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.

Lovely little trail. As we were staying at the Falls Caravan park, we were already at the top of…read morethe trail and had a lovley meander down into Ingleton. A little more challenging on the way back with some steep climbs, but take it easy at your own pace and the sense of achievement at the end is worth the effort.

This would be one of the main reasons to visit this quaint little town in the heart of North…read moreYorkshire. The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail is an utter delight, and quite the walk, but well worth the visitors fee - which I believe was something like £5-8. The folks at the gate weren't massively welcoming, but you literally pay your fee, park up and get on foot so it's not too bad. (And of course, we can assume the fee goes toward the upkeep of this place of natural beauty.) A word of warning -the car park is laid out in the most bizarre way, with tiny tiny spaces, and it seems a popular spot for caravans so I'd advise getting there early to ensure a space. Or give in to a good fifteen minutes of adjusting the frustrating labyrinth it can become. Anyway. The walk itself is several miles long, and can take up to four hours depending on your speed, but you'd be hard pressed for a more beauteous journey. With gorgeous copper water flowing the whole route around, due to the peet, the walk is lush with greenery. You'll be clambering up steep rock steps, ascending the hills, traversing across the mountainous dales, and view five incredible waterfalls along the way. There's even a cafe at about a third of the way along, for a coffee stop, and if you're spritely like me you can make it in two and a half hours-even stopping to photograph everything. Essentially, it's what I love about this country the most. England's pastures green, and all that. My favourite spot is the little Oak copse about half way home. Being autumn when I was there, it was exquisite and resplendent in orange hue, and so peaceful with the water roaring in the background, the birds, and the air. You'll feel right, when you're here, and without a care in the world. Outstanding.

Located in a great area directly facing Lake Windermere, the lake District visitor centre is a…read moregreat source of information and advice on what to do , where some great trails and hikes are, where to eat and more! There is a pay and display parking, however there's some free parking on the outside of the pay and display for two hours. Plenty of things to keep kids occupied and so much beauty to see!

We found this place purely by accident; as it is signposted as the Lake District Visitors Centre,…read morewe expected a lot of information on the wider area. It is a series of adventure areas going from the play equipment, swings etc for toddlers right up to the sixty feet up in the trees rope-work which requires full harness and safety line. The childrens' areas are free and the car park is very reasonable as well as having the best organised payment methods I have ever seen. It used number plate recognition on entry to the park. When you are leaving, you enter your licence number and the machime tells you how long you have been there and what it costs. Payment is possible by cash or all the usual credit and debit cards - and there is even an option of leaving it until you get home and paying online, as long as it is within 48 hours! We didn't go as far as finding out the costs for the rope-work course as our children are 5 months and 22 months, but we did see the prices for the huge netting up above the playground area. Children between 3 years and, I think, 8 were £12.50 and the same charge for any adult accompanying them. This would make it very expensive for a family group, but it was pretty full, so it must be worth it. I am pretty sure we will be back when the "littlies" are old enough to enjoy it properly.

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.

As a gift for my boyfriend's birthday a couple of years ago I organised a trip up to Ingleborough…read moreCave. I wasn't sure what to expect but I love day trips out and it was a great excuse to get out in Yorkshire and have a lovely day in the sun. A bunch of us piled into a couple of cars and set off. I think having the day so full on sunshine helped but the location was utterly beautiful. We arrived in the little town nearby and parked up right near a beautiful waterfall, which stemmed from the caves, and ensuing river. There were beautiful old buildings and gorgeous flowers everywhere! A brief fifteen minute walk along the most beautiful countryside, in a deep valley, and we reached the caves. Fortunately we were just in time for the next tour, which occur every hour. We each picked up a hard hat before entering and were on our way. The lady who showed us around was lovely, really very knowledgeable and direct, and when the lights suddenly completely went out, kept us calm by very quickly explaining they were on a timer and there was no need to worry! (That bit was a little hairy!) Features worthy of note include 'Lady Victoria's Bloomers' - a rock formation that really look a little more like something in the nether regions of the male of the species to me, but were dubbed thus in (obviously) the Victorian times. The tour took about 50 minutes and was really interesting, the stalagmites and stalagtites are just beautiful. There are all the standard amenities, drinks, food, snacks and such, but my favourite feature was the gift shop! So many shinys! There were hoards of gemstones, keyrings, gifts, salt lamps and all sorts of beautiful items - most of which were much cheaper than most gift shops in town. All in all this was one of the best days out I've had in my time up north - well worth the (albeit lengthy) trip!

Just 20 minutes by train from Manchester and around 30 minutes from Leeds - sandwiched in the…read morePennines is the glorious Dovestones. Most people walk around the 1st reservoir and enjoy the stroll. You can however walk around as many as 4 reservoirs in total and increase the challenge. If your particularly fit or an experienced Walker then walk to the tops and enjoy some fantastic views. The place changes every day with the weather, and lots of different routes to take so you won't get bored. Always wear good shoes/boots and take your waterproofs just in case. There is ample parking on weekdays, but very busy at weekends.

Our mission to go for at least one walk in the great outdoors each month of 2016 continues - at…read moreDove Stone Reservoir up in the hills of Saddleworth. Hoping lots of folks would have been put off by the cold weather and fallen snow, our group were met by total carmageddon at the official car park (which was full on a Sunday lunchtime and proved difficult to find a space). After a couple of circuits without success, we drove back to the main road, up the hill a few hundred yards and found plenty of room at the Binn Green car park. It's supposed to be pay and display but there were no machines - double winner. We took a stepped path down from this car park (it's a tad muddy in winter so choose appropriate footwear) and then eventually met the main paved/gravelled route around the reservoir. It's pretty flat all the way and there are gorgeous views to be had, so lots of photo opportunities. The shorter circular route is about 3 miles, whereas if you include the route past Yeoman Hey and Greenfield Reservoirs this increases to 5 miles. We were getting hungry by this point so decided to just do the former!

Snaefell (snow mountain) is the only mountain on the Isle of Man. Standing at 621 metres, it…read moreaffords fantastic views of the six kingdoms - Mann, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England and Heaven! There are many walking routes that will allow you to summit Snaefell. The easiest is to drive to Bungalow and walk from there - it's quite an easy path and should take between 20 and 30 minutes depending on fitness. It's steep in parts and can be marshy so good walking boots are required. For a longer walk, the mountain can be accessed from various areas such as Laxey, Kirk Michael, Carraghyn, and West Baldwin. For those of you of a less energetic nature, there is also the Snaefell mountain railway which will take you all the way to the top. There is a cafe at the top which will provide you with food and drinks, but this is only open in high season. I have climbed this mountain twice now - once at the end of a long walk from Laxey, and once from the easier access point of Bungalow. Unfortunately, on the first occasion there was so much fog at the summit I was unable to see my hand at the end of my arm, the second time the winds were so strong I had to hold on to the summit marker to prevent myself being blown away. Hence, I have not yet been able to enjoy the fantastic views I have heard so much about! That said, its a great walk. I have a thing about reaching high points so I will continue to climb it on my visits to the Isle of Man. One day I will be rewarded with that view!

As picturesque as it gets in Bolton, the Jumbles is a firm favourite for locals and outsiders…read morealike. This was at full testimony on my last walk (Sunday) when the weather had perked up a little as almost half of Bolton had decided to do the same! That could sound quite negative but it's definitely not, theres room and space for all. Most would say it's better when the sun is shining and you don't need to wrap up like you're about to tackle an blizzard on Snowdon, but sometimes it's just as beautiful to walk round when it's bitterly cold and the trees are frosting in stead of blooming. I'm very lucky to have this on my doorstep although I don't utilise it enough. If you're looking for a new walking route or a different reservoir to explore, make the Jumbles your next stop - and call in at my house for a cuppa on your way out!