Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
Carlisle, where England, Scotland and the sea meet, can thank its location for its fiery and fascinating past. Carlisle United can offer no thanks for the location of Brunton Park, the century-old ground set by a bow in the River Eden and a bend in the Petteril, so flooded in recent years that the aerial shots don’t begin to do justice to the damage caused.
England’s biggest football ground still with terracing, Carlisle’s home since 1909 had a filmic role in the 2010 docudrama United about the Munich Air Disaster, convincingly doubling up as Old Trafford circa 1958.
This is football as it used to be, more akin to Annan and Dumfries just over the border than watching a game in the new-builds of Morecambe or Fleetwood, the footballing communities of north-west Lancashire the same distance from Carlisle as Newcastle at the other end of Hadrian’s Wall.
This is as remote as it gets in English League football. While Barrow in the far south of Cumbria regained Football League status in 2020, it was only after half a century out in the wilderness. Closer rivals Workington dropped out of the old Fourth Division in 1977, to be replaced by Wimbledon.
Workington, in fact, was where the game first took root in what was then Cumberland. A form of medieval rugby had been played there for centuries but the modern game arrived from the cradle of English football, Dronfield. Home of Sheffield FC, the world’s oldest team, this industrial community in north Derbyshire near Sheffield sent Workington 1,500 steelworkers, who popularised the game and formed Workington AFC.
Over the years, the Reds had to compete for gate money with local rugby sides. It was a similar story over in the county town, where Carlisle RFC were formed in 1873. Two main clubs played soccer: Shaddongate at Millholme Bank and Red Rose close by at Boundary Road.
In 1904, Shaddongate were renamed Carlisle United – which would indicate a merger with Red Rose, though the two actually met the following year in the FA Cup.
Originally playing at Millholme Bank, the new club also used Carlisle RFC’s ground, next to today’s Brunton Park on Warwick Road. After a short stay at nearby Devonshire Park, United moved to Brunton Park in 1909.
Playing in blue – perhaps another hangover from the Shaddongate days, no-one is really quite sure – Carlisle gained a mascot when a certain Colonel Salkeld, a prominent huntsman from a long line of local Salkelds, donated the club a fox. Named Olga after his daughter, the fox would be paraded around Brunton Park before Carlisle did battle in some gritty fixture in the North Eastern League.
After her death, Olga the stuffed fox would be ceremonially presented before kick-off by a man dressed as another famous Cumbrian huntsman, John Peel (as in ‘D’ye Ken’ not DJ).
Once Carlisle became a Football League side in 1928, boosted by a memorable stint from Bill Shankly making his managerial debut in the late 1940s, the club gained more prominence and designed a club badge with Olga its key feature. When Carlisle famously led the First Division in 1974-75 – under Alan Ashman, whose playing days at Carlisle missed Shankly by weeks – they had Olga leaping in gold on their shirts.
Having evaded capture by the leading local huntsmen of the Victorian era, Olga was eventually culled by Michael Knighton, who bought the club and changed its badge. Knighton, best known for his laughable publicity stunt in his failed attempt to take over Manchester United, became ever more unpopular at Brunton Park, his era ending with administration and, later, floods.
Olga’s centre-circle presentation is still part of the match-day ritual – though whether she will lead the Cumbrians away from the flood plain and up to the proposed new pastures of Kingmoor Park is another matter.
Getting Around
Arriving in town, local transport and timings
The nearest airport to Carlisle is Newcastle, 90km (56 miles) away. It’s a direct hop on the metro every 12min from the airport to (25min journey time, £3.70). A frequent train to Carlisle (£10) then takes 1hr 30mins.
From London Euston, the fastest direct service takes 3hrs 15mins, cheapest advance single £65 – you’ll be paying over £100 otherwise. From Manchester Piccadilly, there’s an hourly direct service (1hr 50mins), cheapest advance single £14. Direct from Birmingham New Street every 2hrs (cheapest advance single £30) takes 2hrs 45mins.
Carlisle station is right by the town centre, with the main bus hub, Court Square, alongside. Warwick Road starts nearby, the ground a good 25min walk along it.
Several bus companies serve Carlisle, including Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, Arriva, First South-East & Central Scotland and Reays, all with different ticketing systems.
Adding a PlusBus levy of £3.10 to your train ticket allows you all-day travel with Stagecoach, Arriva and Telfords services.
AAA Taxis (01228 808 777) are based by Carlisle station and offers airport transfers – though it’s a hefty £90 to Newcastle’s.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
All kinds of drinkeries dot Lowther Street, Botchergate and Fisher Street. Facing the station and beside the bus terminal, The Griffin has breathed new life into a gorgeous old pub, with a varied menu and live sport, too. A few pubs down, Woodrow Wilson is one of two Wetherspoons, this one named after the World War I president whose mother came from Carlisle. The other, alongside, also has historic overtones, The William Rufus.
Staying on Botchergate, The Caledonian is a landmark institution with a winning combination of TV sport and fine ales. Close by, the Crescent Bar is more contemporary in its approach, offering Moretti on draught and match action on flat-screen TVs.
On the continuation of London Road, the St Nicholas Arms, always popular for live matches, has recently been refurbished – alongside, The Cranemakers, more known as a live-music venue, also provides TV sport.
Back in the centre of town, the King’s Head on Fisher Street is cask-ale heaven, with a TV screen to boot. The Howard Arms on Lowther Street is a real local favourite, homely and traditional, its bar counter lined with ales, and a TV if required.
Near the Cathedral, the traditional Sportsman Inn is Carlisle’s oldest pub, overlooking a pleasant patch of green. Closer to the river, in the Hungry Horse chain, the Turf Tavern is a convenient place to feed the kids and catch the match.
Further round the Eden, one stop from Carlisle by train, picturesque Wetheral gives an easily accessible flavour of the celebrated Cumbrian landscape, with rural pubs such as The Wheatsheaf and the Crown Hotel by the station.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the ground and around town
Discover Carlisle has a detailed local hotel database.
Accommodation options line Warwick Road, close to the ground. Along with the standard chain Premier Inn Carlisle Central just over the narrow waterway past the stadium, there’s a row of friendly B&Bs. Nearest Brunton Park facing Carlisle Rugby Club is the Courtfield Guest House, then you’ll find the comfortable Fern Lee Guest House on St Aidan’s Road, with en-suite rooms in a pleasant, standalone house.
There are another four or five in similar vein along Warwick Road the nearer you get to town, including the family-run Warwick Lodge. In a different category, providing the best stay in town, The Halston is a luxury aparthotel with a top-notch spa, bar and bistro.
Opposite the station, the ibis Carlisle City Centre offers affordable rooms, convenient for town and stadium.
If you’ve come to elope, then Smiths at Gretna Green offers luxury boutique lodging beside the blacksmiths’ shop where runaway couples have flitted for 300 years.
