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Family Wildlife Walks, Countywide

Cumbria Wildlife Trust has developed three new family wildlife activity walks at nature reserves around Cumbria.  Family packs of the walks are free and contain information on getting to and around the nature reserves, a short history of the area, wildlife spotter sheets to help identify what you see, and a short quiz.  Packs are available for Smardale Gill, near Kirkby Stephen; Bowness on Solway on the Cumbrian coast, and Foulshaw Moss near Kendal.

www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk

Ducky’s Park Farm, Flookburgh

A delightful children’s open farm and visitor centre offering a friendly, safe environment for families and schools to enjoy themselves whilst learning about farming methods.  It offers a great indoor soft play area, outdoor playground, education centre and animal interaction area as well as a farm trail, go-carts, bouncy castle, cafe and picnic area.  www.duckysparkfarm.co.uk / Family ticket £18

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, Ravenglass

Heritage engines haul trains of cosy covered and open-top carriages from the Lake District National Park’s only coastal village of Ravenglass, through two of Lakeland’s loveliest valleys to the foot of England’s highest mountain. You can just relax and take in the scenery together, pop into the little café at Dalegarth for a tasty lunch or hop on and off to experience the wealth of pretty walks and cycle trails along the route. ‘Steam & Romans’ tour back by popular demand every Wednesday from 2^nd June to 25^th August.

www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk / Unlimited travel family ticket with free line guide & scratch cards for the kids £29

South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Dalton-In-Furness

One of the world’s top wildlife conservation centres and home of the Sumatran Tiger Trust and the Wildlife Protection Foundation.  Here you can see some of the rarest animals from across the globe including cheetahs, tigers, monkeys, giraffes, hippos, kangaroos…You can even help with hand-feeding the penguins!  There’s a café serving freshly made sandwiches as well as good hot meals and scrumptious cakes, a little steam train, lots of picnic tables and a gift shop for treats to take home.  Special Teddy Bears Picnic for kids this half term including daily bear fun & games and best dressed bear competitions.  Children bringing a bear get free entry but all teddy bears pay £2, which goes to the Spectacled Bear Conservation Project.

www.wildanimalpark.co.uk / Adults £11.50

World of Beatrix Potter, Bowness-on-Windermere

Winner of Cumbria Tourism’s Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2010, all 23 of Beatrix Potter’s well-loved tales are brought to life at this interactive attraction. Families can see Peter Rabbit’s garden, explore Jemima Puddle-duck’s woodland glade and call at Mr McGregor’s greenhouse.  Or take a walk through a virtual Lakeland complete with sounds, sights and even smells and visit all the places that inspired Beatrix Potter’s stories and characters.  Then enjoy lunch or afternoon tea in the Tea Room or outdoors on the garden terrace, before browsing the gifts in the Emporium.

www.hop-skip-jump.com / Family ticket £18

Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass

Muncaster is an award-winning attraction with something to appeal to all ages in a breathtaking setting on the Lake District coast. For the kids there is The World Owl Centre, interactive displays, a maze, two playgrounds, and a family picnic area (including one for toddlers). For adults, there is the chance to learn more about the historic home of the Pennington family, its magnificent gardens, which are carpeted with bluebells this Spring, and the ghostly goings on which lead some to claim the castle is one of the most haunted in the land. You can also stock up on Cumbrian food and products in the shop and plant centre then relax and refresh in the café.  Five days of madness and mayhem get underway again this half term with the annual Festival of Fools, which culminates in the International Jester Competition to find 2010’s Fool of Muncaster.  Also new for 2010 is a 200m zip wire from Tom Fool’s Tree out over the Cannon Bank reaching speeds of over 35mph!

www.muncaster.co.uk / Family ticket to Gardens, Owl Centre & Maze £27

We Built This City, Lakes Alive, Carlisle

Lakes Alive is a new season of world-class performance and arts events in the spectacular landscapes of Cumbria, and for ‘We Built This City’ has the historic city of Carlisle as a backdrop from June 3^rd to the 5^th.   Using thousands of big cardboard boxes and the energy and ingenuity of kids and families, Polyglot Theatre from Australia will help build a magnificent city in a public construction extravaganza in the centre of Carlisle.  Accompanied by live music, buildings will go up, be pulled down, redesigned, extended, walked through, and jumped on, and at the end of the day, everyone can have fun knocking down and squashing the whole city into a recyclable heap of cardboard rubble!

www.lakesalive.org / Free

Brockhole, Windermere

Many visitors drive past the Lake District Visitor Centre, Brockhole without realising what a great value day out it is for families. Brockhole is home to 10 acres of Thomas Mawson gardens which run idyllically down to Lake Windermere. It’s all free and is buggy and wheelchair friendly. The gardens also house a massive adventure play-park and zipslide. What’s more you can head down to the jetty and catch a Windermere Lake Cruise up to nearby Waterhead. With lots going on to keep the family amused this half term from becoming a nature detective to meeting Silverband Falconry’s amazing birds of prey. www.lake-district.gov.uk / Free entry but small charge for organised events

Lake District Coast Aquarium, Maryport

Winner of the Cumbria Tourism’s Small Visitor Attraction of the Year 2010, the Lake District Coast Aquarium is one of Europe’s best marine aquariums with over 2,000 fish and more than 200 different species from Dwarf Seahorses – the world’s smallest Seahorse to Wolf Fish, Starfish and Lobsters. They hold daily fish feeding demonstrations and informative talks with extra events during school holidays.

www.lakedistrict-coastaquarium.co.uk / Family ticket from £18.95

The Beacon, Whitehaven

Situated on Whitehaven’s harbour front, The Beacon has undergone £2.2 million pounds worth of improvements to best show off its museum collection. Kids can try out the moving deck, which simulates what it’s like being onboard, a ship, and for the more cerebral, you can trace the maritime heritage of the port. Not only was Whitehaven once one of the world’s big players in seafaring, it has links with the first US president, George Washington. The town was also at the heart of the rum smuggling skullduggery. There’s a Met Office Weather Gallery offering breathtaking views of the Irish Sea and an exhibition gallery over five different floors. This half term, bring the kids along to the Beaconeers craft workshops for just £2 per child.

www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk / Adults £5 and under 16’s free with adults

For further information about visiting the Lake District, Cumbria, visit www.golakes.co.uk

No trip to the Lake District would be complete without a locally brewed pint in a charming little pub. With that sentiment in mind, here is a list of the top ten pubs in the Lake District.

At a cross-roads close to Ambleside, Hawkshead and Coniston, sits the Drunken Duck. The heart of the Duck is its bar, featuring oak floors, old beams, an open fire, leather club chairs and a beautiful black slate bar from the local quarry. Legend has it the landlady of the Inn found ducks lying stretched out in the road and concluded that they were dead. Thriftily she began to pluck and prepare them for dinner. However, down in the cellar a barrel had slipped its hoops and beer had drained from the floor into the duck’s feeding ditch. Theducks took full advantage but awoke to find themselves plucked and halfway to the oven. Full of remorse for the rough treatment, the landlady knitted the ducks waistcoats of Hawkshead yarn until their feathers grew back again.

www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk

One of The Angel’s main features is its terraced beer garden, which overlooks Windermere. Choose from locally brewed beers, international draught lagers, world wines by the glass, hot drinks or soft drinks. In winter, The Angel comes in to its own with a toasty log fire roaring away, a flat-screen television, comfy sofas and twinkly Christmas lights.

www.the-angelinn.com

A walk up Coniston Old Man wouldn’t be the same without a trip to The Sun Inn. It was built over 500 years ago on the old Walna Scar packhorse trail, which leads over the mountains to west Cumbria. The Sun provides a genuine Lakeland setting with stone walls, stone floor, exposed beams and a beautiful fireplace. The brewed-in-the-village Coniston Bluebird bitter is a must try.www.thesunconiston.com

At the northern end of Bassenthwaite, the only official Lake in the Lake District, is The Pheasant Inn. This charming old coaching inn is one of the best known pubs in the Lakes with its polished walls, real log fires and period furniture. If beers are not your thing take Afternoon Tea with home made scones with rum butter, freshly baked cakes, cucumber sandwiches and a range of different teas from Lapsong Souchong to Earl Grey.

www.the-pheasant.co.uk

Enjoy a pint of Melbreak in the garden or bar at the Kirkstile Inn and gaze in awe at the huge mountain from which the drink takes its name. The Kirkstile is in a rare corner of the Lake District that many do not manage to find with landscape calendar scenery, peaceful countryside and mostly empty country roads. www.kirkstile.com

Travelling north along Ullswater, you’ll find the tiny village of Tirril and The Queen’s Head pub.  The emphasis is on earthy rather than stylish and it has won awards aplenty. It has its own beers brewed nearby, a great lunchtime menu, cheerful bar staff and hosts a festival in August featuring 20-plus beers and over 15 different sausages.

Call 01768 863219 for more info.

Originally a small ale house built by Isacc Cookson, the Mortal Man’s unusual name comes from a sign painted for the Landlord at the time by a famous English painter called Julius Caesar Ibbetson. On a crisp, bright winter’s day at the end of one of the long walks you can do throughout the valley. The surroundings are likely to make you feel mortal whether you’re male or female. www.themortalman.com

The Old Crown, which to all intents and purposes is HRHThe Prince of Wales’ “local,” is believed to be Britain’s first co-operatively owned pub. 125 customers banded together to stop it from falling into the hands of a faceless brewery. Instead, the pub has survived and its links with the Hesket Newmarket Brewery continue to this day. www.theoldcrownpub.co.uk

You don’t just drink or eat at the Masons Arms, you have a Lakeland experience. Overlooking the Lyth Valley, you can enjoy the view from the terrace under a cosy canopy even in winter, fired by the warmth of the outdoor heaters. The food is worth waiting for too, from Smoked Haddock Chowder to the spicy ribs. Combine a trip with a walk to nearby Gummer’s How, offering views over Windermere. www.masonsarmsstrawberrybank.co.uk

The Woolpack at Eskdale aims to eradicate the products found in most high street pubs. Instead, it specialises in its own, a pint of 3.7 per cent Woolpacker made by the Hardknott Brewery. Visitors can camp in the grounds by arrangement and take in views of nearby Harter Fell and the Eskdale Valley. This is walking country and the Woolpack is the perfect base camp. www.woolpack.co.uk

Looking for something a little out of the ordinary from your trip to the Lake District? Well, there is no shortage of unique events and festivals. How about telling lies, wearing embroidered trunks, climbing a greasy pole, or joining in a celebration of natural fibres? That’s just for starters. Here is the Golakes top ten wacky ways to spend time in the Lake District.

After the success of the first ever Go Fishing festival last year, this year’s runs from the 15^th to the 23^rd of May and puts Cumbria on the map as one of the best places for fishing in the country. Whether you’re into game fishing, coarse, river or sea, this event will celebrate all there is to know about angling. It will take place at various points throughout Cumbria with the emphasis being on workshops and practical experience. For more info, visit www.gofishinglakedistrict.co.uk

Tom Fool’s Day takes place every April Fools Day at Ravenglass, so come along for some fun!  Join the mayhem with performances by the Fool of Muncaster 2009, Will Tease! There’s also Foolish Football with Muncaster mascot Max MeadowVole, score and goal and win a prize.  You can even Pelt a Pennington, the family who live at Muncaster, with wet sponges, eggs and flour bombs!

http://www.muncaster.co.uk/special-events

The Cockermouth Woolfest takes place on the 25^th & 26^th of June 2010 and celebrates all aspects of nature’s natural fibres.  It features modern and traditional textile crafts from spinning and weaving to knitting and felting, from Cumbrian designs to international exhibits from all over the world. There are also rare breed animals are on show, raw fleeces are available to buy and there’s a full programme of workshops, lectures and exhibitions as well as over 100 stalls.

www.woolfest.co.uk

Levens Chilli Fest, on the 15^th & 16^th of August, is the only chilli festival in the north of England and is a hotbed of food, shopping, live music and dancing. It’s all set against the backdrop of an Elizabethan house and its world-famous topiary gardens. There will be a wide selection of international foods, Cumbrian delicacies with a fiery twist, salsa music, a steel band, a fire-eater, dancing and lots of stuff for children. To cool down, there’s also delicious Cumbrian frozen yoghurt and smoothies.

www.chillifest.co.uk

The Kendal Mintfest runs on the 14^th and 15^th of August and brings you the very best in outdoor performance from across the world. More than 200 performers gather together in shows you will never have seen before and may never see again, making the most of a unique location and bringing the parks and streets of Kendal alive with street theatre.

www.lakesalive.org

The Grasmere Sports and Show are on the 29^th of August this year and since 1852, has been one of Cumbria’s most popular events.  There will be Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling, guides races, hound trails, mountain biking, dog shows and fell races.
www.grasmeresportsandshow.co.uk/

The Kendal Torchlight Carnival, on the 10^th of September 2010, celebrates its 41^st anniversary with street entertainers from all over the UK.  There are also classic cars, steam engines and bikes offering nostalgic memories of penny farthings and boneshakers, complete with costumed riders and moonlight mazes.

www.kendaltorchlightcarnival.co.uk

The World Gurning Championships will take place on the 18^th of September 2010 in Egremont, as part of the Crab Fair and Sports.  This traditional fair is proud host to the world renowned competition in which contestants pull ugly faces through a horse collar or ‘braffin’.  If gurning isn’t quite unusual enough, there’s also Climbing the Greasy Pole, the Apple Cart Parade, dialect singing and a pipe smoking competition.

www.egremontcrabfair.org.uk/history.html

In November, The World’s Biggest Liar Competition comes to the beautiful Wasdale Valley, which is also home to England’s deepest lake, highest mountain and smallest church. No, that’s all true.  The World’s Biggest Liar Competition runs each year and now attracts world-wide attention. It takes place at the Santon Bridge Inn in honour of the World’s Biggest Liar of over 100 years ago, Will Ritson.

www.santonbridgeinn.com/liar/index.html