Meet pike, piranhas, otters and frogs at the Lakes Aquarium in Ulverston. Discover a Viking boat plus Ancient Egyptian and Roman artefacts at Kendal Museum. Then stay in town to keep the culture coming at The Brewery Arts Centre, with its two cinemas, drama studio, galleries, theatre and restaurant.
Have a go at ropes and bouldering at Kendal Climbing Wall. Do the real thing with Bob at Lake District Climbing in the birthplace of British climbing, where the Victorians trained for the Alpine summits. Or Go Ape in Grizedale Forest for treetop challenges and zip-wiring complete with mountain backdrop.
See the longest show cave in Britain at White Scar, with its underground streams, waterfalls and massive ice-age cavern. Come up for air in the café and exit through the gift shop. Meet lynx, lemurs, red pandas and rhino at South Lakes Safari Zoo. Or board the Haverthwaite Railway to Windermere, then continue your journey on a steamer.
Head to Lakeland Maze Farm Park to jump on the trampolines, race the go-karts, take a tractor ride, lose yourself in the straw-bale maze and say hi to the lambs, pigs and goats. Get crafty with paint and pottery at Pandemonium Pots. Take the four-mile Ingleton waterfalls trail. Or discover Forbidden Corner, ‘the strangest place in the world’.
You can walk right from the door. To the north are the Orton Fells, Dentdale to the south is slightly more forgiving, Grisedale to the east offers fellside remoteness, while the spectacular mountains of the Lakes sit to the west. To reach Cautley Spout, England’s highest waterfall, follow the path from The Cross Keys pub.
Ride horses across the Cumbrian fells from Stonetrail Trekking at Ravenstonedale. Shoot for the pins at Sedbergh Golf Course, one of northern England’s most scenic and tranquil. Take a three-hour ghyll-scrambling trip with Alfresco Adventures. Or challenge yourself to canoe the Clough, Rawthey or Lune with ComeKayaking.
Stay on site for archery and team-building exercises. Wild-swim at Uldale Force. Or bring your bikes and Lycra to tackle the amazing descents and steep climbs of the Buttertubs Pass or part (or all) of the 196-mile Lakes and Dales Loop. Or spatter your pals at Blencow Paintball.
Pop into Sedbergh to find a place that reinvented itself as England’s book town, with six second-hand bookshops among its inviting ginnels and alleyways. You’ll enjoy more interesting independents in Ambleside and Bowness. Or find a beautiful medieval house with a rich estate at Sizergh Castle or the starkly impressive Brough Castle.
