Skiddaw View Holiday Park

Those of you who fancy a decent walk can circumnavigate Bassenthwaite Lake (15 minutes’ drive) or stride across the fells in the Underskiddaw hiking area (40 minutes). If you’re not feeling quite so energetic – or you’ve got youngsters in tow – it’s a short amble across a field to Castlerigg Stone Circle (20 minutes) to see the 5,000-year-old standing stones and views back to Skiddaw. If the kids are yearning for animals to cuddle, it’s time to head straight to the Lake District Wildlife Park (10 minutes) to feed the alpacas and listen to keeper talks about otters, red pandas or meerkats. There are more interactive antics to be had at Cumberland Bird of Prey Centre (half an hour), where you can get up close with owls and hawks, and watch them fly. The holiday park is also close to popular Lake District National Park destinations such as Grasmere (40 minutes), site of Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount, as well as Ambleside (50 minutes), gateway to Lake Windermere boat trips.