85 places across Cumbria, 26 of which cost nothing. Every one written up honestly, with dated events from the venues that run them.
Be realistic about the driving first. From most of the North West, Cumbria is ninety minutes before you have parked, and the lake roads crawl in August, so days out in Cumbria are overnight territory more than a spontaneous Saturday. Once you accept that, the payoff is real. Windermere Lake Cruises plus the Lakeside & Haverthwaite steam railway make a combined day kids talk about for weeks, and Grizedale Forest's sculpture trails cost nothing but the car park.
Whinlatter above Keswick and Fell Foot's lakeshore on Windermere are the other free standouts, both just a parking charge, and Brockhole is free to walk into with pay-as-you-go activities. Rain here is a scheduling certainty rather than a risk, and the indoor options are small ones: the Lakes Aquarium, the Lakeland Motor Museum, the World of Beatrix Potter. Book the wet-weather ticket before you set off, because everyone else on the lake has had the same idea by ten o'clock.
87 dated events coming up across the county.
Luke Jerram's seven-metre glowing moon hangs in the cathedral for the whole of October, with children's workshops and pyjama parties on the programme. Entry is by donation, suggested £5 an adult or £12 a family, and daytime visits need no booking. Sunday opening is only 12 to 2.
A Halloween trail through the Brockhole woods with six character stations to find. Collect a letter at each one, work out the secret word and claim a Halloween gift bag (colouring book, crayons, a snap band and a maze book) back at Minty Land. Built for 2 to 8 year olds at £3 a child.
Stay and Discover at Keswick Museum, a story with Becky and Digby followed by a creative session for under 5s. Free, one booking per family, every term time Wednesday.
Little Explorers at Tullie in Carlisle, a gentle themed session for under 5s and their grown up in a different gallery each week. Children free with an adult ticket. Book ahead.
Little Wanderers at Wordsworth Grasmere, free songs, stories and play for under 5s inspired by Dove Cottage. Term time Thursday mornings, just turn up.
A folklore-flavoured Halloween adventure played on one phone through the free Stranger Folk app round the grounds of Wray Castle, with no plastic fangs in sight. Designed for ages 7 to 12, and playable in 20 minutes or spread over a day. Parking is £7 for two hours unless you are a National Trust member.
Everything on81 more not shown here
Twelve to start with. Each area above has the full list.
A 65ft waterfall in National Trust woodland above Ullswater, about a mile there and back from the car park. Tea room, toilets and a picnic area. Parking is £7 for two hours and free for members.
Forty-five acres of Victorian park in the middle of Barrow, with a boating lake, a miniature railway on Sunday afternoons, putting, a glasshouse and a play area. Free, and next door to the swimming pool.
Carlisle's big riverside park, right under the castle walls: a large play area for all ages, a free splash park in the warmer months, skate park and acres of grass where the Eden and Caldew meet. The obvious free half of a Carlisle day.
The old national park visitor centre on the Windermere shore, now run by BeWILDerwood and still mid-makeover. The grounds are free to wander; Minty Land indoor play, Zip World's treetop courses, Wild Bounce and the lake cruises are the paid extras.
Free, in the middle of Carlisle, with a cafe in the footprint of the medieval cloister. Not a day out on its own, but a good half hour between Tullie and the castle, and in December the building fills with a Christmas tree festival.
Thirty-eight standing stones in a field above Keswick with the fells all round. Free, open any time in daylight, and exactly the right size for children to count, run between and not get bored.
A National Trust lakeshore park at Windermere's quiet southern tip: grassy banks straight into the water, paddling, boat hire from April to October and an adventure playground. The easiest safe lake-swim spot for families.
A charity-run park under Hoad Hill in Ulverston with an inclusive playground, a woodland animal trail, a walled garden and orchard, and the path up to the Sir John Barrow Monument. Free, open daily and busy with family events.
Sculptures hidden through the trees turn a forest walk into a treasure hunt, with trails from buggy-flat to proper leg-stretch and Go Ape overhead. Between Windermere and Coniston, and quieter than both.
Carlisle's south side park, with free parking on two sides, play zones, a brand new concrete skatepark, a games court and a seasonal cafe. A miniature railway runs Sunday afternoons from Easter to October.
Ten acres of fellside garden looking down over Windermere, run by the Lakeland Horticultural Society: terraces, a walled garden, glasshouses and children's trails. No fixed entry price and children go free.
Keswick's park between the town and the lake: gardens, a bird hide, remote-control boats on a model Derwentwater, crazy golf, pitch and putt and Cafe Hope. Free to walk through, the games cost extra, and there are no swings.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.