Keswick recommendations?

[charliewww]

I've got a week booked in Keswick soon, with 8yo dd. We haven't been for a few years - does anyone have any recommendations of things we can do/good places to eat while we are there?

Happy to travel to other areas in the car. So far I have on my list the wildlife park, and a rock shop dd has seen on YouTube which is in Ambleside...

Hawkshead is good for an afternoon, there’s a chocolate place that runs kids workshops, a Beatrix Potter museum and the Queens Head is great for lunch. If the weather is pants the Rheged Centre out towards Penrith is fabulous - there’s a cinema, gallery, shops, craft workshops, playground etc.

Honister slate mine is brilliant. Not far from Keswick and kids love getting to wear a hard hat with a light on it. The tour guides are fantastic and very knowledgeable.

Whinlatter forest
Puzzling place
Walby farm park, Carlisle
Penrith castle
Reghed centre Penrith
Brockholes on Windermere
River cruise Windermere

Aira force waterfall Penrith
Bitts park Carlisle
Lowther castle Penrith

Walby farm park is pricey but you can spend several hours there. Brockholes is access to lake Windermere, a park, walks, cafe and museum with optional book on activities. Free entry just parking same with whinlatter.
Penrith castle is good for couple hours all free.

If the weather is good, the outdoor mini golf is great fun.

Will try the pencil museum next time we visit!

Also lake buttermere is stunning and less touristy than Windermere

Lingholm gardens Portinscale- they have llamas and an oval walled garden Beatrix potter style.

Case Bella is a nice place to eat with kids.

If you fancy a trip somewhere different Maryport is an option that people don't always consider. You can walk around the harbour and marina, play in the rock pools, go to the aquarium, crazy golf, gokarts, clip and climb or visit one of the many cafes or pubs. Cockermouth is nice but other than play areas there aren't really any children's activities.
Caldbeck is also a good option, a bit off the main tourist route, but some nice child friendly walks, an ice cream, waffle etc place, raw milk place that does milkshakes and a few cafes and shops.
Nearer Keswick, Whinlatter has plenty of options and the best cake in the area, the wildlife park is definitely worth a visit, and Threlkheld and Honister mines are both good.
In Keswick itself you can easily put a few hours in the park- paddling in the river, in the play area and museum, there's the crazy golf, the theatre, KingKong, or you could hire a bike and ride up the cycle path.
Have fun!

Whinlatter have a go ape and mountain bike hire with some really nice easy trails

Walk around derwentwater, or up walla crag or even catbells. If you don't mind driving you can walk round buttermere and there are a couple of nice places to eat (the farm cafe or the bridge hotel).

Lingholm Kitchen is lovely for food and beside it there's an alpaca experience.

Nichol End Marina has water sports activities such as paddle boarding or kayaking.

Definitely recommend Bassenthwaite Station Cafe where you sit in the old train carriages!

Buttermere is lovely. I would get the bus there from Keswick, you don't have to worry about parking and you can enjoy the scenery.
You can also get the same bus to Rosthwaite and have a walk up Castle Crag - the views are amazing and it's not too difficult, you can make it into a circular walk by walking to Grange along the river and catching the bus back.

This is the castle crag walk

What’s wrong with South Lakes zoo?

We stayed there last summer with 3 children; youngest 8 then. Stayed just north of keswick.
walked round buttermere
aria falls
Boat ride on ullswater
keswick old railway walk- ice cream shop half way along.
paddle boarding and canoeing on windermere
The national trust castle on windermere

we have dogs so lots of walking from national trust places. A good pizza place in Ambleside by the big carpark.

Rannerdale bluebells are out if you are going in the next couple of weeks or so.

Mirehouse at Bassenthwaite has a play trail.

Definitely get brunch at Lake Road Brunch in Keswick.

Lingholm worth a visit. You can walk there from Keswick and it will take about 45-60 minutes along the Cumbria Way.

You can do archery at Glaramara.

Check the rockshop online before you go, as I was at Ambleside fairly recently and they still hadn't reopened their attractions after Covid, just the shop.

If you get desperate and it's tipping down, there's a big soft play centre called Planet Play at Lillyhall and the Kong Centre at Keswick has an indoor "hard play" area in their cafe (low level climbing stuff, slides etc).

@LilacPoppy

www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/20/south-lakes-safari-zoo-animal-deaths

One of our favourites too, as a child and now as a parent! I still get all nervous at the tunnel 😂😂 good job I can go for a medicinal pint at the end

Whinlatter and Mirehouse for days out of Keswick. Even though there are outdoor bits, if it rains I doesn't matter too much as they're under the cover of trees.

Crazy golf in the gardens on the way down to the lake.

Walking to lingholm for cake!

Walk/bus to lodore to see the falls and call into the hotel for lunch

The fellpack has a sister place now called the round which does burgers and was very kid friendly.

If she likes a poke about the shops, there's a lovely shop on the way down the hill from the main square that sells interiors and 'stuff', forget the name, but the window displays always lure me in. Might be the orchid house?

With respect that article is from 2017 and the park is now under new ownership.

Hope Park play crazy golf and admire Max the Miracle Dog's bench and statue.

@FabulouslyFab with respect I know that but that individual was asking about South Lakes and why it had got a bad name?

Definitely Whinlatter it’s about a 10 min drive there’s walking trails and loads of play areas plus cafe . Also def Lingholme you can get the launch across to hawes end and walk it’s got a lovely restaurant and Beatrix potter stuff plus llamas . We’ve always enjoyed walking up latrigg there’s lovely views and also catbells which is a bit of a longer walk uphill . There’s a cinema in Keswick which is vintage and really well kept . Go to the moot hall in the centre where you can find out what events are on during the time you are there. Walk to
portinscale only about 20 mins and there’s a nice cafe called the chalet and if you go into the gardens of the derwentwater hotel you can walk right to the lake shore and feed the ducks and it’s really quiet . Walk along friars crag from the theatre to the end . Restaurants we love are bar es for tapas , the Thai place near WHSmiths , the big Italian in the centre and the royal oak for pub food and the kids have also liked these.
playpus at the bottom of the lake for hiring canoes etc and they do family ones . I love Keswick

The zoo may be under new management but most of the animals still belong to the same owner who the article (posted above ) was written about. It is inspected regularly and although there has been a slight improvement, it still falls short on many important levels, specifically on the housing of the animals…kept in poor, insufficient paddocks/environments, lack of room/space.There’s an article here for this interested but do not want to derail this thread too much, suffice to say I would not be visiting or giving any of my money to that business. cumbriacrack.com/2021/04/29/south-lakes-safari-zoo-inspection-progress-made-but-still-some-way-to-go/

Goulash at the Dog & Gun, pies from Brysons. Only ever been pre kids so can't really recommend child friendly stuff.