Tarn Hows
A tree-ringed tarn in the fells above Coniston with an easy, accessible path all the way round, just under two miles. About as easy as a proper Lake District view gets for small legs and pushchairs.
Days out with the kids in Coniston
3 places in Coniston, Cumbria, 1 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
3 in Coniston1 free1 indoor
Coniston has three things to do with children and they cover most weathers. The Ruskin Museum is the wet hour, built round Donald Campbell's Bluebird K7, with copper mines and Swallows and Amazons filling the rest, at £30 for a family and free for under fives. The Coniston Launch runs heated boats round the lake all year, hop on and hop off, past Wild Cat Island.
Tarn Hows is the walk, a couple of miles up the road towards Hawkshead: an easy path just under two miles round a tarn, fine with a pushchair, with National Trust parking from £7 for non-members. The car park is small, so get there early in the holidays.
Places in Coniston
The Ruskin Museum
Coniston's village museum, home to Donald Campbell's restored Bluebird K7 hydroplane alongside copper mines, Swallows and Amazons and John Ruskin. A rainy-day hour built round one properly jaw-dropping exhibit.
Coniston Launch
Heated launches that run round Coniston Water all year, hop-on hop-off, past Wild Cat Island from Swallows and Amazons and Bluebird's old base. Quieter than Windermere, with Brantwood as an optional stop.
Also worth the drive
Not in Coniston, but close enough for a day out.
Windermere Lake Cruises
England's biggest lake from the deck of a proper boat, with red, yellow and green routes so you can pick a 45-minute hop or a full lake cruise. Combo tickets pair it with the aquarium or the steam railway.
Brockhole on Windermere
The national park's visitor centre with treetop nets, archery, mini golf, boat hire and a big adventure playground running down to the lake shore. Free to wander; the activities are pay-as-you-go.
The World of Beatrix Potter
Peter Rabbit's world recreated in walk-through scenes, ending in the garden with Mr McGregor's vegetables. Squarely for the under-8s; it is small, sweet and unashamed of it.
Lakes Aquarium
A small, well-done aquarium at the quiet end of Windermere with an underwater tunnel walk beneath the lake's own fish, plus otters and rays. Pairs naturally with the steam railway next door.
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
A short, perfectly-formed steam line through the Leven valley that connects with the Windermere boats at Lakeside. Do train plus cruise and you have built the classic Lakes day without a single car park argument.
Lakeland Motor Museum
Thousands of vehicles and period pieces packed into a riverside mill, with the Campbell Bluebird story told properly in its own gallery. One for kids who like machines; a surprisingly good wet-weather card.
Whinlatter Forest
England's only true mountain forest: Gruffalo sculptures on the trail, the WildPlay adventure area, red squirrels if you are lucky, and Go Ape for older kids. Views over Derwentwater thrown in.
The Puzzling Place
An anti-gravity room where water appears to run uphill, a hologram gallery and a room that shrinks the grown-ups. Cheap, indoor, and exactly the right length for the age group.
What’s on near you, every Friday
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.