The horses here are very well cared for. You are given a talk on each of the horses followed by a…read morecarriage ride (either indoors or out depending upon the weather). There is a play area and large tractor type toys for children upto the age of ten years. Also a range of smaller animals. If you are lucky you may see the horses having new shoes fitted. Great panoramic views. The food is good and reasonably priced. All of the staff are very friendly and welcoming.

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!

We visited Conniston Boating Centre while on holiday in the Lake District…read more Located at the end of Lake Road, right by Coniston Water We hired an electric boat after booking the hire time and date online. Victor met us and explained the operation of the electric boat. We were all given life jackets which had been fully disinfected (covid virus). We hired the boat for one hour and as there was little breeze we sailed down the middle of the lake for approximately 25 minutes before turning around for our return. The outstanding scenery, with mountains all around and clear water made for an exciting experience. Remember to take your phone/camera. Upon our return we enjoyed an ice-cream at the Bluebird café, mmmm very nice.

Located in a great area directly facing Lake Windermere, the lake District visitor centre is a…read moregreat source of information and advice on what to do , where some great trails and hikes are, where to eat and more! There is a pay and display parking, however there's some free parking on the outside of the pay and display for two hours. Plenty of things to keep kids occupied and so much beauty to see!

We found this place purely by accident; as it is signposted as the Lake District Visitors Centre,…read morewe expected a lot of information on the wider area. It is a series of adventure areas going from the play equipment, swings etc for toddlers right up to the sixty feet up in the trees rope-work which requires full harness and safety line. The childrens' areas are free and the car park is very reasonable as well as having the best organised payment methods I have ever seen. It used number plate recognition on entry to the park. When you are leaving, you enter your licence number and the machime tells you how long you have been there and what it costs. Payment is possible by cash or all the usual credit and debit cards - and there is even an option of leaving it until you get home and paying online, as long as it is within 48 hours! We didn't go as far as finding out the costs for the rope-work course as our children are 5 months and 22 months, but we did see the prices for the huge netting up above the playground area. Children between 3 years and, I think, 8 were £12.50 and the same charge for any adult accompanying them. This would make it very expensive for a family group, but it was pretty full, so it must be worth it. I am pretty sure we will be back when the "littlies" are old enough to enjoy it properly.

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.

I absolutely fell in love with Grizedale Forest over the past weekend. Looking for somewhere new to…read moreexplore when we visited the other half's parents, they suggested heading to the forest. Cue some very windy roads and a few moments of "are you sure this is the right way?" - but we found it! We headed to the visitor centre to take a look at which walk to take. They have both cycling and walking routes, so make sure you're looking at the right map...! We decided on the white route, and the helpful member of staff explained that you simply follow the coloured markers - if you lose the colour, it's time to retrace your steps. Our walk took about 2 hours overall and was described as moderate, and it's worth pointing out that it wasn't wheelchair/pushchair friendly, so a quick chat with a staff member would be needed to find an accessible route. The reason I fell in love was a) because of the absolutely stunning weather we experienced and b) the selection of sculptures that can be found on each route. The large keys in trees which played music if you wound them fast enough were a personal favourite, following by the huge stone fox, which actually provided a nice place to rest and admire the valley view. I feel the downsides sit with the shop, which was overpriced and didn't seem to stock any drinks (very odd considering the length of some of the walks), and the parking payment. It's all done automatically by registration plate when you drive in, then you enter it at a paypoint - best have some cash on you as noone has quite thought through that no phone signal = no card reader signal. There's bike rental available and the Go Ape course if you need something to keep more active members of your group entertained. Recommended!

A huge area of woodland to explore in the Lake District, either on foot or by mountain bike - it's…read morea spectacular place to get away from it all for the day. There are several colour-coded waymarked footpaths, in varying lengths and levels of difficulty (from easy to strenuous) as well as dozens of others paths and bridleways crisscrossing the landscape so you can either buy a map for £1.50 or just see where a route takes you. Go Ape (an aerial assault course) has a site here, and as well as a visitors' centre there's a children's playground, education centre, café and shop so plenty of things for families to do. For our group it was all about the walking; the forest has hosted a sculpture trail since the 1970s, so we were on the look out for exhibits whilst we wandered through the trees. It has to be said there were a few times we were wondering if we were looking at art or some forestry equipment...or a pylon! The car parking was really straightforward and rather cutting edge - a number plate reader registers your vehicle when you arrive and you pay when you leave by typing your number plate on the screen. It was a bargain too at about £4 for several hours. If you're a lover of the great outdoors, then you can't get much better than this.

A specialist sports shops aimed at especially for sports enthusiats who love the lake district and…read morefells. Here you will find everything for the avid walker - boots, compas, waterproofs etc. Equipment for fell runners - specialist trainers etc, equipment for campers - wide selection of tents, stoves and general camping equipment and everything needed for climbing in the area. They also sell a variety of maps and guidebooks - and staff are on hand to advise on both the best equipment and the local area. There is also a selection of water based sports equipment.

This is such an enchanting and nostalgic place for us. We are enamored with Beatrix's work, both…read morethe children's book and her conservation one. Even though this is geared for children, adults will enjoy it just as much it even more since there's is much detail one can appreciate. Tickets easily purchased as you walk in, we were the only children free adults with our group and everyone had a lovely time. You'll walk along some of her stories. The props are fantastic and there's a real green, too that you can visit. It has a beautiful statue that you should definitely need to look at everything that was thought of including when they made it. At the end of the self guided and walk at your own pace your, you'll go to a well stocked gift shop. Everything that you can think of. Al theme with her children's books' characters, of course. They also have a small cafe and I'm sorry to say we did not try it. I so regret that. All in all, it's a beautiful and well thought of place and great tribute to the late Beatrix Potter and her work.

For £7, you can enter the World of Beatrix Potter. If you were a fan of the books, like I was, you…read moremight want to check this place out. It's very cute and creepy at the same time. Beatrix Potter bought a lot of land before she passed in Windermere to preserve the landscape in this quaint little area of England. Her estate built a little museum in tribute to her and her beloved characters. This place is great for kids as long as they aren't scared of the creepy animals. I suppose that it is no different from going to an amusement park. You walk in and there's a short film on the life of Beatrix Potter in the main viewing room. There's a corridor with her characters strewn about and a small garden outside. There is a small cafe/tea room downstairs. I bought some tea and cake. The wifi is free for customers. You just need to ask the staff for the password. This is a nice stop if it's cold and rainy outdoors. If you have children, they will enjoy it.