A Family Break in the Lake District – Travel Review

By Dominic Picksley, August 2024

I stared nervously over the ledge, high up from the ground, peering down to the gloom below, wanting to jump but being unable to get the thought of “but you might die” out of my head, despite being attached to the most solid of ropes.

So I stepped back, took a deep breath and strode forward purposefully, before the doubts immediately surfaced again and sadly I admitted defeat (after several minutes, it has to be said). Even the watching ‘crowd’ urging me on didn’t have the desired effect.

Ben & Amelia at Zip World in the Lake District

This was the Treetop Drop at Zip World in Windermere, the activity centre that delivers adrenalin rushes aplenty, whether it be high up, around 15m, in the trees on the Full Trek – where you traverse various rope bridges of leg-shaking difficulties – or on the dreaded Drop, where even the simplest of tasks like stepping off a 46ft high tower and gently dropping down to the ground can seem impossible. Mind over matter and all that.

“Onlookers below”

“You’re not the only one,” confided the sympathetic instructor. “We get people all the time backing out.”

That made me feel slightly better, although my two children also couldn’t perform that ‘one giant leap for mankind’ either. But we had all completed the Full Trek course, which included stepping on to wobbly planks of wood, rope walking and even pulling yourself along on wooden trolleys, all while striving like mad to keep your balance.

The few zip wires interspersed were great fun, especially the final 250m triple line descent where we ‘raced’ each other to the finish just metres away from the shores of Lake Windermere, zooming over able the heads of onlookers below. Despite our then failure on the Drop, we decided to call it a draw.

While there you can also clamber up the Treetop Nets and test yourself on the Climb & Zip, as well as just enjoying the walks and a nice warm drink at its Brockhole location.

The entrance to Muncaster Castle

“Mock battles”

We had ventured north of our Millom base on the edge of the Lake District, a part of the national park that felt almost like a ‘mountain district’ due to the sheer amount of high-rise peaks flanking us, including the 600m Black Combe.

Down in this part of the Lake District, you’re away from the hustle and bustle of the popular towns of  Windermere, Bowness, Ambleside, Grasmere, Kendal and Keswick, but still close to enjoy days out at these tourist hotspots, while Muncaster Castle was just a short drive away.

And it was to the 13th-century castle we visited early on during our week’s visit to Cumbria, which coincided with their Medieval Festival, where you could mint coins, cook old-fashioned bread, take part in mock battles, while also trying your hand at archery, axe throwing and crossbows in the Weapons Hall. They produced little passports for those paying extra, where you ticked off the activities when you completed them.

We had a go at the activities, with my son Ben and I trying axe throwing and the crossbows, while my daughter Amelia also stepped on board a mechanical horse and tried her hand at jousting.

Eskdale Station

“Magnificent views”

They also regularly have bird of prey displays there and as I ducked out mid-performance, I nearly had my head taken off by a rather large raptor as I timed my exit just at the wrong time, although if I had got up literally a second sooner, it would have been carnage.

There are magnificent views to be had from the castle, looking across the Esk Valley and other sublime vistas came on board the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, also known as La’al Ratty.

We hopped on to a steam engine-pulled first-class carriage at the seaside village of Ravenglass and headed towards the mountains, with England’s highest peak Scafell in the distance, with the Old Man of Coniston also making its presence felt.

We chugged along through woodland, by brooks and past numerous hills, before eventually arriving at rain-soaked Eskdale, a few miles down the line.

With warm drinks from the café to perk us up, we then trekked in beautiful sunshine to Stanley Ghyll waterfall, but only made it as far as the ‘lower fall’ before wending our way back to the station, hopping back on the train and returning to Ravenglass, where we enjoyed a visit round the small museum that told the story of the railway.

Ben and Amelia, with their guide, Phil

“Knowledgeable”

Of course when in the Lake District, it’s obligatory to enjoy a water-based activity, so we headed to Keswick later in the week for a two-hour ‘taster’ paddleboard session on Derwent Water, with myself, my son Ben and daughter Amelia being royally entertained by our enthusiastic guide, Phil, who helped us get the most out of our session.

It was run by a company called Mobile Adventure, who put on these types of events during the school holidays and it was terrific value for money, much cheaper than your run-of-the-mill water activity companies, who can sometimes charge you the earth.

And Phil was also very knowledgeable about the surrounding area, picking out many of the peaks and mountains, telling us their names. So not only did we improve our paddleboarding skills, we also enhanced our knowledge of the area.

There is so much more to see and do in the Lake District, from visiting Beatrix Potter’s house to trekking in the hills, to enjoying lake cruises and sampling the many great foods in the area. What a fabulous part of the country.

images: Dominic Picksley