AIBU to plan a day trip to the Lake District? Help!

[Heyhihobye]

Hiya Mumsnet, I am so confused and worried about sounding a bit thick, really.

I want to take my children (1, 6, 9) to the Lake District next week. I was thinking a full day trip - early morning to evening time.

I am basically clueless (trying to research online) and actually have no idea where to begin.

Is a day trip worthwhile and possible?
What do people actually do there?
What are your tips and recommendations?
How can I make the most of it?

Please help me out so I can create an itinerary and give the kids a nice memorable trip!

Thanks Mumsnet x

Another shout out for Tarns How. Its special. We go for the day regularly to the lakes from Morecambe. Personally I dont like it around Ambleside or Windermere, its crowded and quite sterile. My kids do much better with less, so no parks or museums, or shops. They get that living in a town.
I make a nice picnic the day before and lots of snacks. The older ones can carry a bag, or hang it off the buggy. Apart from petrol and parking I spend nothing else.
We go to somewhere like Tarn Hows and go on "an adventure". We climb trees, skim stones, paddle, look out for squirrels and birds.
I find they almost never argue. Whereas if we go to the museum or shops, they do and continuously ask for stuff they don't need. Also you then don't need to worry about timings for boats etc.
Hope you have fun!

Not really the Lakes but we visited it when we were on holiday in the Lakes. It’s actually nearby in the Dales but was brilliant for the kids (and me). Such a great day out.
https://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/

Keep it simple with kids that age. Book the world of Beatrix Potter attraction and maybe a boat ride (all in Bowness)

It's a popular pub quiz question "How many lakes are there in the Lake District?" With the answer being one, as the rest are meres or waters.

I think that’s what I said?! 😂

Yeah I know, I was just emphasising it for the other poster 😂 Maybe I should have quoted them x

There wasn’t a cafe at Tarn Howes last time I went, which was only last year. Just a van man selling ice creams.
Id go to Keswick and park by the lake and have a walk from there on the good paths and then a boat ride and the. Walk into Keswick for a look round.
Or Ambleside if that is easier to get to from where you are starting from.
Newby Bridge/ Haverthwaite is where the steam trains go from, and then a boat ride to Bowness and back.

I live about 8 miles from Keswick .

Come to Keswick park at the Rugby club ( its cheaper for the day ) walk down to Hope Park , it's very pretty and the moment . Your older 2 might like pitch & putt but maybe too young . Have an ice cream at the kiosk .
Walk down to the Lake , feed the ducks ( you can buy duck food ) there are also boat trips around the Lake .
Walk back up to Theatre by the Lake and opposite there you will see a metal gate and a path that run alongside the lake ( this will take you back to near where your car is )

Walk to Booths supermarket to have lunch in the cafe .

If you are in Keswick on a Saturday there is a market , you could have a look around there .

Keswick also has a few attractions to do (look up to see the ones best suited for your kids )

Take a drive to the Borrowdale Valley , there is Great Wood ( national trust car park ) or other car parks by the Lake you kids could have a play beside the Lake ,

Drive back to Keswick where there are several chip shops that also do sit in as well as takeaway .

Drive home .

Ah, see I am completely clueless! I will be driving to LD from Manchester. I hope this helps and thank you for all the tips so far, just reading through them! X

If you are coming from Manchester then Windermere is probably your destination, it really does depend on what you want from your visit. Windermere obviously has a number of boat trips either along or to various points, it also has a decent range of shops including a couple of Beatrix Potter ones. It’s also within an easy enough drive to Grasmere which personally I prefer. Ullswater, however would be close to an hours drive from Windermere. Be aware, parking , especially in summer can be a nightmare

The Lake District, particularly Windermere, is more like a 1½ hours drive from Manchester, but it's a regular day trip from there. The Beatrix Potter Museum in Bowness may interest your children

Going to the Lake District from Manchester is a similar sort of scale of outing as going to the Cotswolds from London. It's feasible as a daytrip but most people wouldn't. With the ages your children are they won't get any more enjoyment out of being in the Lake District than they would in a green area closer to home, and you will find it stressful and exhausting to manage the day with driving both ways on the same day. It would be worth going if you can pay for 2 nights accommodation somewhere and can have a whole day in the middle without a long car journey to contend with

Yeah it’s going to be lovely weather for the first half of the week (so far anyway!).

We plan to Bowness> boat> Hawkshead > walk to Tarn Hows. Usually people swimming in it when we go.

We are a lot closer than Manchester though and it’s nearly 2 hours drive for us. I would be surprised if you get there in 55 mins - maybe the bare edges of Cumbria at Carnforth

A mere is a lake. Christ.

Haven't read the full thread, but we took our nephew and niece on separate occasions.
We did Windermere and Ambleside (they have a crystal shop called The Rock Shop, which kids love!) There's a cafe by the lake too, with a play area. It's a beautiful day out all round! And 55 mins away, you can see a lot in a day!

The point if the Lake District is the lakes and the fells and IMO if you have one day you might as well make the best of that, rather than spend time in the small towns and limited ‘attractions’ , which will in any case be rammed at half term.

I would personally avoid Bowness (Windermere) and Ambleside where parking and traffic will be a nightmare.

The scenery in the Northern fells is far more dramatic than around Windermere, anyway.

The Ullswater Steamer is a good trip up and down Ullswater, and you can get off half way at Howtown for a picnic, splash in the beck to make it more of an adventure. Glenridding has overflow car park at busy times but still get there early. The views as the Steamer travels south are spectacular and it is a very beautiful lake.

You could couple this with a walk to Aira Force waterfalls as suggested by a Pp. There is a NT car park at Aira Force. But you would need to have the I yo in a sling or rucksack carrier.

Lighten up. As PP said, it's a fun little fact.

Bowness and Windermere are as dead as the Romans at the moment, you can park with ease, but I'm sure that will change with better weather & half term

I agree with this. I think it's a shame that nearly everyone is recommending visiting towns, spending money in shops, paying for multiple attractions...the best thing about the Lake District and what makes it a unique experience is its natural beauty and the opportunities it provides to experience all that. There are plenty of ways the OP and her kids can get into the hills and away from the crowds - there are many really accessible open spaces where you don't need to climb mountains or have map reading skills. I don't really see the point in driving there for the day just to hang around in a busy town.

Perfectly feasible to go to the Lakes for the day from Manchester. I live in the Lakes and often go to Manchester for the day. DH is going to Manchester for an evening out on Friday.

I'd focus on the south lakes around Windermere/Ambleside but the roads will be heaving during half term. You could go to Windermere by train and get an open top bus to see the area.

If driving from Manchester then definitely Windermere. Brockhole has parking and an adventure playground, and you can get a boat to Bowness.

You could aim for the South lakes to avoid the worst of the traffic.

You could park up at the Haverthwaite railway station and get a steam train to the Lakes Aquarium, and then get the foot ferry over the southern tip of Windermere to Fell Foot park.

This means you’re only driving )and looking for a parking space) at the beginning and the end of the day. It’s still absolutely beautiful down there.

If you want easy walks with a pram, look up Miles Without Stiles for accessible routes. The car parks and main attractions and towns will be rammed as PP have said , but get there nice and early and you can have a walk and probably chips and an ice cream somewhere. Boat trips on Windermere are a good shout. Just be prepared for how busy it's going to be at half term, especially if it's half decent weather (ie not bucketing it down)

Park at Haverthwaite, get off at Lakeside and catch a ferry to Bo'ness, walk around Bowness then return trip. Could pop into fellfoot park also if weather is nice.

I think Tarn Hows is the best suggestion on this thread. What’s the point of leaving Manchester to go to parks and a museum? You can get that back home. But a visit to the Tarn which feels wild yet accessible could be something magical for young kids. My son used to run for hours through our local woods waving his wooden sword and making up adventures. Do it!