South Cumbria

Rob Smith takes in three lovely courses in the southern half of arguably the most beautiful county in England to test his game and soak up the views

- Rob Smith

Last year I wrote about my annual trip with three friends for golf, beer and mickey-taking. We had been to Arran, but the year before were in north Cumbria and had realised that there must also be some spectacular golf further south in the county. And so it was that we headed up to Cartmel in June to play several courses, all of them new to us.

We based ourselves in the very comfortable Priory Hotel, but there are also three or four good pubs in this pretty village, as well as gourmet dining. We played eight lovely and incredibly varied courses, with three gorgeous 18-holers featuring here and some of the others to follow in future issues.

Don't be fooled by the yardage book