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.
Lowther Castle & Gardens
Penrith, Cumbria
Lowther is a genuine ruin, roofless and enormous, and the Lowther Castle and Gardens Trust has spent years turning the grounds around it into somewhere families actually want to spend a day.
The Lost Castle is the headline: a timber adventure playground of turrets, tunnels, drop slides and zip wires that the estate calls one of the largest in the country, and which does not disappoint on scale. Budget three hours for it. You will see very little of the gardens, and nobody in the party will mind.
Entry is sixteen pounds an adult and ten for a child aged 3 to 15, with under-3s and carers free, and a family ticket at forty-five pounds that works either as two adults with up to three children or one adult with up to four. Parking is a further two pounds a day through RingGo. The homepage also advertises a reduced summer rate of fourteen, 8.75 and forty-two under the VAT scheme, so it is worth checking which is live when you go.
Beyond the playground there are the gardens, the Story of Lowther exhibition, and walking and cycling trails across the estate. The courtyard cafe does table service and takeaway from 10am daily, with an extra outdoor cafe at weekends in the school holidays.
It opens every day except Christmas Day, 10am to 5pm in summer and 10am to 4pm in winter, last entry an hour before closing, and building work is ongoing so some things move around. Dogs are welcome on leads across the estate but banned from the playground. Somebody is going to be holding the lead in the car park, and it will not be the person who wanted to.
Know before you go
- The whole day hangs on the Lost Castle, so give it three hours. Under-3s go free, and so do carers.
- Parking is a separate two pounds a day through RingGo, plus a 50p booking fee. Sort it on arrival.
- Dogs are welcome on leads across the estate but banned from the playground, which is awkward if you brought one and there is only one adult.
- The homepage advertises a reduced summer rate of fourteen, 8.75 and forty-two under the VAT scheme alongside the standard 16, 10 and 45. Check which is live on the day you book.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Penrith?
Nearest to Penrith
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.