Walby Farm Park
Cumbria's big family farm park: animal handling, giant jumping pillows, pedal go-karts and an indoor play barn big enough to lose a wet afternoon in. The far-north option when you are up that way.
Watchtree Nature Reserve
Carlisle, Cumbria
Watchtree is 205 acres of reserve on the Solway plain, six miles south west of Carlisle, with clear views to the northern fells and out over the estuary. It is a registered charity, free to walk into and free to park, and the whole site is built around a network of accessible trails, which in practice means a buggy or a wheelchair covers the same ground as everybody else.
The bikes are what turn it into a day out. Without them it is a nice walk and not much more. Watchtree Wheelers keep over a hundred of them, described as suitable for all abilities, and hire costs extra, though the charity puts no price list on the site. The coffee shop does homemade food from 9am to 4.30pm.
What there is not is a playground. Instead you get hides, an education zone and a great many birds, so bring somebody who will look through binoculars, or bring the bikes.
What it costs: Free to enter and free to park from 9am. Watchtree is a registered charity and asks for donations. Open 9am to 4.45pm every day with last entry at 4pm, and the car park closes at 5pm. Coffee shop 9am to 4.30pm daily. Bike hire costs extra and no price list is published on the Plan Your Visit or Bike Hire pages, so ring before you build a day around it.
Know before you go
- Bike hire is not priced anywhere on the website. Ring or email first, because the bikes are the difference between an hour here and half a day.
- Last entry is 4pm and the car park is locked at 5pm. Turning up at three wastes the drive out.
Worth knowing: There is no playground. It works on bikes, hides and trails.
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