Whinlatter Forest
England's only true mountain forest: the Room on the Broom trail, Gruffalo orienteering, the WildPlay trail, red squirrels if you are lucky, and Go Ape for older kids. Views over Derwentwater thrown in.
Hope Park
- Cost
- Free to wander; crazy golf £6.50 each
- Ages
- 3 to 14
- Where
- Keswick, Cumbria
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
Hope Park sits halfway between Keswick's centre and Derwentwater, on land Sir Percy Hope gave the town in the 1920s and now held in trust by the town council. It is mostly gardens, flower beds and lawns with Skiddaw and Catbells as the backdrop, but the reason children drag you in is the games: 18 holes of crazy golf, a 9-hole pitch and putt, a putting green, boules and remote-control boats on a model of Derwentwater, islands and jetties included.
Walking through costs nothing, and neither does the bird hide or the woodland walk, where the park says to look out for red squirrels. The games are pay as you go. Crazy golf is £6.50 each, under 5s free with a paying adult, or £23 for a family of four, and pitch and putt is £7.50 each or £27 for the family. The games, kiosk and Cafe Hope open all year from 10am.
What it does not have is a playground. The park says so itself and sends families to Fitz Park, ten minutes' walk away, for swings and slides. Pair the two, or treat Hope Park as the stop on the way to the lake: out of the gate, past Theatre by the Lake, and the launch ticket office is about five minutes on.
What it costs: Park entry free. Crazy golf £6.50 a person, under 5s free with a paying adult, family of four £23. Pitch and putt £7.50 a person, family of four £27. Bird hide free. Remote-control boat price not listed.
Know before you go
- There is no playground with swings or slides here. Fitz Park, about ten minutes' walk away, has one.
- Lakeside Car Park opposite fills up in summer. The park's own suggestion is the Rugby Club car park, five minutes' walk away, at £4 for the day.
- The toilets are free for paying visitors; everyone else is asked for a small donation.
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★★★★★ 4.7 across 3,058 Google reviews.
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