Cumbria Tourism is urging local people and visitors to get behind the village of Cartmel and world-famous Hadrian’s Wall, which have both made the shortlist in a national competition.

The World Heritage Site in north Cumbria and the south Cumbrian village are in the frame to win the ‘Landmark of the Year’ and ‘Village of the Year’ categories respectively, at the 2019 BBC Countryfile Awards.

Nominations were made by readers of the magazine last year, which have since been whittled down by an expert panel of six judges, including the TV programme’s presenter Charlotte Smith, Countryfile magazine editor Fergus Collins and travel writer and explorer Phoebe Smith.

Cartmel is famous for its array of specialist shops, tea rooms, pubs and top restaurants – including two with Michelin Star status: Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume and Rogan & Co.

The village’s famous racecourse not only attracts some of the UKs biggest crowds – but musicians too, with Simply Red, Sir Tom Jones and Jools Holland among the big names to have played there.

It’s also famous for its sticky toffee pudding, which is shipped to major high street names as well as hundreds of independent retailers around the world.

The village is no stranger to success in polls, having previously been named by The New York Times in 2014 as one of the world’s top 50 places to visit. You can cast your vote for Cartmel in the Village of the Year category here.

Hadrian’s Wall in the ‘Landmark of the Year’ category is one of Cumbria’s two World Heritage Sites, with the Roman boundary and fortification stretching from Cumbria’s coastline in the west, right across to Newcastle in the east. Dating back to 122AD, visitors can also delve deeper in to the wall’s history at a special trail at Bowness-on-Solway. The wall was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and contrary to the common misconception that it marks the boundary between England and Scotland, it lies entirely in England. You can cast your vote for Hadrian’s Wall in the Landmark of the Year category here.

Cumbria Tourism’s Managing Director Gill Haigh said: “We live in an amazing part of the country with wonderful places to visit in every corner of Cumbria.

"It’s no surprise to us that Cartmel and Hadrian’s Wall have been highlighted by Countryfile as potential winners, as both locations certainly deserve their place on the shortlist. The nominations were clearly made by people with great taste and we hope the judges enjoy the unenviable process of choosing their winners.”

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Voting closes on February 17, with the winners expected to be revealed in March. Questions about the voting process should be sent to editor@countryfile.com