How to spend Christmas week in The Lakes!

[SipChampagneWhenWeThirsty]

Hiya,

I'll be spending Christmas week in the Lake District with extended family this year. I would be grateful for suggestions of things we might like to do during that week.

We'll be staying in Ambleside. 4 families, 3 of the families have 2x children each. Children range in age from 0 years to 11 years old. The older couple are in their late 60's early 70's.

Each family will have their own vehicle.

Some of us are keen to get out of the house at least 1x per day, either for a nice drive, or a nice walk. Adventure playgrounds or similar for the children would be ideal and possibly meals out, either a lunch or dinner each day.

The majority of us are reasonably healthy and fit, but we'll have at least 1x, if not 2x prams with us each day (Stoke Xplory), and baby carriers/slings as alternatives if a pram is too cumbersome.

Can you share your favourite places to visit, walk, eat, sight-see whilst you're in the Lakes? What should we be aware of, plan for in advance? I think I've read that parking can cost a fortune, are there ways to pre-pay for parking or anything like that?

Any words of wisdom, advice and/or information would be really appreciated, 🙏 many thanks in advance!

I’d check about what’s open. There’s Beatrix potter stuff in Ambleside and the Beatrix potter house.
Keswick has the best sweet shop in the country imo and is nice to wander around.

walks: buttermere is good lake to walk all round the lake with a pram it’s about 4 miles.
Coniston is nice to walk around the town and down to the lake where the bluebird cafe is.

Aria force on ullswater is beautiful I’m not sure how far it’s pram friendly.

if you can beg borrow or steal baby/toddler carriers far more walks will open up to you. We took dd up the old man of Coniston in a carrier there’s also a nice walk around skiddaw

Tarn Hows is very pretty and suitable for a family walk. It’s popular but from Ambleside you’re well placed to get there and parked ahead of day trippers.

oh it’s worth checking if Kirkstone pass is open between Windermere and ullswater I saw there had been a partial collapse of the road recently so may not be.

Check out the local buses: except on public holidays, there is an excellent network of buses to all the tourist hotspots. You can buy family tickets, no issues with parking and costs, and it stops tourist drivers clogging up the roads, and you can actually see the scenery!

IME small children love the top deck of the buses which go between Windermere and Ambleside - it's like a roller coaster ride.

Ferries on Windermere and Coniston Water are fun. A favourite of 5-10 year olds is to take the steam train from Haverthwaite to Lakeside, then the ferry to Bowness. Bowness is a bit of a tacky tourist trap, but probably good for a mixed-age family group.

Keswick Museum is old-school and delightful, and the Keswick Pencil Museum is really interesting. And you get a really nice pencil at the end of it!

If you're not experienced walkers, then I think you're going to have to do day tripper kind of things, but the walk from Coniston to Hawkshead via Grizedale Forest is probably doable with prams. And Hawkshead is a perfect Cumbrian village.

Don't overlook Cockermouth - great town with loads of independent shops. And the Tullie Museum in Carlisle is interesting, as is Carlisle Castle.

A bit further south, is Docker Park Farm - but there won't be so much to see in midwinter. For bright lights, a trip to Morecambe and Lancaster is worth it. Lancaster is a perfect miniature city.

Follow this link to download the Lake District winter bus timetable. Try to leave the cars at home at least for one day! It's good for everyone, and the planet.

www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/cumbria-and-north-lancashire/open-top-buses

We took dd up the old man of Coniston in a carrier there’s also a nice walk around skiddaw

I would not recommend either of those walks for non-experienced walkers, in the middle of winter, though ...

We go in summer and don't use the cars at all, the buses are great for getting around and saves having to faff with parking.

Last time we went we hired a 6 seater boat on Windermere which was about £40. Bus Ambleside to Bowness is around 20-25 mins.

A day in Bowness, a day in Windermere (we stay just outside of Windermere) a day at Rydal water and the dragon caves. a trip to Grassmere and the gingerbread shop. There's 4 trips out where you wouldn't need to use the cars or fight for parking.

We did Christmas on the lakes one year.

a lot of the buses are summer only so check timetables.

Keswick has a lot to see and is nice to look around.

we also did the pencil museum as well - it has the world’s biggest pencil which I’d been wanting to see for years.

walks - very much depends on the weather. There is a book now on accessible walks in the Lake District that will be pram suitable.

Brilliant post, was going to recommend lots of these things.

Ferry from Ambleside down to the bottom of the lake, then the steam train ride, is a lovely thing with multi generation. Or that could be two separate days activities.
Agree also Hawkshead is v pretty. Someone above mentioned Tarn Hows - good for pushchairs as you can drive right up to a good spot to start walks with a view already.

Someone above mentioned also the closed road that connects Ambleside / Windermere to Ullswater - I think this is going to be closed for ages so best not to plan trips up that route for a while unless you go round a longer way.

Loughrigg is walkable from the centre of Ambleside so v easy - it’s more of a high zone with lots of knobbly high bits than a “peak”, but great for walking (not with pushchairs).

I like just going to the edge of a lake and chucking stones in, with little ones. And big ones. I don’t actually know which bits of Windermere are good for that as we’re usually at Ullswater or coniston. For coniston, there’s a car park at Monk Coniston where there’s a nice bit of lakeside to throw stones in / admire view down the lake.

Grizedale Forest has some forest sculptures and there are trails you can walk around, some are probably more accessible with wheels but not sure which.

Helm Crag is a good short walk from Grasmere with a satisfying peaky top to it!

To be far yes agree with this, we’ve been lake walking for decades

I like just going to the edge of a lake and chucking stones in, with little ones. And big ones. I don’t actually know which bits of Windermere are good for that as we’re usually at Ullswater or coniston. For coniston, there’s a car park at Monk Coniston where there’s a nice bit of lakeside to throw stones in / admire view down the lake.

If you're staying at Ambleside, then it's an easy flat walk to Rydal Water to do this. A nice shingle & sand beach on the west side of Rydal Water under Loughrigg for skimming stones.

THen walk on into Grasmere. The gingerbread shop generally has a long queue, but maybe not in mid-winter.

For older family members, Dove Cottage and the linked Wordsworth Museum are well worth a visit, but check winter hours. Entrance to Dove Cottage is on a timed, docent-led tour - when you go, you'll see why!

But remember, this is mid-winter in the Lakes. I wouldn't recommend even Helm Crag to inexperienced or non-walkers. Best to stay as day trippers to the more urban activities.

The path up Latrigg from the car park at the bottom of the Skiddaw path, on the road above Keswick is pram friendly - its a paved path - and gives fantastic views

The Ullswater Steamers have sailings except on Xmas day and Boxtng Day. Wonderful scenery. You can get off at Howtown for a short walk, bit of a potter, paddling etc and get back on the next boat.

Both ambleside and keswick have cinemas. Keswick shows films on christmas day.

Some of the boats on windemere will be running and there is an aquarium at lakeside.

Obviously if the weather is good there are loads of family friendly walks.

Sizergh castle has some sort of winter lights type of event, but it looks like you need to buy tickets in advance even if you’re NT members.

Brockhole has an excellent playground, it’s only about a five minute drive from Ambleside.

The walk to Grasmere is nice and you can get the bus back if people are tired - stop and get some Gingerbread while you’re there.

Keswick is worth a drive too - Hope Park has a nice little cafe and playground and there’s plenty there for children - great cafes and sweet shops.

The chocolate shop in Ambleside where you can watch them make things on-site is good and there’s a chocolate factory in Hawkshead as well if you fancy making your own.

Grizedale and Whinlatter are both fab for children but you do need to keep an eye on the roads and the weather.

If you’re feeling brave you could also drive to Silecroft or St Bees on the coast - both have fantastic, empty beaches and wonderful cafes though you would need to check the opening times first!

I’ve done the walk from grasmere to Ambleside and it’s suitable for a pram and I’ve walked round thirlmere water as it’s a very quiet roAs and really nice walk

The old railway line out of Keswick is ideal for prams - park at the leisure center and walk out and back along the river

Brockhole and The Lost Castle at Lowther Castle are great days out with kids, even teens, but check they are open at that time of year.
https://www.brockhole.co.uk/?utm_source=Google%20My%20Business&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=Google_mybusiness

https://lowthercastle.org/visiting/the-lost-castle/

Puzzling Place in Keswick if it’s wet (if🙄🤣, this is the Lakes!)
https://www.puzzlingplace.co.uk/

Good point - yes, I’ve hardly done any walking there in mid winter.

I’d also be finding nice pubs and booking tables for large groups of you as well, might be a good idea to have one or two booked in rather than taking chances at Christmas time if there are lots of you. (I don’t mean for actual Xmas day, just for other times).

If you do go up to Keswick, there’s Castlerigg Stone Circle which is a nice place for kids - it’s v near Latrigg and the Keswick to Threlkeld railway path.

https://www.keswick.org/what-to-do/walking-routes/keswick-to-threlkeld-railway-path

If it’s the “tipping it down with rain and all squelchy” kind of Christmas, rather than the “sparkling fresh outdoors with icicles and pretty frost” type, there’s a fun optical illusion museum/experience/activity in Keswick as well - my sister went with younger kids and they loved it. We went to a similar one with teens recently as well - likely good for most ages.

https://www.puzzlingplace.co.uk/

Aha snap!

I think lowther castle is open through the winter but they may close parts such as the playground in some weather conditions.

And Lowther (or is it Muncaster - I rarely go over that way) do birds of prey demonstrations.

I’d plan a couple of walks from your accommodation to get fresh air with a pub halfway round. The Drunken Duck is nice.

Further afield, the Wild Boar does a fantastic alternative afternoon tea.

We bought a book, Miles without Stiles, which is full of routes that are pushchair friendly.
https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/walking/mileswithoutstiles