part to play in history.
The first major town at the head of the valley is Kirkby Stephen, just 10 kms from the source of the river. After this the valley is mainly farmland and small hamlets until the river reaches Appleby-in-Westmoreland. Successive villages and towns include,Penrith,Lazonby,Armathwaite and finally Carlisle.
Although public transport is very limited there is the option of using the Carlisle to Settle railway line which runs through the majority of the valley. Road access is by far the most usual means of getting around. The M6 runs north/south and the valley can be accessed starting at junction 38 for Tebay, and running up to junction 44, Carlisle, just before the border with Scotland. The A65 runs east from Kendal and can be used to access Mallerstang from the south. However the A66 from junction 40 on the M6 ( Penrith) is the more usual way to access the valley.
Nearest airports would include Blackpool,Manchester and East Midlands for commercial flights.
By train, the Carlisle to Settle line has already beem mentioned. However the west coast line between London and Glasgow has stops at Oxenhome ( lake district ), Penrith and Carlisle.
Pendragon Castle in Mallerstang.
Long Meg and her sisters
The annual gypsy horse fair at Appleby.
Penrith markets
Lacey's caves near Little Salkeld
Walk along the river at Armathwaite, through Coombes woods and view the river at its best.
Go gliding or fly a microlight from around the Cross Fell area [http://www.edensoaring.co.uk/]
Fish the river Eden for Salmon
All the market towns have public houses which will serve good local food. Penrith has a reputation for having the most up market restaurants.
With tourism being so important to the economy there are usually plenty of options to chose from. Examples would include:
Caravan sites. Typically farm based. A good example being Mains farm caravan site, Kirkoswald.[http://www.edenvalleycaravansite.co.uk/index.html] Other examples could also include Argill caravan park,Kirkby Stephen.[http://www.argillcaravanpark.co.uk/index.shtml]
Hotels. At the upper end of the market there are some fine country house hotels such as the Appleby Manor [http://www.applebymanor.co.uk/]and the Tufton Arms Hotel.[http://www.tuftonarmshotel.co.uk/]A little further down the valley there is the Heather Glen hotel at Ainstable and the Crown hotel at Wetherall.
For self catering there are a good selection of properties available, for instance: Wetherall cottages [http://www.wetheralcottages.co.uk/], near to Great Salkeld and Tottergill farm [http://www.tottergill.co.uk/index.php]towards the end of the valley.
For B&B there is a wide range of choice from staying on a farm, such as Brow farm [http://www.browfarm.com] in Dufton to experiencing the luxury of Willowbeck lodge [http://www.willowbeck-lodge.com/]near Carlisle.