Places in the lakes for teenagers

[JubileeTrifle]

Any suggestions where to take a difficult 14 year old in the Lake District. She’s agreed to the sea life centre and she likes shops that sell crystals and whatnot. Anywhere else.
No climbing or extremely physical activities.

Keswick is good for mooching - she can drift down to Derwent Water and look winsome on the lakeside. There is also at least one crystal shop in Keswick.

Drive up to Castlerigg stone circle (it’s an easy enough walk, but if going uphill is just too much then take the car) and she can be mystical amongst the stones.

The Keswick to Threlkeld Walk along the old railway line is a good, flat walk with views.

Take the launch from Keswick to Hawse End and go to Lingholm for coffee and cake and a look at the alpacas.

Don’t take her to the Pencil Museum.

There’s an open top bus that runs from Keswick, always good for an outing.

Buttermere is also good for wafting moodily about. There’s a pub halfway round and a novel The Maid of Buttermere, if she has literary leanings.

Theres an illusion place is keswick.

You can hire boats on Windermere and probably some other lakes.

Also at Brockhole there's an activity called tree top nets. It's not particularly physical but fun climbing around up the trees.

Sometimes activites on at rheged centre penrith. I think a cinema there too.

The Puzzling Place in Keswick is great - a bit tired looking but brilliant fun on a wet afternoon. We really enjoyed it and haven't even got kids 😀

Out of interest why did you choose the lakes with a difficult 14 yr old? I love the lakes but it's not somewhere I would personally choose to go with teens.

Honister slate mine fab drive

Well she can be difficult wherever you take her, she’s at an age. We are going to see family nearby on the way.

In Ambleside there's the rock shop - they've got a giant crystal pit you can pick crystals out of, sounds like she'd love that.

You could try Sizergh Castle and Wordsworth's house. I have a similar teenager!

Might she be interested in ponies or looking for red squirrels? We hired a traditional sailing boat on Ullswater which I loved but my pre teen was meh about. It wasn't physical though. There's Go Ape as well as the nets place, and escape rooms.

Bowness is not typically 'lakey'. You can hire electric boats from there, go on different boat trips across Windermere and there is also a fun fair and amusements. Worked for us and our teens.

Keswick!! Great town centre with lots of little independent shops and cafes. Walk down through the town and park to the Lake. The puzzling place. You need to buy tickets online - you can't just walk in. I dragged x3 teens there yesterday and I couldn't get in as I hadn't pre booked. That cost me a lot in icecream!

We’ve been on a segway tour at Goape near Keswick before. That was great fun.

Why not the pencil museum?

(Just for full account she’s in the process of being diagnosed with autism so she doesn’t like cities so country is only option). She’s actually got a shoulder injury, so walking and legs are fine.

Watching with interest (and also to say well done for getting a grumpy teen out and about)

The walk around Grasmere and Rydal Water is nice, taking in part of the old coffin route. Rydal Hall is on the walk, lovely grounds and a decent cafe. Don’t give Lowther Estates your car park money at White Moss Common, use the National Parks car parking in Grasmere and start from there.
Allan Bank is at Grasmere too, good for a teenage waft around and although it can be busy there is plenty of space to spread out in the grounds. Check opening times though, they can be weird and not when you expect.

Some good ideas. I’ve got a few pages open to see if they look acceptable!

Does anyone know if there are any ‘cool’ clothes shops.

Because it’s pencils.

She may love it, of course. You never can tell which way teenagers will jump.

This made me lol. Gotta love the pencil museum. Nearly as good as barometer world in Dartmoor or whatever. "The best collection of barometers outside of the British museum". You can have fun eyerolling with her.

Where's the best place to see red squirrels? I'm going to the Lakes next month and I love red squirrels.

Sorry for derailing, op.

Made me laugh - do you have experience of morose teens?

I’m looking forward to the pencil museum. She’s looking forward to the shop (starts GCSE art in a few weeks).

Honestly, the mountains. Get her up Carbells or similar, far better than any of the paid attractions. Even if she doesn't want to, she'll love it.

If she’s starting art GCSE Heaton Cooper art shop and gallery in Grasmere is very good www.heatoncooper.co.uk

Couple with a mooch round the church graveyard to look at Wordsworth’s grave and the Grasmere Gingerbread shop. And Allan Bank.