The Best Things to Do in the Lake District with Kids

Cosy up in an eco-glamping pod and enjoy the best things to do in the Lake District with kids.

Why Visit the Lake District with Kids?

The Lake District National Park has long been a magnet for poets, painters, and hikers, thanks to the combination of illustrious literary history with craggy yet beautiful scenery. But neither of those things make it off limits for kids. 

If you’re travelling with the whole family, the trip can go one of two ways.

The first, my initial visit as a child of the 80s without the right waterproof gear, was (ahem) a washout. Learning from earlier mistakes, I returned this year with Baby Lab, a plan, and an industrial strength cagoule. Not only did we have an amazing time, but we even got to break out the sunscreen.

Of all the national parks in the UK, the Lakes are perhaps the best suited to kids, with the Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit connection at one end of the scale, and Zip World at the other.

You’ll find decent foodie stops to keep adults sane and little legs moving and now there are top quality accommodation options too. 

So, before you wander lonely as a cloud, let me share some of the best things to do in the Lake district with kids. And if you’re looking for other family-friendly getaways in the UK, don’t miss our guide to the best things to do in the Cotswolds with kids.

Disclosure: we received subsidised accommodation and activities at several places for review purposes. As ever, as always, we kept the right to write what we like. 

Your Map of the Lake District

Find a Google Maps List of the best things to do with kids in the Lake District here.

The Truth About Glamping in the Lake District

Glamping is the best option for families who want outdoor activities but with comfort built in. And possibly just the best option for life full stop. 

We stayed mainly in the new glamping pods at The Yan near Grasmere.

Installed in March 2025 on Broadrayne Farm, the two bespoke, fully insulated pods are heated for year-round stays. Inside you’ll find a warm, wood-clad lounge with a log-burning stove, a sofa-diner, a Smart LED TV, and a kitchenette equipped with an oven, induction hob, fridge, toaster and full cookware. 

It’s gorgeously snug and cosy.

Facilities

The bedroom offers a double bed and under-bed storage (though it took as a while to find it!), while the ensuite bathroom features a rain-head shower, heated towel rail, and eco-friendly heating via biomass boiler. 

Outside, a sheltered private terrace invites you to sit back and take in sweeping views towards Helm Crag and Steel Fell. The pods sleep two adults, with space for one child (aged six or older) on a sofa-bed (no younger children or babies allowed), and come with Wi-Fi, USB sockets, Bluetooth radio, Pure Lakes toiletries, and the charm of occasional visits from local sheep or chickens. 

For dining, the on-site bistro can deliver your meals right to the pod, or you can glam up and head to the restaurant.

Walking routes start straight from your doorstep, although each pod has a dedicated parking space (so no need to haul luggage through fields of mud.) There’s also a dry room for recovering from any downpours, and a standout restaurant if you can’t be bothered to cook.

As a bonus, The Yan is also a proud member of the Green Tourism Scheme, with eco credentials throughout.

Top tip: if the view is particularly important, make sure to book the Seat Sandal, which offers the best views.

Windermere Lake Cruises & Boat Trips

No visit to the Lake District is complete without, well, heading onto a lake and, as England’s largest lake, Lake Windermere is the obvious place to start. 

Windermere Lake Cruises run a series of cruises along the lake, in between the islands and to the popular spots of Bowness, Wray Castle and Ambleside. You can easily spend the whole morning, if not the whole day, nipping from one cruise to another, so if you’re looking for flexibility, I’d recommend the Freedom of the Lake pass. 

Cruises have sheltered areas, which is handy if it does rain, as well as a toilet, so it’s fine for young children as well as older ones. The commentary fills you in on the local history and some fun facts and it’s a lovely way to get your bearings if it’s your first time in the park. 

The stops are popular, though, and parking is the one recurring frustration of peak season in the Lake District (aka school holidays.) I’d recommend parking at the Ambleside Waterhead pier and taking the boat ride from there to Bowness rather than the other way around. 

Prefer beaches to lakes? Don’t miss our guide to the best beaches in Salcombe, Devon.

Top tip: combine boat trips with a lovely walk to Fell Foot, an ideal place for an outdoor play area, a picnic, and even boat hire if you fancy something more active.

Grasmere Gingerbread

You know how almost every quaint place in England has a sweet claim to fame? Well, Sarah Nelson’s Grasmere Gingerbread is to Devon jam and scones what The Oscars are to the local school play. 

Sarah Nelson set up shop in 1854, around the time the railways reached the Lakes along with a tourism boom. Somewhere between cake and biscuit, this crumbly yet spicy gingerbread has a closely guarded secret recipe and the business is still family owned. 

People queue, in the pouring rain, for over an hour to get a slice – and the queue stretches into a cemetery, that’s how dedicated the customers are. 

Nothing could possibly be worth that, I thought. 

Until I had a bite.

Today, you won’t only find gingerbread but also fudge, strawberry and ginger conserve, chocolate and rum butter. But be warned. You can’t just drive by and expect to pick up a batch. The only way is to join the fans and wait your turn.

Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top House

Peter Rabbit’s image is everywhere in the south lakes. But there’s only one place that he can truly call home. 

Set in the quiet village of Near Sawrey, Hill Top House is an idyllic 17th-century farmhouse with an even more perfect garden with vegetable patch. Lovingly preserved by the National Trust, the place is a time capsule of Beatrix Potter’s creative world. Astonishingly, the author never actually lived here, but used the house as her refuge and writing studio, lovingly preserved by the National Trust. 

Visiting Hill Top feels almost magical: the rooms are arranged as if Potter has just stepped out for a walk – and the garden is much the same. 

How different can vegetable patches be, you might wonder? Well, somehow they do look familiar. Is that the rhubarb patch where Jemima Puddle-Duck laid her egg? Or the garden paths where Tom Kitten and his sisters once played?

The house itself is part conservation, part museum, with multimedia exhibits among the family heirlooms and furnishings.   

And I know it’s sacrilege to say so, but the gift shop is one of the best. Stock up on Christmas presents and entertain little ones on the road with gorgeous portable paint sets, books and toys set in the world of Beatrix Potter.

Top tip: you need to book online in advance for a timed slot, otherwise you will be turned away. 

Wordsworth Grasmere: Dove Cottage & Museum

Let’s be completely honest. This one is more for the adults, or perhaps teens, but it still offers fun family activities. 

Dove Cottage, once home to William Wordsworth, he of the “lonely cloud” fame, offers yet another time capsule in the Lakes. And, yes, I know that’s not “cool” travel writing to phrase it that way but as you step into the gloom and your eyes adjust…You see the very dark wooden table where Dorothy and William Wordsworth wrote and hear their words amid the low ceilings and muted fabrics.

Through the windows, you can see the soul inspiring scenery and it isn’t too fanciful to imagine that one of them will return, in any given moment. 

Quiet as it is when you visit, though, it wasn’t quite like that when they lived there. 

“No one who has not been an Inmate with Children in a Cottage can have a notion of the quietness that takes possession of it when they are gone to sleep.” Well quite, Dorothy Wordsworth.

And, sooner or later, your visit will be interrupted by a thoroughly more modern sound: the swish of a waterproof or the ping of a WhatsApp. Still, the magic is there. 

Across at the modern museum section, it’s all change. The exhibits detail poetry with multimedia pizzazz and activities for children range from fancy dress to art to minecraft. 

You’ll find traditional museum fare like manuscripts, letters, intimate mementos, and carefully curated displays that chart the poet’s relationships, inspirations, and daily life. But also a new artist in residence project. When we were there, visitors were invited to contribute a memory while the artist worked around us.

Top tip: arrive at lunchtime to make the most of the hearty fare in the cafe. 

Zip World (Yes, Really)

I’ll admit it. I didn’t think that Zip World was really going to be my thing. More at home in poetry museums these days, not since the early days of this blog, some (ahem) seventeen years ago, did I clip myself to wire and hope for luck. 

Well, I loved it. 

Yes, it rained. Yes, it was a challenge. Slippery and wet and high and undignified. And totally, amazingly, utterly fun. 

Children must be seven or older for the Full Trek, so Baby Lab at eight only just made the cut. But it took about zero point three seconds up in the foliage before she (literally) zipped ahead and began calling out encouraging/patronising comments for me to keep up. 

The Full Trek takes around two hours to complete and, despite the name, doesn’t include many zip wires. Instead, it’s a balance and coordination game across tightrope wires, swinging logs, skateboards in the air and netting. You set off in quite a large group but the group naturally separates and we never felt rushed – nor abandoned. You complete a “training circuit” first at around one storey high and then head up to sixty feet above the ground. 

“Most people who turn back,” said one of the guides, “turn back on the first tightrope. After that, people are fine.”

For younger kids, you can just complete the lower route or head to the Treetop Nets, which is a kind of soft play suspended in the trees. 

For those who love it, be prepared. At the end, you can repeat, at a cost, the longest zip line again, and again, and again…Hard on the wallet; great for the soul.

Top tip: book in advance. It’s one of the best places for family fun but it does fill up fast. 

Road Trip, Baby

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure about this one. I desperately wanted to see more of the Lakes but the weather was questionable for hiking and we didn’t have much time. 

So, I loaded up Baby Lab into the car with an audio book and set out for a drive. We covered some of the best road trip loops: starting in Grasmere and travelling through Keswick, Braithwaite and on to Buttermere. Back over the peaks around the Honister Slate Mine and along the Derwentwater Lake back to Keswick.. 

It was stunning. 

The landscape, the sense of adventure. Some roads narrowed so we had to reverse, others felt like a private rollercoaster, surrounded by sheep and Fells, sunshine, heather and natural poetry. 

When she looked up, she was amazed. The rest of the time, she was happy with her audiobook (as was I – does the joy of the Famous Five/childhood stories ever truly fade?)

We managed a short hike in a few places, along signposted walking routes, before the rain closed in. 

But overall, I’d highly recommend it if you want to cover large areas without driving everyone crazy. 

Top tip: use the National Trust app to find car parks in beautiful spots and well signposted hikes. 

Sizergh Castle & Gardens

Sizergh is a historic house on the edge of the Lake District National Park, cared for by the National Trust. It’s a great place for families, with a play trail that takes children through woodlands and wild gardens. And (shh) another lovely gift shop and cafe.

The castle itself reveals the area’s history with interactive experiences and full details in the visitor centre. It’s a fascinating look at the evil machinations of monarchs and noblemen and the changing fate of fortune over time.

More Options for Exploring the Lake District with Kids

We couldn’t do it all on one visit, no matter how much we tried. Here are the notes I made based on recommendations from people in the know. I’m adding them to my list for next time. 

• Keswick Museum: interactive displays on local life.
• Pencil Museum: discover the world of pencils in a quirky, child-friendly setting.
• Rheged Centre: with a kids’ zone, cinema, and climbing wall.
• Lakes Aquarium: by the steam train at Haverthwaite, combining animal attractions and interactive experiences.
• Keswick’s independent shops: a good option to explore on rainy days, finding local food and crafts.
• Allan Bank: another National Trust property in Grasmere, offers a family-friendly visitor centre and nature trail with lots of places to stop.
• Eskdale Railway: The Eskdale Railway, or La’al Ratty, takes families on a great walk through valleys and hills, with different stops for picnics and short walks. Combine a train ride with Derwent Water boat trips or water sports for a full family day.
• Grizedale Forest: huge swathes of woodland to explore complete with sculpture trails, dedicated mountain biking trails and a Go Ape on site.
• White Cross Bay: a holiday park on the edge of Lake Windermere.

Recommended Child-Friendly Walks

Favourites include:

• Catbells: a great day out and accessible walk.
• Aira Force: a lovely walk with waterfalls.
• Derwent Water: perfect place for a boat hire or boat cruise.
• Red squirrel trail at Grizedale: good option for a short walk with kids.

Where to Stay with Kids

We’ve discussed glamping at length higher up, but if you’d rather somewhere substantial and you’re coming from the south, then we stayed at this gorgeous, cosy, traditional and friendly spot:

The Punch Bowl Inn, Crosthwaite

An historic inn, now stylishly restored, with excellent food and plenty of character, The Punch Bowl Inn is a good option if you want comfort and easy access to Lake District attractions from the south.

I was surprised to learn it was “only” built in 1829, since it oozes with character and it’s entirely believable that it’s even older than that. However, such “modernity” makes it very comfortable. No uneven floors or stooping so that you don’t bang your head.

The inn offers nine boutique bedrooms, each individually styled with luxurious linens, thoughtful extras, and attention to detail (some even have twin baths or roll-top tubs). In the evenings, you can relax in the rustic bar with open fires or dine in the award-winning restaurant, where locally sourced, seasonal dishes are cooked with care. Outside, a sunny terrace offers views down the valley and is perfect for lingering over drinks or dessert. Or playing “net ball” with a shrimp net and small doll. Depending on preferences of you and your kids…

Practical Tips

• Car park availability: this was the Achilles heel of the trip. Be prepared to pay often and pay a lot. Take non car options wherever possible just to avoid the hassle. That said, most National Trust properties (with the notable exception of Hill Top House have space. Enjoy it!)
• Food: lots of places have cafés or a gift shop with snacks. Independent shops stock local produce. Parking will be what trips you up!
• Weather: pack for four seasons in one day and give up on the idea of waiting for it to be sunny to go out. Embrace the elements and don’t let a wet day slow you down!
• Pacing: you need to book a timed entrance at peak season for Zip World, Hill Top House (Beatrix Potter) and possibly the Lake Cruises and Dove Cottage. Be ready to queue for Grasmere Gingerbread.
• Footwear: sturdy, waterproof hiking boots are ideal, even if the wildest place you plan to visit is Peter Rabbit’s Garden. Keep your feet dry and comfortable and the rest will fall into place.

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