The Lake District with kids: a family guide to boats, trains, walks and wet days

Children tend to remember the Lake District for small things: the boat, the steam train, the stone they threw into the lake, the waterfall they could hear before they saw it. The good news for parents is that the best family days here are cheap to plan and easy to change when the weather turns. This guide covers the boats and railways, short walks from our own route list, and the attractions worth knowing about for a wet afternoon. Opening times and prices change through the year, so check each operator before you set off.

Get on the water

Boats are the single best thing to do with children in the Lakes, and they double as transport, so you can walk one way and sail back.

• Windermere Lake Cruises. Boats run from Bowness, Ambleside (Waterhead), Lakeside, Brockhole, Wray and Ash Landing. The Red Cruise links Bowness, Ambleside, Brockhole and the Windermere Jetty Museum; the Yellow Cruise runs between Bowness and Lakeside, where it connects with the steam railway and the Lakes Aquarium. The company sells combined boat and train, and boat and aquarium, tickets, which make an easy day with no driving.
• Ullswater Steamers. Heritage boats link Pooley Bridge, Howtown and Glenridding, and under-fives travel free (checked October 2026). The Aira Force pier is out of use: the operator says those routes will reopen in 2027. Dogs travel on a short lead for a small charge.
• Keswick Launch. Boats hop round Derwentwater between seven jetties, including Hawes End, a short walk from the start of Catbells, plus Ashness Gate and Lodore. You can also hire a boat and go under your own steam.
• The Windermere ferry. The council-run ferry carries cars, bikes and foot passengers across the lake between Ferry Nab in Bowness and Far Sawrey. The crossing takes about ten minutes and there is no fixed timetable. Children love it, and it is the shortest way from Bowness to Beatrix Potter country.

Steam trains

• Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. Steam engines pull 1950s carriages up the Leven valley between Haverthwaite and Lakeside, at the southern end of Windermere. The 2026 steam season runs daily from 28 March to 1 November (checked October 2026). Combine it with a Yellow Cruise for a classic round trip.
• Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. A 15-inch-gauge line that runs seven miles from Ravenglass on the coast up into Eskdale, ending at Dalegarth for Boot, with request stops on the way. It is a full day out from the central Lakes, so stay in the west or pair it with the coast. At Ravenglass, our short, step-free walk to the Roman bath house suits small legs.

Beatrix Potter for small children

• The World of Beatrix Potter, Bowness. An indoor attraction at Crag Brow where you walk through 3D scenes from the stories, with a free activity trail for children, a Peter Rabbit café and the Peter Rabbit Garden next door. It is open daily, which makes it a sound rainy-day standby.
• Hill Top, Near Sawrey. Beatrix Potter's own farmhouse, run by the National Trust. Everyone, including members, must book a timed arrival slot online, up to two weeks ahead. The car park is small. Older children who know the books will get the most from it. Take the ferry across from Bowness and drive or cycle the last stretch.

Short walks that end somewhere good

All of these are on our walks list, with maps and directions. The distances below are from our own mapped routes.

• Aira Force waterfall loop. About 1.5 km through National Trust woodland to the top and bottom of Ullswater's famous falls. Short, but with many steep stone steps, so leave the pushchair behind.
• Friar's Crag and the Derwentwater shore. About 3 km there and back from Keswick, on broadly level tracks and boardwalk, with stone skimming on the shore. Fine with a pushchair, apart from the narrow path down to the viewpoint itself.
• Tarn Hows. About 3 km round the tarn on a wide gravel path with gentle gradients and a few short steeper slopes, between Coniston and Hawkshead.
• Orrest Head. A short climb straight from Windermere station to a viewpoint over the lake. Children like being on top of something; this is the easiest way to get them there.
• Gummer's How. About 2 km there and back from a Forestry England car park to a trig point with a view up the whole of Windermere.
• Dunmallard Hill. A woodland loop of about 2 km from Pooley Bridge, over a wooded knoll with the remains of an Iron Age fort.
• Loweswater and Holme Wood. Level and fully accessible, along the quiet shore into an oak wood.
• Talkin Tarn. A flat, hard-surfaced loop near Brampton with a tearoom at the boathouse, good for buggies and scooters.

When they are ready for more, the level Buttermere circuit is a longer half day with a lakeshore tunnel, and Elterwater to Skelwith Force follows the river to a waterfall with no stiles. For a first proper climb with older children, Stickle Tarn is steep but short, and the tarn under the cliffs of Pavey Ark feels like a real mountain reward.

The Bowder Stone, Borrowdale. A huge boulder with a fixed ladder up to a small platform on top. There is a National Trust pay-and-display car park off the B5289 beyond Grange, and the path to the stone is level. There are no barriers on top, so hold small hands.

Attractions for wet days (and dry ones)

• Lakes Aquarium, Lakeside. At Lakeside, at the southern end of Windermere, open daily from 10am, with otter talks and feeds twice a day. Under-threes go free (checked October 2026).
• Windermere Jetty Museum, Bowness. A museum of boats on the lakeshore, with steam launches and speedboats, a conservation workshop where you can watch restoration, a model boating pond and a café. Heritage boat trips run daily from 28 March to 1 November in 2026; in winter they are pre-booked exclusive trips only.
• Brockhole, near Windermere. The Lake District National Park's visitor centre on the shore between Windermere and Ambleside, reached by road or by Windermere Lake Cruises. It is home to Minty Land, BeWILDerwood's indoor play space, and Zip World's tree-top activities. Entry to the grounds is free but parking is charged.
• The Puzzling Place, Keswick. A small museum of optical illusions with an Anti-Gravity Room, an Ames Room and a hologram gallery. An hour well spent when it is pouring.
• Keswick Museum. Local history, geology and art, and the Musical Stones of Skiddaw, a set of tuned rocks from Skiddaw that the Victorians toured as a musical instrument. Combine it with Keswick market, which runs on Thursdays and Saturdays.
• Honister Slate Mine. At the top of the Honister Pass. Mine tours are open to all ages; the Infinity Bridge is for ages 8 and up and the via ferrata routes for 10 and up (checked October 2026).
• Grizedale Forest. Forestry England's forest near Hawkshead has play areas, easy-access trails, sculptures to spot along the paths, family trails and Go Ape for older children. Parking is charged.
• Rheged, near Penrith. A family stop near Penrith with a big-screen cinema showing family films, holiday workshops and a café with a children's menu.
• The Laurel and Hardy Museum, Ulverston. Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in 1890, and the town has a museum to the double act in the old Roxy cinema building, with statues of the pair in the town centre. Pair it with the climb to the Hoad monument.

See our rainy-day guide for more indoor ideas, and things to do for the full list.

Where to base yourselves

• Bowness and Windermere put the boats, the World of Beatrix Potter, the Jetty Museum and the ferry within walking distance, and the station makes it easy without a car. See Bowness-on-Windermere.
• Keswick has the launch, the museums, two market days and some of the best short walks. See Keswick.
• Ullswater is quieter, with the steamers and Aira Force on the doorstep. See Glenridding and Pooley Bridge.
• Hawkshead and Coniston suit Beatrix Potter fans and forest days. See Hawkshead.

Before you go

• Book the busy things. Hill Top needs a timed ticket, and boats and attractions are busiest in the school holidays.
• Parking. Lakeside car parks fill early on sunny weekends. Check our parking guide, or leave the car and use the boats and trains: our car-free guide shows how.
• Weather. Pack waterproofs even on a bright morning, and keep an indoor plan in reserve.
• Events. For school holiday trails and family events, see what's on.