Lake District with kids

10 tips on how to trek with toddlers

David Atkinson spent months exploring the Lake District with a small child in tow to research the new Footprint guide, Lake District with Kids. He found the Cumbrian landscape had evolved beyond all measure in terms of infrastructure, but also remained gloriously unchanged since his own childhood holidays in terms of its character. Here are Atkinson's top ten ideas to get out and about in the Lakes this summer.

Get out on the water

Getting out on the water should be an essential part of any Lakeland sojourn and serene Derwentwater, the third largest of the Cumbrian Lakes, is a perfect spot for getting your feet wet. The Keswick Launch runs all year round to navigate the lake, the seven stops tracing a circular route, while the Derwentwater Marina at Portinscale, near Keswick, offers year-round RYA tuition in sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking, plus boat hire.

www.keswick-launch.co.uk; www.derwentwatermarina.co.uk

Bag a Wainwright

Everyone should claim at least one Lakeland peak, and the best for families is Catbells near Keswick. Alfred Wainwright, the authority on walking in the Lakes, wrote: "Catbells is one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together." The well-trodden trail is hugely popular and relatively easy to access, but it does have some bite.

www.golakes.co.uk/adventure-capital/walking-lake-district.aspx

Ride the wire

The Honister Slate Mine, an all-weather activity centre, has slate mine tours taking you deep underground. For a family adrenaline rush, Honister also boasts England’s first ever mountain Via Ferrata, which now includes a zip wire from one cliff face to another over a 400 ft drop to the valley floor.

www.honister-slate-mine.co.uk

Go down to the woods today

The Forestry Commission’s Grizedale Forest Park, near Hawkshead, offers a rare oasis of space and calm at the pulsing heart of the Lake District National Park. Better still, a major refurbishment of facilities in the autumn of 2009 ensures that Grizedale is now very well equipped with walking and biking trails. Best suited to families with small children is the one-mile-long Ridding Wood Trail – also perfect for pushchairs.

www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedalehome

Hit the beach

A day at the seaside? Yes, really. Cumbria is not all mountains and lakes, but also boasts over 90 miles of coastline. In fact, Western Cumbria is home to some wonderfully deserted beaches to roll out the picnic blanket, fly a kite or chase a Frisbee. One of the best is Allonby Beach, a vast expanse of sand and shingle, and home to Twentyman's shop with its yummy homemade ice cream.

www.western-lakedistrict.co.uk

Take the train

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway was the first narrow-gauge railway to be built in England and today puffs history with every toot of its little whistle. It chuffs the seven miles between Ravenglass and Dalegarth-for-Boot with the open-top carriages providing head-spinning views of Eskdale. The railway, known as 'La’al Ratty', also offers train-and-bike excursions for parents and children aged 10 and above, combining a steam train ride with a three-hour cycle ride through charming, flower-strewn valleys.

www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk

Explore the sands

Morecambe Bay, the second largest bay in the UK, is a superb place for kids to hunt for shells, spot a range of sea birds and look for rare wildlife, but it can be a dangerous place with quicksand and tides that come in 'faster than a galloping horse'.The best (and safest) way to cross the bay is a guided walk led by Cedric Robinson, MBE, the Queen's Guide to the Sands, taking in fine views of the South Lakeland hills and a chance to spot communities of wading birds.

www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk/site/morecambe-and-the-coast

Take a hike

Ulverston makes a great South Lakes base with its attractive town centre and Laurel and Hardy Museum for a rainy day. The circular walk around town, particularly the three-mile northern leg, is a great walk for families with lots of history and wildlife to spot en-route. You can feed the ducks on the canal and even take a paddle in the stream at Bardsea if the tide is in.

www.visitcumbria.com/sl/ulverst.htm

A picnic by the lake

Talkin Tarn Country Park near Brampton, northern Cumbria, is a perfect back-to-nature escape: a glacial lake, mature woodlands trails and gentle, flower-strewn meadows. Best of all, Talkin is an ideal spot to grab a picnic, settle down under a shady tree and watch wildlife like otters, roe deer and red squirrels at play.

www.carlisle.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_open_spaces/parks_and_open_spaces/talkin_tarn.aspx

Bring history to life

The Romans built Hadrian's Wall, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, and it remains a testament to one of the world's greatest civilisations. With Roman Britain now on the National Curriculum, this off-the-beaten track enclave of northern Cumbria is a glorious place to soak up a sense of history, explore a vital part of British heritage and marvel at the ingenuity and engineering prowess of the Roman Empire. English Heritage manages the Wall and arranges a programme of events and family-friendly activities during the school holidays to bring history to life - many are free.

www.hadrians-wall.org; www.english-heritage.org.uk/hadrianswall

To buy the Footprint guide, Lake District with Kids, visit Amazon or the Footrpint website

For more information on David Atkinson, visit: www.atkinsondavid.co.uk; or follow him on Twitter