Overnight stop somewhere between South East and Loch Lomond

[maria543]

We are going to Scotland (Loch Lomond area) for a week in the summer, but live down in Hampshire. We're driving to Scotland. We wanted to make an overnight stop halfway, somewhere nice, and interesting, with something for a seven year old to do - maybe a hotel with a pool, or somewhere with a farm nearby, or anything really that might be fun/nice.

Have been staring at the map on and off for days, but have no real idea. Has anyone got any recommendations?

Thank you!

Oh, I think by looking at the map that we'll be going up the M6.

i don't know any specific places but I know we are fed up of driving by Blackpool cut offs, maybe a bit before. Yet the drive from Manchester onwards is an east 3 hours or so for the next day.

Thanks Angelina. What are/is Blackpool cut offs? Do you mean that Blackpool would be a good place to stop?

Chester? just off M6 and by my google mapping just short of half way driving time. I suggest this as we drove in opposite direction Glasgow to south wales and stopped there at a nice cheap central Premier Inn. no pool but we did plenty of things like walk round the old walls, shops, roman amphitheatre and the museum which is quite hands on for kids. You could also do river boat trip. Its nice and compact so easy to get round in a day. There are other hotels surrounding Chester with pools and you could do a trip to Chester Zoo if you want to drive a bit more.

Chester is good. You could go a bit further to Kendal (4.5 hours from Winchester, hants) and go over to lake Windermere in the morning. You are just three hours from loch lomond at that point. The lake district is beautiful. You might get a hotel near Windermere for a good price but it's often cheaper to stay just outside the national park and drive in.

This is a nice hotel in Windermere. It's the hotel for the blind and it's very nice. We were in a very spacious annexe.

We stayed July a couple of years ago and paid £70 for 1 night. It has a pool .

I never saw anyone visually impaired there during our stay.

I rang and we negotiated a price

www.travelrepublic.co.uk/v2/hotels/united-kingdom/cumbria/windermere/windermere-manor-hotel.html?oid=1620460&mkid=46654376&aid=1&dev=t&gclid=CjwKEAjwq-OsBRDd95aryprR9wQSJACQnU3Gy2iJ3QUdjAGxfbrJfFHNZe_o1hCHAzkDfFvqABk-BhoCmOrw_wcB

I mean motorway cut offs btw. Don't know Blackpool itself.

York
Morecombe
Lake district
Blackpool has something for everyone

Thank you everyone. I will look at all your suggestions!

Centre Parks, Penrith?

We always stay overnight in Penrith. My family has done that for three generations now every summer. There's a spa hotel (Northern Lakes Hotel and Spa) which is not a bad deal and very highly rated with family rooms although we stay somewhere different, out of loyalty and habit. The town is interesting because of its history and has a modest castle with a moat which is good for little ones to run up and down into, also Ullswater and its steamer is only minutes away. Penrith also boasts probably the best toffee and fudge shop in the world. A new attraction is the Thai Food Café whose food is fab.

Was going to suggest Stafford as just of M6 and there is monkey forest which is free-range monkeys in a fenced of forest. It's part of the trentham estate which has nice gardens, kids play area, some outlet shops and a garden centre.
Or lakes is a good call too. South lakes zoo is fab.