​The Nook is the ideal name for this beautiful farm shop nestled below the Epiacum Roman Fort site, 2 miles north of Alston in Cumbria (just over the Northumberland border). It opened in 2019 and is well supported by the local community as well as the visitors passing through to see the Roman remains.

​The ethos of the shop and café is to serve and promote the local area and with this is mind, The Nook sells fresh and frozen local produce both to take home and to eat on site. There is a well-stocked meat fridge full of locally farmed beef, lamb and pick and mix meat packs, a mouth-watering display of home-made cakes, ploughman’s scones and scotch eggs (they are not bound by border lines at The Nook!) and local honey (which sells out quickly so be warned!)

​The café looks like the ideal spot in which to hunker down after a climb to the ruins of the fort which has been described as “the best-preserved Roman fort in the Empire”. Epiacum is the Roman name for Whitley Castle and the site has been extensively researched by English Heritage and been classified as the “most significant monument in the region“.

​Whether it’s the fort or the scotch eggs that bring you to this spot, you will be guaranteed a warm welcome at The Nook.

The Nook Farm Shop & Café
Epiacum Roman Fort
Kirkhaugh, Alston
CA9 3BG
07415 029398
www.thenookfarmshop.com