EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Some fine Georgian houses mark out the centre of WHITEHAVEN , one of the few grid-planned towns in England. The economic expansion that forced this planning was as much due to the booming slave trade as to the more widely recognized coal traffic. Whitehaven spent a brief period during the eighteenth century as Britain's third busiest port (after London and Bristol), making it a prime target for an abortive raid led by Scottish-born American lieutenant John Paul Jones . Disgusted with the slave trade he witnessed while ship's mate in America, Jones returned to the port of his apprenticeship to rebel, but, let down by a drunk and potentially mutinous crew, he damaged only one of the two hundred boats in dock and his mini-crusade fell flat. All this and more is explained in The Beacon (Easter-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm; Nov-Easter 10am-4.30pm; £4), an enterprising heritage centre on the harbour. After seeing this, stroll up Lowther Street to the Rum Story (daily: April-Sept 10am-5pm; Oct-March 10am-4pm; £4.50; ), housed in the eighteenth-century shop, courtyard and warehouses of the Jefferson's rum family. This is another place you could easily spend an hour or so, discovering Whitehaven's links with the Caribbean and learning all about rum, the Navy, temperance and the hideousness of the slaves' Middle Passage, amongst other matters. Also on Lowther Street, don't miss Michael Moon's second-hand book shop at no. 19 (closed Sun), a bookworm's treasure trove.

Trains follow the coastal route south to Barrow and north to Carlisle. From the station you can walk around the harbour to The Beacon in less than ten minutes; the bus station is just across Tesco's car park from the train station. The tourist office is in the Market Hall on Market Place (Easter-Oct Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; Nov-Easter Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm; tel 01946/852939, ), just back from the harbour. For accommodation , the best central B&B is the very comfortable Corcickle Guest House , 1 Corcickle (tel 01946/692073; no credit cards; £40-50), five minutes' walk from the centre - keep on up Lowther Street, past Safeway and McDonald's to find the row of Georgian townhouses. For meals , the Courtyard Café in the Rum Story, serves wraps, sandwiches, baked potatoes and snacks under a glass roof. In the evening, the bistro at the Georgian House Hotel (closed Mon) serves pasta and pizza, while locals like the Peking Palace on Duke Street (closed Sun lunch). You can get a decent pint in the John Paul Jones Tavern , also on Duke Street.