The Kirkhouse is the arts centre of the Lake District town of Cockermouth…read more It's a curious old building, which I assume was a kirkhouse once and they have a varied programme of music, cinema and a tiny bit of comedy. Not enough comedy, or too much, because at last night's gig there was only 8 people and the venue holds significantly more than that. It was a shame really, as it didn't really help to create a great atmosphere for comedy, but I got the feeling that if it had been a little fuller then it could've been a really nice gig. The staff are all very friendly and the prices are pretty cheap, with cinema tickets under £5!

Pirate Pete's softplay children's centre is hosted in what was formerly Hangar 13 nightclub in Ayr…read more- needless to say it's changed since then. We used to take the kids here when I was a carer and they absolutely loved it. You had to practically drag them away from the climbing frames! The area itself is a maze of wonder for children of all ages. There's space for smaller kids but three floors worth for the older children who want to swing around like wee monkeys. It's well staffed and there are places stationed throughout where adults can sit and read a paper while still having one eye on the kids. Even though it's huge and offers the children a perceived amount of freedom it's well monitored so you feel safe to let them roam free for a while. There's a lot of the usual soft play facilities - punching bags, tunnels, slides and climbing walls, but all are adequately padded so your child is well protective from hurting his or herself. But should a wee accident arise, there are helpful staff on hand and easily accessible areas for adults to remove the kids to reality again. If they need cheering up, there's a big cafe area with lots of food and ice cream to offer. It comes in handy when they've been running about for hours and are gasping for a drink; but for big groups jugs full of diluting juice are supplied. It looks like a fun day out for the children and I was more than a little jealous since I loved places like this when I was wee, but at least there was tea and a paper available for us weary adults. It's in a great location so if your Duracell bunny is refusing to run out of gas you can take them to the beach and neighbouring play area afterwards.

A fantastic place to visit with younger children, its situated in the ideal location, beach park…read moreand has both outdoor and indoor facilties that keep the kids amused. The only downside with the outdoor rides, is that they are for very young children. Inside its great for the adults to relax, if they can ignore the noise, and superb for the children to play. ALL areas are segregated by age and supervised accordingly. The play area is on two floors, howver its easy to keep an eye on the children. The security is vey tight and no child could leave without their parent or guardian. It inexpensive and good value for money. Two hours of fun fun fun. As for the cafe...good food great prices.

This is a more-or-less square harbour which is pleasant to visit either to take out a boat (if you…read moreshould be lucky enough to own one!) or just to stroll around the edge (which is what I did a couple of days ago). There are beautiful views across the Clyde to be seen towards the island of Arran. There's a large pub the Dunure Inn (refurbished in 2006) - overlooking the harbour for the odd drink and bar snack too. The Earl of Cassillis improved the harbour in 1811 at a cost of £50,000 and the village also expanded around this time. Until the 1960s, Dunure was home to many fishing boats of up to 50ft in length. But as this type of vessel became larger and needed deeper water, the fishing fleet gradually declined. These days the harbour is home to many leisure craft and a few small fishing boats. There aren't many parking spaces beside the harbour unless you are patrons of the inn, in which case you can follow the narrow pathway between the buildings into a substantial car park.

This is a review of the Via Ferrata Xtreme climb which is based at Honister Slate Mine…read more(http://www.honister-slate-mine.co.uk/via_ferrata_at_honister.asp). After an induction in the equipment room, the climbing instructor provides everyone with a harness and helmet before the group (maximum of 12 people) walks up part of the miners' track to start the guided ascent. Via Ferrata means 'Iron Way' and you'll soon see why as there are iron rungs, supports and a continuous metal cable all the way along the route. It's certainly not for the faint-hearted as you are high up on a cliff face but it's extremely safe as you have two carabiners (strong metal clips) on your harness and you keep one locked to the cable at all times as you move carefully along. You climb independently and aren't attached to anyone else. The whole experience will take 2.5 to 3 hours and it's a combination of short walks through pitch-black mine shafts, cliff edge ladders, vertical climbs, a Burma Bridge (hanging wire bridge) and cargo net crossing. It's quite tough-going but you can take your time and the instructor was really encouraging of everyone, we had a great laugh with her the whole way. Our group had a big age and ability range. After all this, the summit of Fleetwith Pike awaits (it's over 2,000 feet high) and the views of the magnificent Lake District are breathtaking. Thankfully you don't have to go back the way you came (!!) and there's a walking track all the way down to the centre. You will feel fantastic (albeit knackered) after you complete this, so go for it! Tip: no cameras or phones are permitted on the climb for safety reasons, but the instructor will take photos of everyone with their camera at key stages on the route. You can buy the CD of the photos for £15.

What a great visitor attraction this is, perched on the crest of Honister Pass. There is no museum…read moreas such but you can take 1 of 3 different mine tours lasting about an hour. You get the chance to go deep inside Honister Crag. Make sure you have a coat/fleece as it tends to get rather chilly inside. Kids love it. The more adventurous can do a Farrata track accent with a guide. If you are in the north lakes give it a look, we enjoyed the experience.

This is a review of the Castle grounds only - as I have only been there,although the castle itself…read moredoes look very interesting. Drumlanrig is a lovely place to visit and ride the mountain bike trails in the grounds. But be aware it costs £4 per person, which is significantly more than you may be used to compared to the other trail centres in the borders. That said, the trails around the grounds are so very enjoyable. They flow nicely and do not involve too much climbing. Well worth a visit. In addition there is the coffee shop to visit afterwards.

A beutiful park with managed woodland areas and ornamental gardens around which can be walked for a…read moresmall entrance fee, which is essentially pay for the parking. My avatar is an example of one type of flora that can be seen in the woodland area which also contains a range of ancient trees and wildlife (which probably isn't so ancient). I have seen people foraging in the wooded areas collecting mushrooms and berries according the time of year. It's also popular with dog walkers and, so-long as dogs are controlled, they seem to be welcome. The castle itself is an impressive site and is open to the public for an additional fee, I've not been inside although I've heard it's very good.

I saw a leaflet for the Puzzling Place during a stay in the Lakes, and thought it looked…read moreinteresting but maybe a bit rubbish, but we were going somewhere via Keswick so we decided to pop in. It was brilliant. Entry was £3.50 per adult and we ended up having to rush at the end because the car park was about to run out - we didn't know we'd be spending nearly an hour there! The illusions are really interesting and very well presented, with an explanation of each. The shop is good as well, containing loads of brilliant gifts. If you're in Keswick then definitely give the Puzzling Place a go, you won't be disappointed.

If you're in Keswick and looking for something to do the Puzzling Place is definietly worth a…read morevisit. It's a fun and eye opening experience based on optical illusions. The anti gravity room is a good laugh, balls roll up hill, you can sit on a powerless chair lift and roll up hill. There is a great hologram exhibition where all kinds of famous characters come out the walls at you, as well as opitical illusion exhibitins. I loved the Ames room which creates tall and little people. Superb for taking funny photos. The Puzzling Place is great for kids and adults a like. Defo worth checking out.

"Bars" Great place to meet up with friends and have a nice social evening, sometimes have bands…read moreplaying but with 3 bars to choose from you'll always find one you like. "Cinema" Good but only 3 screens. Sometimes will show more arty type movies instead of mainstream. Try to avoid the Theatre screen as the chairs are uncomfortable and very little leg room :-( "Food" I've only eaten here once and it was good, most of my friends would recommend it, so a big thumbs up from here.

The Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal is a multi-purpose arts complex presenting a year round programme…read moreof theatre, music, films, lectures and exhibitions, together with a range of amateur participatory activities including art and craft workshops, Cumbria Youth Theatre, and classes. There are the Grain Store restaurant,for lunch and diner,10am-2.30 and 5.30-9pm the Vats Bar, and the Warehouse Cafe,9am-6pm. The later becomes a cinema in the evenings.

If your vehicle keeps telling you it's actually a bicycle, then it's a Carliar. And should probably…read moresupport this team. It was founded by Belinda Carlisle in 1987 when she realized that heaven was a place on earth, and that place was this team. She drew a circle in the sand, which ended up being the centre circle. And she left a light on, which is why the stadium has such big electricity bill debts. First-Hand Experience: Fantastic team, and amazing support with a wonderful intense enclosed stadium. I come here when I want to see what English football really used to be like, old school. I saw them play live at home when I was a kid, and beat Oxford, my team. Then I saw them in 2011 and 2014 and remembered how much I love this stadium and this team, even more now. The northernmost team in the English league and just a phenomenal place to come and watch footy. Carlisle United is one of the grand old teams of the league, they have the biggest stadium and following (maybe) in League Two, and they're way up next to Scotland where it's freezing. Much love for Carlisle and their resident Cumberland Sausages (yum). Shankly once said their rise to the top division in the 60s was the greatest feat in football history, and everyone knows Shanks knows everything. They were even top of the league for a few days after they started with 3 wins. So for all this history, the team really has to get a good rating, and so they do. Also their manager is Keith Curle formerly of Man City and of Wimbledon before they moved. Carlisle is the smallest city to have reached the top division since 1906. Olga The Fox is the mascot and that pushes them over the edge to a 5 star team.

And so, on the windiest, rainiest, coldest day of the year, of course myself and my son ended up…read moregoing to Carlisle to watch football. English League 2 action, featuring Carlisle United vs. the team we were there to see - Crawley Town. My son has a bizarre obsession with Crawley Town, and so we try to get to a game every season. Carlisle is the closest and easiest place to get to on, so here we are. And weather aside, it's a nice ground. It has an old school feel, with some open terraces at one end, and covered standing at the other. We were sat in the away section of the modern Pioneer Food stand, what appears to be a fairly modern part of the ground. And it's pretty nice. The food kiosk under the seats was fine, decent football fare of pies and burgers... and... alcohol! Yes, in England, fans are treated like mature adults and allowed to have a beer before the game, and even at half time. YOU HEAR THIS, SCOTTISH AUTHORITIES??? The pricing was fantastic too, only a tenner for my adult ticket, and a fiver for Shawn's ticket. All of the staff we came across were professional, friendly and even happy to be there helping their local club. Local is a feeling that came across strongly with this club and the ground, it felt like it was very active in the community and the community supported them right back. A fine way to be. If you get a chance, pop in for a game. Hopefully, you win. Not like Saturday. Stupid linesman was against us the whole game...