Dalton-in-Furness, known simply as Dalton, is a small, pretty town just north east of Barrow. It was once the most important town on the Furness Peninsula.
Attractions & Things To Do
Furness Abbey was one of the richest and most powerful Cistercian abbeys in England until it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1537. Its red sandstone ruins stand in a tranquil valley one mile south of the Dalton and are a popular local tourist attraction.
Dalton Castle dominates the town’s Market Place and provided safe haven for monks from the seeking refuge from Scottish marauders. It is now owned by the National Trust and houses a small museum with a display of old armour and an exhibition about renowned 18th century portrait painter George Romney.
Romney was born in Dalton in 1734 and is buried nearby in the graveyard of the Church of St Mary. Also here is a memorial garden and plaque dedicated to the 360 Daltonians wiped out by the Plague in 1631.
The Market Place is also home to a rather elegant Victorian cast iron drinking fountain. Nearby is the market cross and curved stone slabs used for displaying fish on market days.
Just north of Dalton is the South Lakes Wild Animal Park. Founded in 1994 by Daltonian David Gill this award-winning conservation zoo now attracts more than a quarter of a million visitors each year.
Transport
Car
Leave the M6 motorway at Junction 36 and drive west on the A590. Drivers coming from the Lake District should take the A592 from Ullswater/Windermere until it joins with the A590 to Dalton.
Train
Dalton train station lies on the Furness Line. Northern Rail trains from Carlisle to Lancaster, and the First TransPennine Express service from Manchester Airport to Barrow, call at Dalton and other towns in the area.
