Herdwick Croft

No need to travel far to access fathoms of Lake District things to see and do from Herdwick Croft: climbing Skiddaw and many varied walks for all abilities of the Northern Fells (three miles); Wordsworth’s birth town Cockermouth (five miles), and Keswick on Derwentwater (eight miles). Even closer to home, a fitness centre with indoor pool is a mere mile away and Cockermouth Golf Course within two miles. The mountain bike trails of Whinlatter Forest, the longest purpose-built trails in the Lake District, are five miles away and have a cycle shop at the trail head with bike maintenance and bike hire. You can also hire a helmet cam to film and later upload to YouTube your entire wobbly journey; we think that sounds like a hoot. Nearby Grizedale Forest is probably better for younger or less experienced mountain riders, or stick to two feet at Whinlatter and take one of the many waymarked trails to spot red squirrels, eye up Bassenthwaite Lake again or orienteer towards Revelin Moss (the Revelin Moss paths are wheelchair and pushchair accessible). Bassenthwaite Lake ospreys can be peeked at from here too via the Whinlatter Forest CCTV. The area around Herdwick Croft is filled with family attractions: Lakeland Wildlife Oasis mixes wildlife and interactive displays to cover 300 million years of beastly history; there's a working farm at Lakeland Maze and Farm Park, and quacking about at Ducky's Park Farm with giant indoor play area. Further afield but still within easy driving distance are the many widths and depths of Lake District highlights: scaling Scafell Pike, steaming along by boat or train, museums, Ice Age caverns, Roman forts, crashing waterfalls, old villages, historic houses... If it’s difficult to fathom just how to spend your time, start off at Windermere’s impressive Lake District Visitor Centre, where you can read your newly acquired info in the café overlooking the lake, put the kids on ponies, visit the award-winning gardens, or swing around among the trees.