FURNESS is an area of stunning beauty, historical importance and an industrial powerhouse.

The majority of the region's population live in the coastal town of Barrow-in-Furness while many more live in the outlying towns and villages of Askam and Dalton.

There is plenty to do for tourists who perhaps have exhausted the delights of the Lake District and want to branch out a touch further afield.

The eleven-mile long Walney Island is a hot-bed of nature and is home to two reserves - on the most southern and northern points of the island.

With stunning views across Morecambe bay, South Walney Nature Reserve is run by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust and is full of interest and a fantastic place for bird watching.

It contains the largest mixed ground-nesting or herring and lesser black-back gulls in Europe and the most southerly eider duck-breeding colony in Britain.

Seals are also often seen bathing in the waters and on the shingle beaches.

North Walney is one of the best coastal nature reserves in the country, retaining a real wilderness feel in a largely industrial local landscape.

Its most famous resident is the noisy natterjack toad. One of the UK’s rarest amphibians, it is only found at around 40 sites in England.

If nature does not interest you then the wide range of artefacts at the Dock Museum is sure to keep you entertained.

Its exhibits are largely based around the history of the town, focusing on the shipbuilding industry at BAE Systems.

There is also the Furness Hoard which was unearthed by a metal detectorist in 2011.

By far the largest amount of Viking treasure ever found in this area, the hoard consists of 92 silver coins and artefacts.

For younger children, on August 27 there will be an animal handling session with animals from Wetherigg's Animal Rescue on hand to stroke, look at and learn about.

For history buffs there is the Furness Abbey, which dates back all the way to 1123 and was once the most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country.

It was disestablished and destroyed during the English Reformation by Henry VIII in 1537 but its remains are being looked after by English Heritage.

The Abbey closes for winter on September 30.