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Our Lake District National Park Ambassadors @thefamilyramblings have put together a great list of 5 free places to visit with your kids in the Lakes. We know the Lake District is a very popular half term destination. So if you're heading to the mountains this February and want to plan a cheap (you might need to pay for parking) day out, take a read!  

The Lake District is absolutely jam packed full of activities to entertain kids of all ages (including the big kids that have done all the driving!). Taking a family out to many attractions becomes quite expensive when you’ve added up travel, ticket entry, food, giving-in to various requests in the gift shops. 

So, the places I’ve described here are all free to access, although you will have to pay for parking at most of them.

Whinlatter forest

This is maintained by Forestry England, so you pay for parking, and extra if you wish to use the Go Ape attraction for older (taller) children! It is not far from Keswick but once you venture away from the visitor centre, you can find yourself feeling like you are miles from anywhere! There’s lots of activities close to the visitor centre as well, which is excellent for all age groups, including Go Ape for older children, and a play park for all ages. The kids walking trail is great fun - its currently a Superworm trail (or various Julia Donaldson stories depending on when you visit), or a host of other walking paths and bridleways, plus graded bike rides for the more adventurous! At the visitor centre there is a cafe, shop, toilets and baby changing facilities, along with a bike shop and bike hire.

Our favourites are the blue bike trail and the play park. The blue trail (Quercus) is a perfect family ride for keen young mountain bikers, with some climbs and lovely singletrack. If you are not quite at this stage yet try the grey (Gorse) trail which follows forest tracks instead.

The playpark is spread out over a short walk through the forest so it feels like an adventure in itself searching out the next hidden area amongst the trees. There’s slides, climbing areas, swings, water play and loads more!

Keswick - Threlkeld railway

This is a lovely route along the old railway line from (obviously!) Keswick to Threlkeld. Its 5km each way, although I’m sure you could turn it into a circular route with some footpaths if you tried. There’s pay and display car parking near Keswick Leisure centre. It’s a tarmac surface following the river, so just some small inclines. This makes it a great traffic-free route for kids to cycle, but again it can get quite busy, especially at the Keswick end.

If I’m walking on my own I would always try and pick a circular route, to give me lots to look at on the way round. However I have learnt over time that out and back routes are good for when I’m with the kids. It gives a bit more flexibility for me to decide how far to go before turning back, and then you can make your day as long or as short as you choose. Although I still don’t always get this right when I overestimate how long the kiddos can manage and then regret not turning back sooner (always keep some treats in reserve for bribery on the way back!).

Rydal Water & Caves

This is another lovely day out, with lots for all ages of explorers. The walk up to the cave is uphill though, so some younger walkers may find this quite tiring. It really is worth the effort to make it up to the caves and play on the stepping stones, and then either go back the way you came, or walk along the shoreline. There is always the option of missing the caves and walking along Rydal Water shoreline if you find this is the case. The distance will depend on which car park you pick,

There’s a few carparks (Pay and display) around, and sometimes an ice cream van just on the east side towards the road back to Ambleside. Other than this there’s no refreshments unless you go a bit further along the road (Grasmere or Ambleside), so take snack with you!

This is also another good area for budding mountain bikers as it’s all bridleways. Be aware its quite hilly though – we throw a bungee tow rope in for such occasions (e.g. Towwhee or Shotgun Tow Rope). Alternatively it’s a lovely quiet lake for paddling or swimming.

Ennerdale water

This is the place to go if you want to get away from the crowds. Because it's that bit further away, and there aren’t the same facilities that can be found at some of the other places I’ve mentioned, it is often a quieter part of the Lakes. There are a couple of nearby car parks (free). And once you leave the car parks there are miles upon miles of traffic-free trails for walking and biking. With high mountains surrounding you all around, and a crystal clear lake, this really is worth travelling the extra distance (no swimming allowed in this lake sadly, however tempting the crystal clear water looks!).

There’s a couple of shorter walks which are family friendly (see the Forestry England website for details), but we often just wander to the lake shore to look at the views!

There’s a cafe in Ennerdale Bridge, or take your picnic along with you!

Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge walk

This is another “out and back again” route which can be done from either direction - there’s parking on the road in Skelwith Bridge, and both National Trust or road parking in Elterwater. This is a traffic-free trail for walkers and bikers. It follows the river line, which makes it reasonably flat, and it is buggy/pushchair friendly. This is a lovely track in all weathers, because it’s low-level so it’s still a nice day out even if the weather is not too good. It can get a bit busy in summer, as can a lot of the popular areas in the Lakes! And there are cafes at both ends of the walk if you need refreshments (or snacks for bribery on the way back).