Lake District family activity holiday
Child (8-12) from £885 to £995 .
Under 8 welcome but may not be able to do all activities
Description of Lake District family activity holiday
The Lake District is undeniably one of the most beautiful regions in England, with its glistening lakes and towering fells providing an exceptional setting for a family activity holiday.
The activities included with this holiday are based around the picturesque Borrowdale Valley and ‘The Queen of the English Lakes’; Derwentwater and your family will walk, climb, scramble, abseil, canoe and sail around this open-air adventure playground accompanied by some of the best guides in the business. These are always hugely popular activities with families, allowing children to be challenged whilst also having a great deal of fun!
Your hotel accommodation is situated at the southern end of Derwentwater, just a scenic 20-minute drive, skirting the lake, from Keswick. Your hotel is also the starting point for your activities. This is a self-drive holiday and although it is possible to do without a car (please speak to our Travel Experts for further information on this) a car does give you some added flexibility in getting to Keswick if you wish to make the most of this traditional Lake District town with its delightful mix of independent shops, outdoor equipment stores, cafés and cosy traditional hikers’ pubs. We highly recommend wandering around the town centre during any free time, especially visiting the local farmers’ market on Thursday.
Just a short walk from the centre of Keswick is Castlerigg stone circle, the Stonehenge of the North! It is not on the same scale as its more showy cousin, but there is no doubt the surrounding scenery is more impressive – definitely worth a visit during any free time.
Where you'll be staying during this Lake District activity holiday:
The Glaramara Hotel : Glaramara Hotel is situated in a superbly rural location, surrounded by dramatic fells, lush, green fields and the meandering River Derwent. Only 20 minutes drive from the market town of Keswick, it’s easy to pop along for a visit.
Hotel facilities:
- The fantastic hotel restaurant and bar offers a variety of tasty dishes, with plenty of locally-sourced ingredients to enjoy, all cooked by their award-winning chef
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
- A drying room, should you get caught in a Lake District downpour!
Families can enjoy several walking routes from the hotel’s doorstep
Room type
Double and twin rooms: there are 25 double and twin rooms and 8 single rooms, all of which are en-suite. Each room is decorated in a stylish and comfortable fashion and most of them have views of the surrounding fells. Each room comes equipped with complimentary tea and coffee. Toiletries and towels are also provided.
What's included in your Lake District adventure holiday:
- Transport to and from all activities
- Accommodation: 6 nights’ hotel accommodation in a standard double/twin room
- Six breakfasts, four lunches (with activities) and three evening meals
- Activities: Exploration hike, watersports day (canoeing and paddleboarding), climbing and abseiling, Borrowdale challenge day (order of activities is subject to change)
- Fully qualified expert instructors
- All equipment, instruction and supervision during activities
* Please note: As you will not require your own vehicle once in the area, we can provide you with local taxi details, so that you can arrange your own transfers from Penrith train station to the hotel, should you choose to arrive by train. Please speak to our Travel Experts for further information.
Image credits: Glaramara, Platty+
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival and Welcome: Upon arrival in the beautifully scenic Lake District, you will be able to check into your accommodation from around 3pm onwards (approximate timing), allowing you the chance to settle in and explore. This evening a welcome meeting will be held with your guide to discuss the week’s programme. This will be followed by a delicious welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant. Included Meals: Dinner |
| Day 2: | Exploration Hike: After a hearty breakfast, you will be picked up to spend a day exploring one of the Lakeland Mountains. Your guide will discuss the local scenery and wildlife and, depending on the route, it may include visits to caves and mines which can be found throughout the region. There will be games along the way to allow the group the chance to get to know one another and for the children to make friends. There is no better introduction to The Lakes than this, as the guides here are all local experts. A picnic lunch is included today. Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch |
| Day 3: | Water Sports Day: Today will be spent on Derwentwater, known as the 'Queen of the English Lakes'. From your base at Lodore landings, you can really take in the magnificence of your surroundings and soon you will be exploring them whilst learning the strokes required to manoeuvre your canoe out on the open water. You may even visit one of the islands in Derwentwater and learn some basic bushcraft skills. After a picnic lunch, you will take back to the water on a paddleboard. Once you have picked up the basic technique you will soon realise what a serene activity this is and it really affords you the opportunity to take in the amazing landscape around you. Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch |
| Day 4: | Free Day: Today your family will have the opportunity to explore at your own pace. You may like to enjoy a stroll around the numerous attractions of Keswick, an independent hike up one of the nearby fells or perhaps an additional local activity (bookable and payable locally). One of the most popular options for families with older children is the Via Ferrata at Honister Slate Mine. A series of ladders and rungs are installed into the rock face around the mine and allow inexperienced climbers access to areas they would otherwise be unable to reach. There are some real adrenaline rushes to be had and some fantastic views can be seen from the top of the route. The activity lasts approximately two hours and the price includes transfers to and from the activity. Please see the 'Personalise' section for full details or speak to one of our Travel Experts. You will enjoy a well-earned dinner back at the hotel, this evening. Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner |
| Day 5: | Climbing and Abseiling: Following a full safety briefing, the group and your guide will head to a local rock face to enjoy a full day of climbing and abseiling. If the weather is unsuitable we will arrange for you to visit the renowned indoor Keswick climbing wall as an alternative. A picnic lunch is included today. Included Meals: Breakfast and Lunch |
| Day 6: | Borrowdale Challenge: A final day of fun challenges awaits, as your guide will lead you on a action packed experience that you will remember long after you have left the Lakes behind. You will not only learn and use orienteering skills to navigate your way but also try out ghyll scrambling where you will essentially travel downstream along the course of a stream (or ghyll) via a series of jumps, slides and scrambles; often swimming or wading through any sections of deeper water. Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch |
| Day 7: | Departure: Today you will return home or we can also arrange for you to extend your stay in the Lake District. Included Meals: Breakfast |
Price information
Child (8-12) from £885 to £995 .
Under 8 welcome but may not be able to do all activities
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Reviews
2 Reviews of Lake District family activity holiday
Reviewed on 03 Sep 2020 by Alison Murray
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
We loved all of it. Probably Ghyll scrambling
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
One family recommended change of clothes ++ : we would thoroughly endorse this (although there is a laundrette around the corner from the hotel). Also,
having your own towels, hats and gloves, even in summer, keeps your options open when you are up on the fells
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we felt very close to the local community and were pleased to support local businesses recovering from Covid
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very highly: we were looked after very well by Duane and the team at the hotel. Hotel was in a good location and just right for us.
Reviewed on 18 Aug 2020 by Annette Morris
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Ghyll scrambling!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you can only do one of the activities do the ghyll scrambling!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It benefited local people because we used local facilities, shops, restaurants etc.
The activity centre used non-plastic bags for packed lunches; the activity leaders
shared their knowledge about the local environment, wildlife, geology etc. & ensured we were respecting it at all times.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was absolutely brilliant and surpassed all our expectations. Our activities were
tailored to suit our abilities and preferences, the leaders were infinitely patient and helped all of us achieve what we could, the accommodation was really lovely and comfortable with plenty of space and friendly staff. The only minor point is that vegan options at the hotel were limited although what we had was excellent and the chef even prepared a special vegan meal one night when there was nothing on the menu. The lack of choice in no way detracted from what was a truly outstanding holiday.
Responsible Travel
Planet
Our activity centre on the Lake District family activity holiday is located at the head of the stunningly beautiful Borrowdale Valley in the Lake District National Park. The centre offers a large range of outdoor activities and is operated in an environmentally responsible and community-friendly manner. The Centre’s management prides itself on employing local people on long-term contracts, allowing staff to stay resident in this beautiful area. All of the centre’s instructors and staff are briefed on responsible travel and use of the environment, in turn passing on this message to the many customers.The centre uses only produce provided by local suppliers, thus providing only the freshest produce for its customers whilst supporting the local economy. The centre has an active recycling programme, which all staff and customers are briefed in and encouraged to use. Each year the staff monitor the centre’s energy consumption and investments are made in new energy-saving appliances and procedures. The ideal location in the heart of Borrowdale means that use of transport for activities can be kept to a minimum. If transport is needed local companies are used to help boost the local economy.
The centre on our Lake District family activity holiday works closely with the National Trust, the National Park Authority, the local community and other nearby outdoor centres to ensure that the local area and activity sites are managed thoughtfully, with any environmental impact kept to a minimum. The centre is also a key member of the Borrowdale User Group (BUG), through which they assist in reporting and informing other users about any areas of concern and implement plans to deal with any current or potential problems.
Our accommodation is situated in a superbly rural location but only 20 minutes drive from the market town of Keswick. The hotel adopts a sound environmental policy. In order to cut down on plastic containers being used and liquids, the hotel now uses concentrated chemicals and has reusable containers for these.
The amount of full linen changes on stayovers has been reduced to cut down on laundry and kitchen aprons, clothes and restaurant serving clothes are washed in-house. Guests are asked to place towels in the bath if they require them to be changed otherwise they would be placed back on the towel rail to be re-used. If a bedroom is for single occupancy we always use a twin room (2 single beds so only 1 bed will be used instead of a double bed) and make sure only one set of towels are in the room.
The hotel has invested in a compressor for cardboard boxes which are then sent away to the council for recycling and all paper is put into a recycle bin in reception which is then transferred to the outside large recycling bin. There are 3 bottle bins which all bottles from the bar and restaurant are put into each day. All printer cartridges are kept and sent back to the supplier to be recycled. When ordering copier paper we always use recycled. The night porter turns all lights and lamps off in public areas once the guests have gone to bed and then turns them back on at 7am. Housekeeping turn lights and TVs off in rooms once they are serviced. Radiators are checked in warmer months to ensure they are turned off. The heating times are reduced in warmer months.
People
Our activity centre is operated in a community-friendly manner. The Centre’s management prides itself on employing local people on long-term contracts, allowing staff to stay resident in this beautiful area.The centre uses only produce provided by local suppliers, thus providing only the freshest produce for its customers whilst supporting the local economy. The ideal location in the heart of Borrowdale means that use of transport for activities can be kept to a minimum. If transport is needed local companies are used to help boost the local economy.
The hotel endeavours to employ local people wherever possible but admit that it is difficult to attract residents into lower-paid jobs such as waiting and kitchen portering. Nevertheless, job vacancies are always advertised in local papers and the local job centre first, if no suitable employee is found then the hotel broadens the advertising.
The hotel strives to support local businesses by using only local tradesmen for any building and maintenance issues. All the food is supplied from the northwest and the head chef endeavours to use local ingredients where possible.
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