The farming community of COCKERMOUTH , midway between the coast and Keswick at the confluence of the Cocker and Derwent rivers, is yet another station on the Wordsworth trail: the Wordsworth House on Main Street (Easter-June, Sept & Oct Mon-Fri, 10.30am-4.30pm; July & Aug Mon-Sat, 10.30am-4.30pm; £3; NT) is where William and Dorothy were born and spent their first few years. Some of the original features remain and there are occasional Wordsworthian relics - a chest of drawers here, a pair of candlesticks there - but despite the best endeavours of the enthusiastic staff it's disappointingly lifeless. The rest of Cockermouth tries hard to please, with its tree-lined streets and riverside setting, but after the dramatic fellside approaches from the south and east the town itself falls a little flat. However, there's certainly no shortage of rainy day attractions ranged along Main Street - including museums of printing, toys and models, and motoring - while if you follow your nose, you're likely to stumble upon Jennings Brewery on Brewery Lane near the river. The hour-and-a-half-long Jenning's Brewery Tour (July & Aug 4 daily; April-June, Sept & Oct Mon-Sat 2 daily; Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 1 daily; £3.75; booking advisable; tel 01900/821011; ) culminates with a tasting.

All buses stop on Main Street, from where you follow the signs east to the tourist office in the Town Hall, off Market Place (April-June & Oct Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm; July-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-2pm; Nov-March Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm; tel 01900/822634). The most convenient B&B is the biker- and hiker-friendly Castlegate Guest House , 6 Castlegate (tel 01900/826749; no credit cards; £40-50). The Trout Hotel on Crown Street (tel 01900/823591, ; £90-110), by the river, is the top choice, and there are also rooms available in the Shepherd's Hotel , out at the Lakeland Sheep and Wool Centre (tel 01900/822673, ; £40-50). Ten minutes' walk south along Station Road, then Fern Bank brings you to the Double Mills   youth hostel (tel 01900/822561).

All the pubs along Main Street compete to sell bar meals at rock-bottom prices, though best choice by far is the Bitter End on Kirkgate, a pub housing Cumbria's smallest brewery. Of the cafés , the Norham Coffee House , 73 Main St (closed Sun), trades on its history - formerly the home of John Christian, grandfather of Mutiny on the Bounty's Fletcher Christian. The Cockatoo , 16 Market Place (closed Mon, Tues & Sun eve), is a friendly place, with simple lunches and more elaborate dinners. Market day in Cockermouth is Monday.