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
Keswick, Cumbria
An anti-gravity room where water runs uphill, an Ames room that shrinks the grown-ups, and a hologram gallery - cheap, indoor, and precisely one hour long, which in Keswick rain is worth its weight.
Photograph the Ames room illusions; the effect lands hardest on screen. Then back out into the town for cake, mission accomplished.
Know before you go
- Take photos in the Ames room - the size illusion only fully lands when you see it on screen.
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Honister Slate Mine
A working slate mine at the top of Honister Pass with guided tours deep into the mountain, and via ferrata routes up the crag for the brave. Tours take all ages; the climbing starts at ten.
Lake District Wildlife Park
A proper zoo day near Bassenthwaite: birds of prey flying displays, meerkats, animal feed for a pound, and indoor soft play for when the Lakes weather does its thing. No booking needed.
Derwent Pencil Museum
Keswick made the world's first pencils and the museum sits on the works. About an hour indoors: secret wartime pencils with maps hidden inside, and a coloured pencil close to eight metres long.
Go Ape Whinlatter
Two courses strung through England's only genuine mountain forest, above Keswick. Height is the gate here, not age: one metre for Treetop Adventure, 1.2m and a sixth birthday for Plus, which finishes on a 130 metre zip wire.
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.