Went here with friends and their 4 kids aged 5 to 8 and it was great fun! At £8 to get in for kids…read moreand adults a like I wasn't sure when we arrived if it would be worth the cost but there was so much to do. Inside there is a big soft play with some really big slides that they even let the adults go down...if you're brave enough!! There is also a large cafe / restaurant serving everything from hot food to picnic sandwich boxes for the kids that include a few healthy choices. Outside there is lots and lots to do! Loads of activities centre around the animals from sheep racing, rabbit meet and greet, pony grooming, pig feeding, ferret shows etc. there's plenty of animals to interact with. There is also a large outdoor play park with obstacles and a zip line swing, a sand pit area with diggers etc, trampolines, water balloon 'fight area', crazy golf, self powered go karts etc., all included in the price. The only ride we spotted that you had to pay extra for was a barrel ride, which at £1 each was okay and the kids loved it! All in all a great day out and the cakes and coffee from the cafe get the thumbs up from the adults :)

A good day out for all. Ample parking. Pricey, but it's worth getting a season ticket. A good mix…read moreof indoor and outdoor attractions. The cafe offers good food at reasonable prices. The barn with slides is good for all ages, including older children. There are plenty of animals to see, go-karts, ride on tractors, and a good outdoor play area including a zip wire.

By far the best soft play area in the town. It is very cheap and is huge. The soft play equipment…read moreused to be Puddle Lane on Botchergate but they relocated it to Denton Holme with a new name, so it has been around for years and is very well loved by myself and my daughter. You can have a children's patrty here which is great value for money and the kids just love it. There is a seating area for the parent's to sit and have a natter and a cuppa and they also sell decent snacks for the children. If your child is younger you have to go in the soft play aswell to look after them which is fab although you are not allowed to bounce on the bouncy castle but you can go down the slides and things. All in all a great place on a wet day or as a special treat.

One of the oldest, but for my money, one of the best soft play areas in Carlisle. The staff are…read morefriendly, and there's a spacious area for parents. The food and drinks are reasonably priced. it has the usual slides, and swings, but has a massive bouncy castle. They do children's parties. Only minor drawback is that if you are driving, it's disc parking roundabout so you could be limited by that.

There was a time when Center Parcs really was an affordable family holiday but now it seems to be…read moreabout adult pamper breaks and holidays for the financially gifted. When you bear in mind that the price you pay is accommodation only (plus free use of the pool) Center Parcs starts to look less of a good deal. Once you start to pay for the activities that the children (and big kids) will inevitable want to do you find yourself wondering why you are here and not enjoying an 'all inclusive' somewhere in the Caribbean. Most prices are higher than you would pay for comparable activities elsewhere and the facilities aren't really top notch. Accommodation wise I was quite disappointed as there house we were renting had been downgraded leaving a couple of random brackets sticking up behind the TV where a DVD had once sat and redundant speakers in the kitchen. There were two showers but we could only use one at a time so that was a bit pointless and the place hadn't been well cleaned. It seemed obvious that Center Parcs philosophy is all about maximising profit by minimising expenditure. The subtropical swimming 'paradise' here is not as topical or paradise like as other Center Parcs and the policy of only providing seating for people who buy [expensive] food at the poolside snack bar is a real smack in the mouth for families who wish to spend a great deal of time around the pool without spending a great deal of money. The setting is lovely and from a nature point of view the village seems well managed.

I really can't stress to you enough how much I needed a holiday this year and unfortunately I have…read morenot been able to get abroad. Earlier in the year some friends decided that they wanted to go to center parcs. Now I had been before to the Nottingham one so did some research and decided that it would be fun to go to the Whinfell forest destination so that it was a brand new experience for all. First I will let you know the address; Center Parcs Whinfell Forest Penrith CA10 2DW Now location is gorgeous, right in the middle of the Lake District which of course is a stunning area all year round. Getting there is pretty easy as if you get to the M6 then it is all the way up and when you get off it is actually sign posted so we didn't go wrong (which considering we have some awful navigators was quite good). So you arrive and everything is secure so you cannot get into the complex if you haven't booked. Cars go into a main car park and as soon as you get your accommodation and leave your stuff at the lodge you don't really see any more cars all the time you are there as they get locked in the car park which is great. The woodland lodges here are fantastic and massive. We were staying in a 3 bedroom lodge which was huge and contained three good sized bedrooms, two bathrooms, two toilets, a kitchen, a dining area, a massive living room and a lovely outside area with barbeque facilities an table and chairs. In the lodges the floors are heated, there is a television and ample facilities depending on how many people are staying there. We found that using all facilities were great so cooker and fridge etc Worked fine. The sofa is very comfortable and the beds are nice too. In fact I was impressed with everything to do with the lodges. There is even room outside to lock your bikes up which is great. Each lodge is away from the pathways which is lovely as you really do get that secluded feeling which is fantastic. Now Whinfell forest is very big and there are loads of walks you can go on and bike around. They have a lot of wildlife here and perhaps the most famous are the red squirrels which is great to see. They are such beautiful creatures and it is so unusual to see a lot of them, I loved it. Above that they have numerous amounts of ducks, owls and rabbits which you should be able to spot them all within a weekend. The lodges are really spread out which is good and there are main centres you can get to where you can find all of the activities. The one nearest the car park is the bike centre where you can hire them out for £21 for the whole weekend. I did this and it was really worth it as you can get around the whole forest so much easier. The main centre is where the huge swimming pool is which is free to use and you need £1 for the locker but you do get it back. The swimming pool is a tropical one and has several pools for adults and some for children too. There is a rapid ride, a few flumes, a canyon ride (rubber ring), a Jacuzzi and then lots of waterfalls dotted around so as you can imagine it is lovely and relaxing there. Also here you will find the majority of the restaurants which all looked lovely. We went to the rock legends one which was absolutely yummy and at a bout £15 a head for two courses and two drinks, the price was not too bad. There is also Italian, French and Chinese which I spotted which all looked nice. Then there is the bowling alley and a games arcade. You do have to book the bowling and it costs about £22 for 6 people for an hour which isn't too bad at all. Then you find the parc market which sells all of your basics. They have a well stocked store here and although the prices are a little expensive you get a lot for your money and sometimes it is easier then buying everything before hand. In terms of shopping in this main area there is a children's toy shop, a swimming shop and my favourite, the sweet shop. All prices are fine and what you expect and they are all well stocked which is good. I got all my souvenir presents for about £10 which was not too bad as there is such a big choice of things to buy. I almost forgot there is also like a natural world shop which sells candles and house stuff which is so lovely. The sports centre which is a little way off the main centre is massive and contains all of your badminton courts, golf range and things such as squash and ping pong. Games are not priced that bad so at about £4 for an hour of ping pong which is very reasonable in my eyes. They have a massive café here too and loads of pool tables so we spent hours here and it was lovely. The one thing about center parcs is that you can do so many activities which you did not maybe think of before. We did quad biking (£35 per person for an hour), archery (£14 per person) and a spa day (£35 for the day per person). All were fantastic and you have staff there on hand to make sure everything is fun and goes the right way. There are so many activities to

Inside the Lingholm Estate are vacation (holiday) homes, a cafe, the walled garden, access to a…read morelake, and Alpacaly Ever After, an alpaca rescue that offers walks and meet and greets. We went to walk with Alapcas but enjoyed a lunch and leisure walk around the gardens. Wear shoes and clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. We didn't get too messy but depending on the weather, it could get muddy.

Tucked away about 1 mile from the A69 near Bardon Mill, Allen Banks is a beautiful natural gorge…read morecarved out by the River Allen. Car parking is provided, free to NT members, last time I think it was £3 for the whole day if you don't possess the magic sticker. Most will arrive by car and the car park itself is ample, with an overflow area for the busiest times in the summer. Alternatively, if you fancy arriving on foot, Bardon Mill station is about 1.5 miles away - from the station you need to exit towards the level crossing, follow the track and bridge to go over the river, then turn left and follow the minor road up through Beltingham (BTW lovely village church here!) and then at the junction, head left towards Ridley, where a footpath will take you over the fields into Allen Banks - do check an OS map before you head off! So, Allen Banks is an area bequeathed to the National Trust by Francis Bowes Lyon in 1942 (you can find a plaque dedicating this kind act along one of the riverside paths) and has miles of paths, some with colour coded route markers, for you to explore. You can take a gentle stroll and bring a picnic to have on the tables provided by the car park, or pull on the walking boots and head further afield as the footpath network eventually takes you out towards the A686. This is one of those places worth a visit any time of the year - open all year round, the car park gates are open during daylight hours - as the scenery changes with the seasons, so each visit is that little bit different. Last time we were there was at the height of summer 2014, nothing could beat a paddle in the river to cool off! One of the highlights has to be the 'Wobbly Bridge', a Victorian suspension bridge built to cross the river when the area was first developed. Unfortunately, this was severely damaged in storms back in 2013 rendering it totally unsafe to use, but thankfully the NT managed to raise enough money (£100K!) to restore it to its former state. The views along the River Allen from this bridge are stunning, so it is great to have the bridge back in all its wobbly glory! One thing to point out is that the riverside paths are subject to some erosion and can be difficult to pass for buggies or those slightly less agile that others. The woodland paths can get a bit squaggy in autumn/winter, so wellies are recommended just in case. The only thing I feel is really missing here (hence the 4* score) is a decent tea room, even just for the peak periods, as it would be great to come here, take a walk and then have a cuppa and cake instead of having to bring all your own stuff. But hey, that's me being fussy here - a short hop into Bardon Mill or up to the Garden Station in Langley would easily satisfy the need for post-walk refreshments. In summary, a lovely place for a Sunday afternoon walk with all the family, great views and because it's a little bit off the A69, it still feels like that little secret you don't want too many people knowing about!

This is National Trust and has a pay and display car park It…read moreis a lovely walk along quiet river banks the walks can go on for a few miles so it is a good idea to take a picnic with you there is a reconstructed victorian summer house but we went to see the medival pele tower up at the top of one of the hills There is lots of wildlife here and we had loads of butterflies around us when we had our picnic The birds sound lovely around here but if you come later on in the day you are just as likely to hav a bat fly past you as a bird Give yourself a few hours here as it is much better to enjoy the lovely views that rush

Eden Ostrich World is on the A686 north-east of Penrith. At the moment it is open from 10am until…read more5pm from March to October, and November to mid February, last entry at 3pm. Entry is £4.95 for children 3-15, and £5.95 for adults. Family tickets are available. The center contains a mixture of farm and exotic animals, including a Zebroid, Walabies, Cows, Pigs and Deer. A zebroid (also zebra mule and zebrule) is the offspring of any cross between a zebra and any other equine species. There is Farmhouse Tearoom and a gift shop and the Hayloft Gallery which has a gift shop and art gallery.

Razzamataz is an amazing place for children to learn about performing arts and develop their sefl…read moreconfidence.

Fitz park is located just on the edge of the town, right next to the river. It's ideal for a family…read moreto enjoy. It offers, a putting course around the tennis courts, bowling green & tennis. You can hire all the equipment for the above for a few pounds. There are a number of seats situated around the park for you to just sit and enjoy the scenary. It's a relaxing corner of Keswick if you want to escape the crowds.

Children's play area has been recently re-done, and has a good range of equipment and sand.read more