Centreparcs Whinfell Forest

[SecondhandTable]

If you've been before, would appreciate any recommendations for activities on site, places to eat (we are a mixture of veggies and pescetarians) etc as well as whether there is anything local off site that would be worth a visit? There will be 4 adults plus my DD who will have just turned 3. Thanks

We went, was years ago though.

Was lovely, we stayed in the more pricey accommodation and I was surprised one of the toilets really smelled of old wee!! - take bleach to clean!

Shop on site was good and not that expensive considering.

Takeaway pizza was also reasonably priced and very nice.

Burger restaurant like American restaurant we went to was nice, very pricey and one of us got food poisoning - it was a few years ago though.

Eating out very expensive for what you get.

There was a nursery type thing that offered 30 minute activities for small kids. We did a few, they Chef one was nothing to do with food, was painting a coaster! I thought all the activities we did in there were a rip off and wouldn’t do again.

I would go again though, lovely feel to the place, very relaxing

Off site we visited Askham Hall had some lovely vegetarian pizzas outdoors in the gardens and also Lowther Hall for a morning which had a great play park for our toddler. Also stopped at a jersey cow ice cream place which was somewhere close by (blessed with good weather last year). We went a bit further afield to Grasmere too. The other couple of days were swimming and walks on site (and the play parks). We took a lot of our own food so can’t comment on the restaurant options on site

We booked DS into mucky pups which was really well organised and also the crèche for a few hours whilst DH and I enjoyed the Aqua Sauna - both are brilliant and worth doing together as it saves a bit of money.
We went swimming most days, very well catered for families as would expect lots of changing rooms with underfloor heating and great toddlers only area with water fountains and two little chutes.
We stumbled across a play area inside the Sports Plaza. You could access it for 2 hours for £4.25, which we paid. That said, nobody was policing entry or checking receipts/tickets. And actually, you could very easily miss the sign that said it was a paid activity, so I wouldn’t be surprised if people were just using it freely. It was basically an indoor sports court converted for use as a tots play zone with soft play bricks, building bricks, tunnels, little bikes and basketball hoops. Our DS loved this. We spent an hour or so here while he built giant towers and repeatedly knocked them.
One of DS’s favourite things of our whole holiday was sitting on the little lakeside beach area and building sandcastles. We bought a bucket and spade from the little shop there (about £3.60 or so) and got hours of entertainment out of it. The little beaches are small so I imagine it would only take a few people to be on them before they feel crowded.
The soft play in the Sports Café was great, a really good size. Often we were the only parents supervising though and the toddler play areas had the ‘big boys’ running around. Most were kind to our boys but not all, so I wouldn’t have just let them go off by themselves!
There’s a big playground next to the Village Centre but it’s aimed more at older children. The playground outside the Sports Café end of the Sports Arena was much better for our boys. The parks only have one entrance which makes the keeping your eye on more than one of them easier.

Ah, unfortunately the website says they have no plans to open soft play areas which is a shame as my DD loves soft play. Especially as we are going when soft play is legally allowed to be open!

Does the swimming pool have any pool toys like noodles/balls or anything for the little ones? Is Mucky Pups like a messy play session?

I'd love to do a massage treatment at the spa but am pregnant so not sure there will be any suitable ones.

Lowther Hall and the jersey farm ice cream place look like they'd be enjoyable with DD.

I have been many times and have booked again for this year. My kids are older teens so can't advise too much on activities for little ones. Eating out is pretty expensive so we tend to eat out at lunch and take pizzas/ready meals for night time which keeps the cost down. The take away delivery service is very good though so usually do that at least once. You need to take your own toys for the pools but they should have those swimming jackets with floats in - but check they are still available in COVID times. Also advisable is to take a laptop and HMDI cable - then you can hook it up to the tv for Netflix etc at night. The photo shoot thing is good for a rainy day and good value. I always advise people not to hire bikes. Take a pushchair for little ones and walk everywhere instead. Less hassle and arguments and no carrying helmets everywhere. I don't leave the site personally as I hate driving and love the break from cars! Enjoy

Gosh booking was a frenzy! I logged in about 1hr after it opened and struggled to get booked up for stuff which was bit disappointing. Can't believe everyone else could have booked on that quickly in the middle of a working day and thank God I didn't leave it until the evening as I'd originally planned to. There were no morning swim slots at all so we've had to book for 4.15pm, hopefully DD won't be too tired then as not expecting her to nap whilst we are away. I also couldn't really book her on to anything except a pony ride and the pottery painting session as everything else was fully booked! We have also booked a horse and carriage ride although we will have to fight over who does it as it only sits 4 and the 9 hole golf course. Other than that, am hoping the weather will be nice and we can spend a lot of time outside at playground/forest/fake beach with DD fingers crossed.

Tempted to book the scalp massage too if there's any availability but does this leave your hair all greasy after?

I would keep trying. Last year there seemed to be nothing available but slots came up later. I think people put them in their basket, they get reserved and then released. Also they may assign more staff onto activities as they get booked up. I had the same problem booking the actual lodge. I just kept trying and eventually there was availability. Good luck!

Hello, me again! Can anyone recommend anywhere nice for a drink and preferably dessert on a weekend evening in Penrith or somewhere nearby? One of the other adults has offered to babysit whilst our toddler is asleep one evening so we can go out for a couple of hours but as I'm pregnant I won't be drinking so was thinking an evening dessert parlour would be a nice idea if there is anywhere local?