Lakeland Leisure Park

On the banks of Lake Windermere, in Brockhole, is the Lake District Visitor Centre, which has gorgeous gardens to explore, interactive exhibitions, a café with fab lake views, crazy golf, an indoor soft play area, and slides and scramble nets galore in the large outdoor adventure playground. Watch out for the cannibal crayfish in the freshwater aquarium... The steamer cruises on Windermere and Coniston are another ideal way to absorb the glorious lakeland scenery, and passengers can continue under steam power on the pretty Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway (combined sail and rail tickets are available). Peter Rabbit fans will be enthralled by the World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness, where they can wander through Mrs Tiggywinkle’s kitchen or Jemima Puddleduck’s woodland glade to meet their favourite characters. If real animals are preferable to the imaginary kind, try the South Lakes Wild Animal Park, where you can hand feed giraffes, penguins, lemurs and kangaroos, and get up close to an exciting range of creatures via the walk through enclosures and aerial walkways. At Honister Slate Mine, visitors can don helmets and lamps for a subterranean tour of the working mine, and adventurous types can scale the Via Ferrata along the cliff edge of Fleetwith Pike. History buffs will enjoy a poke around Holker Hall, whose stunning house and gardens are the family home of Lord and Lady Cavendish; the estate’s Food Hall is packed with gourmet goodies, and there’s a great gift shop. It’s also an easy ride to Blackpool for a fun-packed family day out. Blackpool Tower is a must-see, and not just for the views from the top - its grandiose architecture houses a circus, an Inca-themed adventure playground, grisly dungeons and more. Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s 42 acres contain a whopping 125 rides and attractions, from loopy white knuckle affairs to calming cruises - no wonder it’s the top tourist destination in the country.