Shap

Coordinates: 54°31′44″N 2°40′34″W / 54.529°N 2.676°W / 54.529; -2.676

Shap is a linear village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Eden district, Cumbria, England. The village lies along the A6 road and the West Coast Main Line, and is near to the M6 motorway. It is situated 10 miles (16 km) from Penrith and about 15 miles (24 km) from Kendal, in the historic county of Westmorland.

Etymology

Early (12th- and 13th-century) forms such as Hep and Yheppe point to an Old Norse rendering Hjáp of an Old English original Hēap = "heap", (of stones), perhaps referring to an ancient stone circle, cairn, or to the Shap Stone Avenue just to the west of the village.

Description

The village has three pubs, a small supermarket, a fish and chip shop, an antique book shop, a butcher's shop, a primary school, a newsagent's, a coffee shop, a ceramic art studio called Edge Ceramics, a fire station, a shoe shop (New Balance factory shop) an Anglican church and 3 B&B/ Hostels. There is also a small library, this is in the process of being relinquished from local council control and being adopted by the community as part of a budget cutting measure.