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The Lake District’s more synonymous with poetry than paintings, but it’s definitely worth making a beeline for Beckstones Art Gallery (15 minutes’ drive) to see top-notch works by UK creatives. Visit swoon-worthy historical buildings like the ruined medieval Penrith Castle and the 13th-century Brougham Castle (both 20 minutes) as well and you might just be inspired to bust out the sketchpad and pencils yourself… Lakeland has plenty of other properly pretty old buildings with gorgeous gardens to check out too: think the National Trust’s Acorn Bank (30 minutes) with its sizeable herb collection and old-school fruit orchard, and Dalemain Mansion’s formal gardens edging wilder woodlands (20 minutes). If the tiddlers are in desperate need of a dose of sugar after all the leg stretching, the delectable confections at the Abbott Lodge Jersey Ice Cream (25 minutes) should see them right. Let small humans rest after roams with a ride on one of the Ullswater steamers (30 minutes), which pass by the tallest mountains in Lakeland – including the particularly hefty Helvellyn – on a scenic eight-mile route. Gliding along the water in springtime? Turning to the western side gets you views of the daffodils that inspired Wordsworth's famed poem.