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

Good fun pony trekking without too much instruction if you feel confident. They have various walks…read morewith 1, 2 or more hours. The tracks are steep and precarious but it just adds to the fun. They also have a pro photographer taking shots as you head off up the hill for a wee memento of the day. The views as you go aloing the walk are stunning. Dress in old clothes prepare to get wet and dirty!

One of the best Horse Trekking spots in the Lake District. Prices very reasonable and they cater…read morefor all ages and abilities. Absolutely perfect.

This romantic garden is absolutely GORGEOUS! It rests bordered by the River Rothay and St…read more Oswald's Church. The stone tile pathway meandering throughout the garden bears inscriptions of fellow Wordsworth admirers (some on behalf of departed loved ones). The garden fittingly lies near Wordsworth's gravesite. This location is simply a MUST-SEE attraction!

Holker Hall is such an enjoyable home to visit with less of these people barriers that most of…read morethese type of homes have so you really get the feeling of being a part of the house rather than just someone who has paid some money to look in form a distance. There are also lovely large gardens for a walk with little surprises appearing from time to time. The guides are all so friendly and helpful and to get the most from the trip find a question to ask in every room - even if it is simply so what is particularly special about this room - it is then that you hear all the little funny interesting stories of the house.

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

the park is closed throughout January. it opens at weekends in February, then all week at half-term…read moreand weekends through until Easter when the times shown above come into force. Huge Indoor Play -frame with separate toddlers area. Hands on petting Being an animal keeper for the day costs extra Adults/Kids pedal Karts Trampolines (weather permitting) Farm Trail Coin operated driving school. Meet Dilly the Duck Enjoy a pint at Dilly's Bar. Home cooked food at Daffy's Diner Barrel train ride the website is very good, and worth checking for clear directions on how to get there. http://www.duckysparkfarm.co.uk . they have a club which allows cheap entry (£1) on a regular basis. otherwise Adults are £5.50 and children £4.50.

great place to visit if you have children and are close by…read more they have a good selection of farms animals which you can feed, you can by animal feed when you enter, its less an £1 a bag. they also have an indoor play area with seperate todler section, a cafe offering a variety of foods and a gift shop. the also have coin operated bikes/cars, pedal go karts, horse/pony rides. they also had an old tractor which my lad loved sitting on and an old double decker bus for you to picnic in on a wet day, although most children we more interested in pretending to drive it. entry is Adults £4.75 Children £3.75 or a Family ticket ( 2 adults 2 kids) is £15.00. under 1's are free. u can also book a birthday party at duckys

My brother and I took part in the week long Woodlander course in April 07, and it was one of the…read morebest things either of us have ever done! Arriving at the rendezvous point in Far Sawney was a doddle, taking the M6 up to Windermere and then the ferry across the lake. Staggeringly beautiful scenery - Having come up from London I couldn't believe we were still in the UK. Once parked, we slung our packs on the land rover roofs and bounced up a very rugged track to the privately owned land that we'd call home for a week. We could pitch our tents where we liked in the grounds, which gave a good sense of freedom. The week's activities were varied and relevant, covering all the fundementals of bushcraft, and were for the most part expertly delivered by Ben and his team round the campfire under a suspended parachute canoppy. Firemaking was the obvious highlight, but nature walks, tracking / trapping, water, shelter, cookery, knots and knives were covered in detail too - see their great website for all the details. All meals were provided, and surprisingly tasty, although we did skin cook and eat our own pheasant and trout (didn't catch them though). For the money it was great value - about 9 to 10 hours tuition a day, all meals and accomodation for £500. We left elated, with a new found appreciation for the outdoors and a sense of confidence in our recently acquired skills. As soon as I got home, I make another fire in front of the family with the bow drill - never fails to impress! We had considered the weekend course but this would have been pointless, given the travelling distance needed, and the fact we'd have have left with an unsatisfied thirst for more knowledge. The week long was ideal. The toilet was a trench dug in the ground, the cold shower was (a relatively luxurious) bushcraft bucket with holes in (I had one all week), and you brushed / washed using a bottle of cold water. Everyone stank by the end of it - tbh some stank when they got there! My advice would be to not take as many things as I did - you don't need walkie talkies, and 7 t-shirts, but do take a good torch with batteries, and sturdy waterproof boots. You need to be made of reasonably tough stuff to do this course - if you can't bear to be without your straighteners then give it a miss. The ray mears woodlore courses cost more and are booked up years in advance - I would heartily recommend Woodsmoke as a great alternative.