The essential guide to the best places to shop, eat and relax in Penrith (for the Northern Lakes). Find the best restaurants, cinemas and nightlife spots along with general need-to-know information including shopping hours and going out tips.

From the station walk up Castlegate into Cornmarket, then for the main shopping areas go down Great Dockray, Angel Lane and Angel Square, Market Square, Devonshire Street including Devonshire Arcade, King Street and Middle Gate. All major banks are on Middlegate, Market Square, King Street and Devonshire Street. Villages around also have their own shops - try Glenridding and Pooley Bridge for Catstycam, The Outdoor Shop or George Fisher's in Keswick for all your outdoor needs, or Brougham Hall's Old Smokehouse and Truffles for home-made truffles!

The Toffee Shop on Brunswick Road attracts sweet teeth from all around; not as famous a brand as Kendal Mint Cake (although, surely, it is only a matter of time) but still a must buy. J & J Graham on Market Square have been going strong since 1793, and its famous hampers (also available online) include more Cumbrian produce like Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding and, of course, Cumberland Sausage as well as hams and bacon from Waberthwaite. For itchy fingers there is The Silk Shop on Burrowgate for all your embroidery needs and Just Sew, a patchwork emporium on Poets Walk. Both Rheged and Wetheriggs Pottery sell locally made products.

Market day is Tuesdays, on Market Square, which every third Tuesday of the month is augmented by the monthly Farmer's Market. On Saturdays and Sundays at the old cattle auction mart near Junction 40 of the M6 there is a large market, selling much more than local fruit, vegetable and meat.

Shopping hours are 9am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday; half-day closing is on Wednesday, still quite well respected by local shops, as is Sunday closing, apart from some chains, such as Spar and Woolworths.

Don't leave Penrith without some Cumberland sausage or toffee from the Penrith Toffee Shop.

Great food, great outdoor wares and great gifts

It used to be said that Penrith had more pubs per capita than anywhere else! Certainly it still retains a large selection. A young crowd frequents the Station Hotel (Castlegate), with the Agricultural, the Museum Inn, Old Victoria and the Railway Tavern close by. Little Dockray has the General Wolfe, while Great Dockray can boast the White Horse, the Two Lions and the Gloucester Arms. In Pooley Bridge on Ullswater there is the Brewers Fayre.

Penrith has an independent cinema, the Alhambra on Middlegate, with two screens (the second boasting luxury Pullman seats) showing the latest Hollywood releases each evening. Rheged, just west of Penrith has one giant screen (as big as six double-decker buses) which, in addition to Rheged the Movie and mountaineering epics, has a regular Wednesday film series. Penrith Playhouse, Auction Mart Lane close to the station and ruined castle, hosts productions by Penrith Players, but professional theatre throughout the year is on tap at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake, running a repertory summer season of six plays, as well as producing a Christmas show in addition to welcoming touring companies. Eden Arts promotes events in Penrith at the Ullswater College Theatre and other venues.

Plentiful Penrith pubs whet everyone's whistle!

As well as various town-centre restaurants, the beauty of Penrith is the wealth of country villages that sport hostelries or hotels, with great food.

Local recommendations include Gianni's Pizzeria on Market Square for Italian, while those in need of an Indian should head for Cagney's Tandoori on King Street, or for a Chinese go to Platinum, also on King Street. For tapas go to Costas on Queen Street and for an elegant alternative, try Grants Wine Bar on Castlegate. . Further afield try the Queens Head at Tirril, with excellent food and beers from the Tirril brewery this is the epitome of a traditional Lakeland pub.

A good pub meal will set you back up to £10, while Sharrow Bay for its full dinner is £49.75 (although high tea is a mere £16.50).

For almost a decade a proud Michelin star awardee, Sharrow Bay was the brainchild of Francis Coulson and is now continued by his two protégés Juan Martin and Colin Akrigg. Don't miss Coulson's Famous and Original Icky Sticky Toffee Sponge.

Newly opened, Grants sports a modern bistro and bar design on two levels with patio, leather sofas and glass tables, with a varied, licensed menu for both lunch and dinner, with crepes and fish platters already proving popular at lunch.

9am-5.30pm Monday to Friday

Agriculture, Education (University of Central Lancashire at Newton Rigg), Retail

Castletown (Station, ruined castle), Newton Rigg (University of Central Lancashire Campus), Pategill (schools and hospital), Beacon Hill