Walking Routes
Take a Break, One Step at a Time

Step away from your desk and take time out – download our new walking routes here!

Launched during Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, the Penrith Business Parks Walking Routes were designed to help employees step away from their desks, move more and reconnect with the world around them. Whether you have 10 minutes or a full hour, each route encourages you to get outside, breathe and reset, because even a short walk can do wonders for your mental health.

With five mapped routes ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 steps, there is something for everyone, from a quick stroll between meetings to a longer lunchtime loop. All routes are fully walkable from within the Business Parks and take in nearby green spaces and quieter roads.

Introducing the Time Out Benches

Since the walking routes launched, the project has taken an exciting next step. Six Time Out Benches are now in place across the Business Parks, offering dedicated spots to stop, sit, eat your lunch, catch up with a colleague or simply take a moment away from your desk.

Let’s be honest, there are not many places to sit outside on an industrial estate. But Penrith Business Parks sit right on the doorstep of Thacka Nature Reserve, with green space within easy walking distance of all six benches. These are spaces for everyone – employees, visitors, dog walkers and passers-by are all welcome.

Each bench has its own nature-inspired theme, with planting carefully chosen to bring wildlife, colour and interest to the spaces around them:

Bees — Cowper Road (///nylon.hero.hesitate)
Planted with jasmine, foxgloves, sunflowers, hollyhocks, rosemary and teddy bear sunflowers, this area has been designed to attract and support bees throughout the season.

Butterflies — Bowerbank Road (///shirtless.labels.birthdays)
Cornus, sambucus nigra, sedum, lythrum and verbena create a sheltered, nectar-rich space where butterflies, including red admirals, are drawn to feed and bask, particularly in late summer and autumn.

Foraging — Stalker Road (///unclaimed.blows.triathlon)
Crab apple, blackcurrants, gooseberries, redcurrants, white currants and eating apples invite visitors to pick and take home a little seasonal harvest. 

Download our Foraging Recipes here 

Castletown Drive (///fame.spending.masterful)
Two planters have been added here to bring a pop of colour alongside the natural vegetation already thriving at this spot.

Thacka (///archives.nurture.responses)
This bench sits on the edge of Thacka Nature Reserve, so no additional planting has taken place here. The decision was made to leave the surroundings as natural as possible, so you can simply sit and enjoy the wildlife around you.

Mardale Road/The Office (///jumps.brownish.digress)
Located on private land with thanks to The Office for granting permission.

The benches have been sponsored by Metcalfe, Frilu Bespoke Outdoor Living, Atkinson Building Contractors, Genesis Homes, Penrith Body Repairs and the Penrith Industrial BID.

The planting has been designed with expert guidance from Jill Alcock, a Chelsea Flower Show Gold Award Winner, alongside the team at 4Eden, who have helped bring everything to life on the ground.

The project has been supported by Westmorland and Furness Council, with additional support from Penrith Town Council.

We know that getting outdoors, even for just a few minutes, can reduce stress, improve focus and boost productivity. So download a route, find a bench and make time outside part of your working day.