The Puzzling Place
An anti-gravity room where water appears to run uphill, a hologram gallery and a room that shrinks the grown-ups. Cheap, indoor, and exactly the right length for the age group.
Whinlatter Forest
- Cost
- Free entry, paid parking
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Where
- Keswick, Cumbria
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up; book Go Ape ahead
England's only true mountain forest, and the family offer matches the setting: the Room on the Broom trail, about 1.25 miles and an hour with a £4 activity pack, Gruffalo orienteering with twelve markers hidden in the wood (£2.50 map from the visitor centre), the WildPlay trail, red squirrel territory and Go Ape in the canopy, with Derwentwater views thrown in.
The WildPlay trail is what the under-8s remember, so follow signs from the visitor centre. Squirrels are luck, not promise; brief the crew accordingly on the drive up the pass.
What it costs: No entry charge; you pay to park. Up to 20 minutes free, £2.90 for the first hour, then 70p per 15 minutes, £14 maximum for the day. Room on the Broom trail pack £4, Gruffalo orienteering map £2.50, both from the visitor centre.
Know before you go
- The WildPlay trail is the bit under-8s remember, so follow the signs from the visitor centre.
- Squirrel sightings are luck, not promise. Manage expectations on the way up.
- Forestry work has been going on since 14 September with some path diversions and closures, so check Forestry England's updates before you set off.
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What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.8 across 2,987 Google reviews.
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Derwent Pencil Museum
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Go Ape Whinlatter
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Castlerigg Stone Circle
Thirty-eight standing stones in a field above Keswick with the fells all round. Free, open any time in daylight, and exactly the right size for children to count, run between and not get bored.
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