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-eight 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, and Lowther asks you to book online before 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 opens 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.
What it costs: Adult £16.00, child aged 3 to 15 £10.00, under-3s free, carers free. Family ticket £48.00 for either two adults and up to three children or one adult and up to four children. Parking £2.00 a day plus a 50p RingGo booking fee, free for adult annual passholders. Lowther asks visitors to book online ahead of the visit.
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.
What’s on at Lowther Castle & Gardens
From14Nov
Lowther Castle and Gardens, near Penrith · Penrith & Ullswater
14 Nov to 30 Dec. Selected evenings, mostly Friday to Sunday, 14 November to 30 December, entry slots 4pm to 8pm
A brand new light trail through the gardens and round the ruined castle, about an hour on foot at your own pace, with warm food, mulled wine and hot chocolate, and marshmallow toasting at the top of the lawns near the end. Parking is free. The castle suggests a baby carrier over a pushchair because the lighting is low. The family ticket covers two adults and three children, or one adult and up to four.
Adult £20, child £15, family £65, under 3s freePre-booked timed tickets only
Written by us
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