Something of a rum do

ONE of my favourite haunts - perhaps because it is haunted! - is Whitehaven's Rum Story. The tiny entrance on Lowther Street, Whitehaven, belies the huge museum inside. The building was once the warehouse for Jeffersons' rum and it is now used to tell the story of the rum trade - and the less pleasant slave trade. But it's not the museum I visit week in and week out. It's the coffee shop and gift shop. You can sit and drink your latte while watching the famed Rum Story clock strike the hour and half hour (it tells the story of rum while 'chiming') in the pleasant courtyard. But the gift shop is the real treasure trove, crammed full with some of the best arts and crafts from West Cumbria. If you're ever short of an unusual birthday gift, just pop in here and you'll be sure to find something. What's more The Rum Story is open seven days a week. If you haven't visited recently, do pop in. Oh, and the ghost - that's Henry. You can some times join a ghost hunt at the Rum Story to watch out for him. See their website for details.