this museum is actually inside Carlisle Castle in Queen Mary's Tower and is well worth a visit…read morewhile you are there. It is free to get in once you have paid to get into the Castle and it has many displays of uniforms, weapons, equipment, musical instruments, and the most interesting part for me was seeing the personal items of soldiers and reading their stories. That really made it feel more real to me. In the museum there is also a mock up of what it would have been like in one of the trenches in WW1 my boys really enjoyed this part. There are two floors to this museum and it is amazing what they have packed into such a relatively small area. There is a small gift shop here too selling items relating to the regiment and the army in general and I believe they also hold a lot of archive records and will do research for you but they will ask for a donation towards the running of the museum.

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.

On a typically stormy night in Cumberland, more than 400 years ago, an oak tree crashed to ground…read morein Keswick. The split earth gave up a wealth of black lead, known locally as wad and soon to be renamed graphite. It was the purest graphite in the world and gave rise to riches, skulduggery and the world's first pencil industry. This tale is told by Professor Henry Petroski in The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance (1990) and laid out in admirably simple style in this quirky museum, off a side road in the town. Everything you ever wanted to know about pencil manufacture (but were afraid to ask) is answered here, from how early artist's pencils were made to why the Napoleonic Wars broke the Cumberland monopoly on pencil production. Budding and successful artists can hone their skills in a small workshop at the back of the museum.

You know when something is so naff, that it comes full-circle and actually becomes quite cool? Yes?…read moreWell, that's the pencil museum. It's a museum. And it's full of pencils. We went along because it was raining, and we needed something to keep us out of the pub for an hour. On entering and paying your £3, you receive a free pencil. Now, how many museums give out demos of their exhibits like that, eh? The last time you walked into the Natural History Museum, did they hand you the thigh bone from a woolly mammoth to take home and decorate your mantel with? I'll bet not. Point 1 to the Pencil Museum. Clutching your cedar-smelling new pencil, you walk through a kind of papier mache tunnel (graphite mine) into the museum: a small set of rooms with case after case of pencils. From the humble origins (writing with dirty lumps of graphite), through the evolution of the wooden holder, and on to the colourful array of pencils we all take for granted today. I know. Case upon case of pencils - I can see you stifling a yawn - but, remember, it's got to be truly rubbish to be able to swing round full circle. Highlights: clever secret war pencils with maps and compasses inside, and a big photo-opportunity pencil to stand next to with a sign saying 'This is me a the Cumberland Pencil Museum'. Brilliant.

What a truly magical place! Everyone was so cheerful and accommodating! There is a lot of space…read moreinside and out to move about, shop, and even enjoy a meal. The location is clean and open whether you are eatMing a meal, shopping for gifts or souvenirs, visiting the museum, or getting married! The quality and variety of the gift items as well as the service is 5 star! Everyone is incredibly kind and helpful! Ask for Vikki the Gretna Green Experience Manager! She is exceptional at making your experience meaningful! Leslie

The old adage says that if you've got nothing good to say, then say nothing. Therefore my review of…read morethe so-called famous old blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green is that it is obviously a great place for a sandwich and maybe a cup of coffee. That's pretty much all anybody there was doing - sitting around eating their bring-your-own sandwiches and drinking a takeaway coffee. And that's because eating a sandwich and having a coffee is pretty much all there is to see or do unless of course you want to buy any manner of English/Scottish memorabilia/food/junk that you could buy anywhere else in England/Scotland or online. For an incredulous experience, visit Gretna Green's infamous blacksmith's shop. You'll leave wondering why! Oh, apparently you can also marry or renew your wedding vows there but I think guests have to bring their own sandwiches.

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.