Barrow in Furness

Barrow in Furness, as soon as I say those words 99 times out of 100 the reply will be 'where’s that?’ Except when you're speak to people from Barrow that is. I thought I'd write this little guide in case anyone was coming to the area, especially as we have cruise ships arriving at the docks now, so more and more tourists are finding us.

~Where is it?~

Barrow in Furness (or Barra as it's known) is in South Cumbria within the Furness peninsula. Still no idea? Well the easiest way to describe it is, just south of the Lake District or not too far north of Blackpool.

The A590 takes you from the M6 and straight to Barrow and is nicknamed the world's largest cul-de-sac, because it comes into Barrow then the only thing to do is turn around and go back out again.

~About the Town~

Barrow is an average sized town, with a population of around 60,000. Originally part of Lancashire, it’s now part of Cumbria.

The town was built up around the shipyard; most of the original housing was built to house the workers. The shipyard however is now past its heyday and most of the engineering work and factories have closed or down sized dramatically, so the main employers are now the local Health Authority and retailers.

~Local Points of Interest~

*Shops*

Barrow is not known for its shopping, most of the shops are confined to two streets, with the highlight being Debenhams. Other national retailers include, Gamestation, Jessops, M & S, and Body Shop. But the majority of the main shopping street is made up of charity shops or banks, with many of the shops at the present time being empty.

There is also a small out of town Retail Park, which houses the likes of Next, Comet, Currys and Tesco Extra.

As well as Tesco, other supermarkets include Asda, Morrisons and 6 branches of the Co-op.

*Pubs and Clubs*

Barrow has the same variety of pubs as the majority of towns in the country. There are the usual drinker’s pubs, and the food lover’s pubs, plus one pub with a 'Fuzzy Ed's' attached for children to play.

Along Cornwallis Street (also known as The Gaza Strip) are Barrow's nightclubs. There are 6 clubs which all open until the early hours of the morning. In addition to these clubs there is also the Princess Selandia, a floating nightclub and restaurant.

*Food*

There are cafes and restaurants a plenty in Barrow. There are Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai and English restaurants. Take aways selling Chinese, Indian, Pizza, Kebabs, Baked Potatoes, Fish and Chips. Then of course there are McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, and plenty of small local cafes in the town centre.

*Tourist Attractions*

Barrow only has one real tourist attraction to call its own, Furness Abbey. A 12th century ruined abbey, once belonging to the Cistercian monks, now it’s part of English Heritage.

There is also the Dock Museum, a small museum dedicated to all things maritime, and celebrating Barrow's links with the sea, and telling the history of shipbuilding in Barrow.

Just outside of Barrow, in a town called Dalton in Furness there is the South Lakes Animal Park. In my opinion one of the best zoos in the country. Not only does it have a great selection of animals, but it offers people (and children in particular) the opportunity to interact with many of the animals; Lemurs, emus, penguins and giraffes.

~Other Things To Do In Barrow~

Barrow has a beautiful park at its centre. In the past few years the play area has undergone a transformation with the old roundabouts and swings being removed, and climbing frames, zip slides and an interactive Bop It style play frame installed.

In 2008 the second play area was bulldozed and a concrete skate park was built, which is extremely popular with the skate boarders and stunt bike riders.

Also in the park there's a mini golf course, bowling greens, a greenhouse and a lake with swans and geese. During the summer there is boat rental with rowing boats and pedal boats.

The Park Leisure Centre has also undergone a £1m refit, with improvements to the gym. At weekends it holds a roller disco (there's a blast from the past) and the hall can be booked for children's parties, badminton, table tennis etc. The swimming area has a training pool, and a leisure pool with a wave machine and water slide.

Barrow also boasts two different types of beach. On Walney Island you'll find a stony beach with a small play area for the children and generally an ice cream van in attendance.
At Roanhead there is a beautiful sandy beach with plenty of sand dunes to ensure you can find a nice quiet spot. There is a permanent shop, but it is very small and only sells the bare necessities for the beach. Parking is also at a premium at Roanhead, which means on a sunny day you really need to get there early to get a parking space.

When the weather is bad, and presuming you have children there is always the Custom House. This is split into two zones, the play zone for the very young, which has a soft brick play area, and the laser zone, where older children can have fun shooting at each other with laser guns. There is also a restaurant for the adults.

Of course Barrow is only 20 minutes or so away from the Lake District which offers countless attractions.

~My Thoughts~

I've lived in Barrow for years, interspersed with times away due to work commitments and I can only say, of all the placed I've live Barrow is by far the best.

Okay it’s not the most dynamic place; it's generally a few years behind the rest of the world when it comes to new innovations. But it’s also relatively quiet, there is some trouble on occasion, but what town doesn't? And compared to the big cities you could almost say it’s a trouble free zone.

I am not afraid to let my children play out, and that means more to me than being at the forefront of development.

I think at some points everyone thinks their home town is dull, the council are only in it for themselves, or they wish there was more. But I am happy with Barrow as it is, for me it has everything it needs, anymore and it would spoil the area.

~Anything Famous About Barrow?~


Chewits once described themselves on their advert as 'Even chewier than Barrow in Furness bus depot'.
Emlyn Hughes the England and Liverpool FC footballer was born in Barrow and now has an office block named after him.
Dave Myers, one of the Hairy Bikers is also from Barrow.

I hope that has given you a little insight into Barrow.