Roisin, Anteater or anyone else who knows The Lakes..

[Gobbledigook]

..will be up in The Lakes next week while it's half term. Just wondering if you can recommend any things to do with my boys - aged 4, 2.5 and 8 months.

We usually do the Haverthwaite railway and a boat trip on Windemere but just wondering if there is anything else you can recommend. They are not really old enough yet for hill walking!

Are you Southern Lakes GDG?
I think Ratty and Muncaster Castle are just about the best day out for small people anywhere in the Lakes.
If you are central/able to travel to the Northern Lakes then the launches on Derwentwater are refreshingly low-tech (varnished wood and diesel, but oh the views) and a lot of the paths along the western shore are buggy-manageable, especially if you have an ATP.
Mirehouse on Bass Lake is also such a pretty, welcoming and manageable country house and garden. Your eldest will like the adventure playground in the grounds...

Brilliant Marina - thanks! Yes, JoolsToo lives in South Lakes and I'll be staying there. I remember actually thinking Muncaster looked nice but it was winter last time I looked at it and I think it was closed.

Deffo Muncaster, to quote RTKM
Enjoy. We're not managing a trip this half-term

I think Jools is going to find us up there most hols! So convenient as it's only an hour and a half drive away from me and I'd crazy on my own with all 3 of them!

Will def try to do Muncaster next week then!

Do you go on holiday there a lot?

Fell Foot (NT place at the bottom of Windermere) is quite pleasant for a run around.

People rave about Holker Hall, though I've never actually been, so can't comment.

The zoo near us is fun, and quite compact so doesn't require too much walking. South Lakes Wild Animal Park

There are lots of car parks (if you go early enough) round Coniston with easy access to the Lake. It's lovely just to go and sit and watch the boats on a nice day, or skim stones. If you go up the East side (not the main road, the other one) the birds are really tame. If you take some nuts and wildbird feed they will come very close.

If it's wet there's a nice swimming pool at Barrow. The Dock Museum is worth a visit - though possibly not of much interest to your little ones. There's a big playground there, but it's a bit far to come just for a playground!

I'll leave the Northern Lakes to Anteater!

HTH - If you want any more suggestions, or something specific, just shout!

Great thanks! Actually Fell Foot is really near JT and I'm a NT member so that's a good one! Has it got a playground?

not to self - 'batten down the hatches!'

PMSL!!!

We took DD to the South Lakes Wild Animal Park, she loved it.

There are open enclosures (IYSWIM) where you can walk through and get close to lemurs and other small and fluffies. The tigers and rhinos are safely out of bounds though.
Little steam train ride was a big hit, as was 'petting a python' - a talk from one of the keepers about various creatures along with opportunity for a fondle. (creature not keeper....)

Oooh, I'm not sure about open enclosures!! Bit scared of animals!! Ha ha!

Other stuff she enjoyed:

row boat on Derwentwater
cruise on Derwentwater
Walk round Derwentwater (we managed to take a buggy the whole way round, although some bits were muddy)
Pencil Museum in Keswick
A trip round Lakeland shop (OK, she didn't enjoy it so much, but I loved it!)

Oh, and get to the tiger enclosures at feeding time - they put huge slabs of meat on top of poles, in trees and hanging from ropes - amazing to see them climb, jump and pounce on the meat!

Ooh, like the sound of the Tigers!

Pencil museum!?!?!?

GDG, my parents currently live in Carlisle and used to be in Cockermouth, so yes, we do go up as much as poss. It is quite a haul from London but so nice once we are there

Ooh, yes, a trek from London!

I'm in Manchester so it's really easy - 1.5 hrs up the M6.

I have never seen the words "M6" and "easy" in a sentence before
Because we are east of London we tractor-dodge all the way up the A1 then over the Pennines at Scotch Corner. Love that A66

Anteater lives off the A66 or is it the A6? dunno now but its beautiful

Crumbs, not on top of Bowes Moor I hope. Very bracing up there...

No playground at Fellfoot, but a nice cafe, and you can hire row boats ... and I can't remember what else offhand!

Oh yes, you can borrow a 'rucksack' with activities in it - some of which would be suitable for your eldest - doing tree rubbings, looking for birds, etc.

its not raining today!

well done anteater on finding the previous thread.

pencil museum