I am in awe. This is one of the loveliest and most beautiful national parks that I've ever had the…read moreprivilege to visit. I immediately, upon arrival, fell in love with the picturesque landscape and the calm rain that was persistent in our week stay in Coniston. We were told it has been an unusually rainy season this year, but nonetheless, it still made for a beautiful week. There are lots of wonderful places to get lost in, the Lake District is a wonderful place to explore. With better weather, there are options for canoeing, a steamboat ride, horseback riding, bicycling, simply walking, and hiking the mountains. The shops in town have delicious coffee as well as food, fun vintage items, and dogs... literally EVERYWHERE! The people here are sweet and everyone seems to know everyone, as they do in small towns. I definitely recommend coming here on holiday for the beautiful views to relax!

The Lake District in Cumbria, England is a national treasure. There is so much to see and do here…read morethat there is never enough time to do it all. The numerous lakes, the fabulous walks, all the water activities, to name just a few, will keep you enthralled for weeks. And then there is the amazing history, including sites of Viking villages, old churches, standing stones, museums, and much more. And of course there is the home of William Wordsworth, as well. This is definitely a place I will return to spend time in the future.

Fitz park is located just on the edge of the town, right next to the river. It's ideal for a family…read moreto enjoy. It offers, a putting course around the tennis courts, bowling green & tennis. You can hire all the equipment for the above for a few pounds. There are a number of seats situated around the park for you to just sit and enjoy the scenary. It's a relaxing corner of Keswick if you want to escape the crowds.

Children's play area has been recently re-done, and has a good range of equipment and sand.read more

Warm friendly staff, good food friendly atmosphere'. If you are in the area well worth a visitread more

Perfect location for a walk around the lake, nice little cafe to take refreshments if required. I…read morewould certainly drop in again in passing. Water sports and fishing available on or around the lake. Plenty of wildlife about also.

Seclusion is needed by the soul more than you think folks. Peace and quiet for a few hours to…read morecollate your thoughts is priceless. Hence forth I present to you a place where Wordsworth 'wondered lonely as a cloud' The best things in life are indeed free(ok,ok, not entirely free: you do have to pay and display in the car park) On a leisurely drive with some friends through the lakes one fine Sunday afternoon we discovered(completely by fluke incidentally) this little gem of a place. Aira Force is a water fall which drops an impressive 65 feet and is surrounded by woodland. The drill here is simple, and simplicity at times can be bliss. You park your car you grab something from the cafe or stock up your picnic rucksack of goodies and off you go. A hike up through the woods will take you back to your childhood state of mind. Either you'll be climbing the steep paths through the woodland wrestling with the firs, pines, spruces and cedars like Indiana Jones(moi), or gingerly moving along with a camcorder wide eyed as if you were filming a prequel to Blair Witch project. (fainthearted friend) None the less the fruits of your labour will eventually emerge in the shape of Aira Force waterfall. Now I am and always will be a massive fan of waterfalls. There is something extremely therapeutic about the sound of the water, it floats me, freshens me up. This particular waterfall is one of the most famous in the Lake district. When we visited there was hardly anyone there. The water was so fresh and clean, I could easily have just bathe under it and would have done had it not been for a slight chill in the air and two rather strange German tourists. By strange, I mean scary horror film strange, tailing us all the way upto the falls! Perhaps it was just the fear mongering camcorder blair witch friend... Once you've taken plenty of post card worthy pictures and enjoyed the scenery, on the way back there are plenty of amazing and potentially romantic picnic spots. Plenty of daffodils around also if it's the right time of year. I loved them and I loved my visit and so will you. Who knows they might even inspire you into poetic action as it did Mr. Wordsworth. For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

A beautiful National Trust site with walking paths through the woods and alongside a fast flowing…read moreriver. Main parking at the bottom of the hill close to the lake. There's toilets, a cafe and a small shop plus lots of picnic space. Beyond the two viewpoint bridges are beautiful rock pools perfect for paddling.

I absolutely fell in love with Grizedale Forest over the past weekend. Looking for somewhere new to…read moreexplore when we visited the other half's parents, they suggested heading to the forest. Cue some very windy roads and a few moments of "are you sure this is the right way?" - but we found it! We headed to the visitor centre to take a look at which walk to take. They have both cycling and walking routes, so make sure you're looking at the right map...! We decided on the white route, and the helpful member of staff explained that you simply follow the coloured markers - if you lose the colour, it's time to retrace your steps. Our walk took about 2 hours overall and was described as moderate, and it's worth pointing out that it wasn't wheelchair/pushchair friendly, so a quick chat with a staff member would be needed to find an accessible route. The reason I fell in love was a) because of the absolutely stunning weather we experienced and b) the selection of sculptures that can be found on each route. The large keys in trees which played music if you wound them fast enough were a personal favourite, following by the huge stone fox, which actually provided a nice place to rest and admire the valley view. I feel the downsides sit with the shop, which was overpriced and didn't seem to stock any drinks (very odd considering the length of some of the walks), and the parking payment. It's all done automatically by registration plate when you drive in, then you enter it at a paypoint - best have some cash on you as noone has quite thought through that no phone signal = no card reader signal. There's bike rental available and the Go Ape course if you need something to keep more active members of your group entertained. Recommended!

A huge area of woodland to explore in the Lake District, either on foot or by mountain bike - it's…read morea spectacular place to get away from it all for the day. There are several colour-coded waymarked footpaths, in varying lengths and levels of difficulty (from easy to strenuous) as well as dozens of others paths and bridleways crisscrossing the landscape so you can either buy a map for £1.50 or just see where a route takes you. Go Ape (an aerial assault course) has a site here, and as well as a visitors' centre there's a children's playground, education centre, café and shop so plenty of things for families to do. For our group it was all about the walking; the forest has hosted a sculpture trail since the 1970s, so we were on the look out for exhibits whilst we wandered through the trees. It has to be said there were a few times we were wondering if we were looking at art or some forestry equipment...or a pylon! The car parking was really straightforward and rather cutting edge - a number plate reader registers your vehicle when you arrive and you pay when you leave by typing your number plate on the screen. It was a bargain too at about £4 for several hours. If you're a lover of the great outdoors, then you can't get much better than this.

This romantic garden is absolutely GORGEOUS! It rests bordered by the River Rothay and St…read more Oswald's Church. The stone tile pathway meandering throughout the garden bears inscriptions of fellow Wordsworth admirers (some on behalf of departed loved ones). The garden fittingly lies near Wordsworth's gravesite. This location is simply a MUST-SEE attraction!

So with excitement we drove here from East Kilbride. It took an hour and a half to get to the…read morelocation and then we saw the queue of cars!! It took 40 minutes to get through to the car park and the rain was lashing down. I would definitely advise coming early to skip through to a parking space and not do a snails pace wait to it. The rain had thankfully dispersed by the time we were out and about. We paid £7 admission and got a map of the site. It was not the clearest map and it was really difficult to tell which way to go! We just went for it, and I think it worked out for the best. Loved all the weirdness and got some lovely photos of the experience. I would never have heard of it if it hadn't been for Yelpers last year raving about it. So thank you!!

I've been planning a visit to the Garden of Cosmic Speculation at Portrack House for some years…read more The place only opens once a year for just five hours and the entry fee of £7 is shared between Maggies Centres charity and the Scotland Garden scheme who organise the event. This year I got my wish and despite it being a bit of a damp day the rain held off for most of our stay. Boy was i glad I wore my hefty walking boots and waterproof trousers. There was much mud to navigate and a pair of walking poles wouldn't have gone amiss to traverse some of the slippery hills. The Garden of Cosmic Speculation was well worth the drive to Dumfries and Galloway. There were some basic refreshment facilities but we took a picnic and a big flask of coffee. Well behaved dogs are welcome, there are loos and portaloos (be ready to queue) and the parking is very well organised. Not wheelchair friendly and a bit of a challenge in places for the less able. Hugely recommend a visit! If you're feeling impatient why not visit Jupiter Artland in Edinburgh or the Crawick Multiverse near Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, as they share the same garden designer Charles Jencks.

Not so long ago I decided to get into the "going green" boat, see if it floated well. Part of this…read moreenvironmentally friendly plan of mine consisted of discovering new places closer to home as supposed to a trip beyond these shores involving carbon footsteps and what not. The lake district is fantastic, and it is right on our doorstep. Whilst I was there I bumped into a Canadian couple, a Korean family, and a Brazilian supermodel. Ok fine the last one is a fib, the point is, this place is Internationally known yet somehow overlooked by most people for their summer plans. Lake Windermere has always been a favorite of mine. I have fond memories of camping here as a grumpy but secretly loving it 13 year old. Fell foot park however is a recent discovery on a visit to Lake Windermere. I came upon it by chance in fact as I drove away from the south shore of the lake. With 18 or so acres to play with it is spacialicious indeed with incredible picnic space overlooking the lake. You don't have to watch the boats go by either as you skittle through your picnic food, you can enjoy a boat ride or hire a rowing boat to enjoy the stillness of the lake. There is also a tea room overlooking the lake and shop where you can buy souvenirs. This hidden treasure really demands a cheeky visit.

Set on the shore of Windermere, Fellfoot is a lovely park with bags of space for picnicers,…read morechildren playing football, cricket etc. There is a childrens adventure playground that has just been updated. A cafe and boat hire are also available. The lake is normally full of children during the summer months but its all very safe and boats passing by must stick to the 10mph speed limit. Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead. Plenty of parking which is free for National Trust members, but pay and display for others.