Fish, ride, walk or just clink glasses
Walk the woodlands and fells, ride ponies or horses, clink glasses on a lake cruise, fish the gushing rivers. Take a picnic to Aira Force waterfall and hike up to Gowbarrow Fell. This is nature’s overspill. Break the hush and change the pace on quadbikes or speedboats. Potter the shops in Keswick, Grasmere or Penrith and gobble up the gorgeous gingerbread.
In the Lakes
The Eden Valley offers a wealth of walking, notably to Lacey’s Caves along the Eden River, or to the second-largest stone circle in England, Long Meg and Her Daughters.
Just over a mile away is Kirkoswald, with its village shop and two pubs. If the walk’s a stretch, we’ve got bikes and helmets to get you there in a flash. In The Long House, you’re just a few miles from Ullswater, where you can cruise the lake by steamer and stop off for hikes up Helvellyn.
You can splash about at Aira Force waterfall and press on up to the top of the fell for rewarding views of Ullswater, trek ponies from Rookin House Farm, and hire canoes and sailboats from the Glenridding Sailing Centre. A great way to cap off your Lakeland day is some award-winning cuisine on the Ullswater shoreline at the Sharrow Bay Hotel.
If the clouds part, keep dry on a drive around the Lakeland drama. The Kirkstone Pass takes the high and mighty route from Patterdale to Ambleside, while the Honister Pass takes in Derwentwater, Crummock Water and Loweswater. Go underground at the Honister Slate Mines with its exciting zip line. Take the car along the West side of Ullswater for a picnic by Aira Force waterfall.
Kids in the Lakes
The Eden Valley is bursting with entertainment for kids. Get them off their video games and out into the wide blue yonder. Start with a steamer around Ullswater with its kids’ club, child-friendly maps and range of activities.
Kids will go potty for the pottery at Crafty Monkeys in Penrith. Time flies when they’re getting creative with pottery wheels, pottery painting, glass painting, mosaic making and plant-pot painting.
They can Go Ape! at Whinlatter trekking in the trees, or get down to the Glenridding Activity Centre for pirate events, rafting, Swallows and Amazons, sailing and picnics.
The Lakes are a perfect place to try pony trekking, boating or biking. You can take a lovely pony trek over Barton Fell above Ullswater. Hire some bikes and head for the hills. Build dams and wet your wellies in Lakeland becks, go on a ghost walk, or just potter and explore the Eden Valley.
