Lakes and Peaks

 When we were deciding where to go for our April term break, we narrowed it down to either the Lake District  or the Peak District.  In the end, we decided on the Lake District, but with a stop in the Peak District to break up the drive each way!  It was a great trip, with lots of outdoorsy fun!

Day 1: Drive, Thor's Cave (Peak District)

Day 2: Catbells Hike, Bowder Stone, Lake Play, Ashness Bridge/Surprise View

Day 3: Muncaster Castle, Wast Water, Scale Force

Day 4: Friars Crag, Keswick

Day 5: Hilltop House, Claife Viewing Station, Hawkshead, Wray Castle, Ambleside/Waterhead

Day 6: Cathedral Cave (via Slater's Bridge), Rydal Cave, Grasmere

Day 7: Lowther Castle, Dalemain Gardens, Aira Force

Day 8: Drive, Chatsworth House (Peak District)

Day 1

Our Peak District stop of the day was Thor's Cave! This cave visit involves a small hike to the cave (and back again at the end) from the parking lot.  We passed a field full of cows (and a bull), some beautiful old stone fences, and some beautiful countryside views.  The hike isn't too long but it gets more uneven as you get closer to the cave.

The cave itself has a couple areas to explore, and it's a bit steep inside, so we were glad to have good shoes on (and the toddler in a carrier).

The rest of the day was just driving from home in Cheltenham to our AirBnB in Glenridding.

Day 2

The Catbells hike was first on our list for the day, but as we drove around Ulswater we just HAD to stop- there were swans on the lake and in the morning light there was just a beautiful reflection on the still water.  Stunning.  If we hadn't been on our way to the hike this would have been a great place to sit with a hot drink and just enjoy the peaceful scene.

Catbells is a great hike with an amazing view from the top. It's steep and involves some climbing on boulders as you get closer to the top, but my 8 and 6 year olds handled it well and the 3 year old hitched a ride in the hiking carrier most of the way. The length is going to vary slightly depending on where you park and start the hike (we parked in a layby) but it is a circular route.

Next we headed over to the Bowder Stone.  What is it?  A big rock.  Yes, really.  Supposedly the largest fragment of rock in the world, according to one advertisement from 1859. It has been a tourist attraction since 1798, when the ladder was installed an a cottage built to house an attendant.  It is now free to visit and managed by the National Trust, and has a parking lot about 15 minutes away (easy walk).

Time to relax and play! We parked in the Kettlewell car park and just spent some time hanging out at the lake (Derwentwater).  The water was cold but we got the older kids into wet suits and they had a blast in the water.

We went next to Ashness Bridge, which is a very old and picturesque bridge.  My kids were tired out from their water play and weren't super interested in looking at an old bridge so Aaron hung out with them in the car while I popped over for some photos (there is a car park basically right across from the river/stream that goes under the bridge, so only about 1-2 minutes' walk away).  

Just beyond the bridge is a viewpoint called "Surprise View," which was our last stop before heading back for dinner and bed.

Day 3

We started the day with a Castle! Muncaster Castle itself wasn't open for visitors when we were there (Covid restrictions were active at the time) but we got to explore the grounds, which gave us plenty to do! There was a fairy trail, slides, play houses- and all of that before we even got close enough to see the castle. Close to the castle there was a large playground, a bug hotel, and an owl sanctuary.  We got lunch at the cafe (which was delicious but took forever), visited the owls, and walked around the castle.  Definitely worth a stop, even though we couldn't go inside.

We made a short stop along the shore of Wast Water, just to take in the scenery and relax for a bit.  That's a must for a trip to the Lake District!

The last part of day 3 was a hike to Scale Force waterfall.  Park in Buttermere for this hike- we didn't follow this advice and had a gorgeous, but much longer walk.  We were all so exhausted and cranky by the end, so I really wish we had been smarter about our parking location.  The waterfall is the tallest in the Lake District but we were a bit underwhelmed- though that may have had more to do with the fact that it was starting to get cold and dark and we still had a long hike back to the car ahead of us.

Day 4

We packed a picnic lunch and spent the bulk of the day at the lake, on a pebble beach near Friars Crag.  We weren't the only ones there but it definitely wasn't crowded and we had a great time.  We walked into Keswick afterward and did a little bit of wandering and shopping.  It was a great low key day.

Day 5

This day was more busy, to make up for all the relaxing of the day before! We started bright and early at Hilltop House, Beatrix Potter's Lake District home.  Again, because of Covid the house itself wasn't open but we got to enjoy the gardens and and see some locations in the village that made it into her Peter Rabbit illustrations.  I love a literary location and this was a bit of a double hitter as the author's home and the setting for her stories.

Next we parked at Ashlanding to visit the Claife Viewing Station which has been around since the 1790s.  We got some fun pictures and a great view.  Then we drove (there's also a walking path) to Hawkshead, where we found a chocolate shop, a church, and the school that William Wordsworth attended.

Wray Castle was next, which is just one of the most beautiful intact castles we've seen.  And it even had a great playground for the kids, so it was a win-win for our family.

We visited Ambleside to see the Bridge House, a tiny little house that is built over the river in town. It's hard to believe a family of eight once lived here! 

We didn't stay in Ambleside long though, we went down the road to eat ice cream and a takeaway dinner in Waterhead.

Day 6

Day 6 was cave day!  It was also Aaron's birthday, and he loves these types of adventures. Cathedral Cave was first, and the hike there took us over Slater's Bridge.  Cathedral cave was an old slate mine and Slater's Bridge is an old slate bridge that was used by miners back in the 17th century.  Some of the tunnels in Cathedral Cave had some pretty deep water so we didn't go in those, but there was still plenty to explore!  Definitely worth a visit!

Next we headed over to Rydal Cave (bring your wellies!) which has a definite uphill from the car park but so worth it.  There are two main chambers, one of which has large stepping stones in water to reach the inside.  Lots of fun, and there were tons of families there to enjoy it.

One quick stop in Grasmere to pick up some famous gingerbread and see the graves of the Wordsworth family and then we headed to a pub near our airbnb for dinner.

Day 7

Our first stop was Lowther Castle.  This one surprised us with how awesome it was! The castle itself didn't have tons to explore as you can only be on the main level, but the grounds are extensive and has an amazing adventure playground.  One really neat thing about this castle is that it is a ruin, but the interior was only demolished in 1957, which is so recent!  There are actual photographs of the grand staircase with the castle staff, which is so uncommon for a castle ruin!  If you go to the Lake District, definitely spend some time here.

We went on to Dalemain Mansion.  Only the gardens were open, but they were beautifully maintained with some really interesting and colorful plants.  Unfortunately while we were there our oldest started getting an allergic reaction- puffy and watery eyes- so we had to cut our visit short and find a pharmacy to get some benadryl for him. Not so fun, but we were really enjoying Dalemain until then!

We went back to the Airbnb to relax for a bit, but our son was eventually feeling better so we decided to go back out to see one last thing in the Lake District- Aira Force waterfall.  There's a good carpark and a well marked circular trail that takes you to a viewing platform and then up and over the top of the waterfall before coming back around the other side.  It was a good way to end our time in the Lake District!

Day 8

We packed up and headed back to the Peak District.  Only one thing on the agenda for the day (other than driving)- Chatsworth House!  If you've seen Pride and Prejudice (the Kiera Knightly one) you'll recognize this as Pemberly, the home of a certain Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy.  Again, the house was not open due to Covid restrictions at the time, but we still spent plenty of time eating lunch, exploring the grounds, and enjoying the view from the reflecting pool and fountain.  You could easily spend a whole day here, especially when the house is open.

After Chatsworth House we drove the rest of the way home.  It was such a great trip, it's no wonder people love the Lake and Peak Districts!