Summer holidays in and around Keswick
Summer Family Activities at Keswick Museum
July 5th – August 25th
Lego Tuesdays
Every Tuesday, get stuck in with our giant collection of LEGO and Duplo and build to your hearts content. Suitable for children (and grown-ups!) aged 6 and older, with Duplo for the little ones. £3 per child, adults go free. One-hour sessions at 11am and 1pm. No booking required.
Crafty Thursdays
On Thursdays, drop-in to the museum and create your own crafty masterpiece inspired by our exhibitions! Suitable for all ages. £3 per child, adults go free. One-hour sessions at 11am and 1pm. No booking required.
The summer holidays are here, the sun is out and there is plenty to occupy youngsters at Mirehouse & Gardens. The woodland playgrounds with swings, beck crossings and scramble nets are always a winner and timed races on the Steeple Chase are a favourite for burning off energy.
There is no shortage of fir cones to be "fired" from the woodland fort at attacking "armies"! The family nature trail is included in the price of the grounds tickets (Under 4s free) and spot red squirrels, birds and unusual plants as you go round the gardens.
In the house the owl trail or family quiz might help pass the time. Also, children are very welcome to play in the Victorian nursery until closing time. Then finishing off your visit to Mirehouse with ice creams, homemade cakes, soup or Cumberland sausage from the Old Sawmill Tearoom is always popular.
All Summer
All the mischievous little mice from the Keswick Cheese Deli have escaped and are hiding in lots of wonderful shops around the town. Can you help to find all 24 of them?
A perfect family activity, you can do it all in one go or spread it out over your stay in Keswick. Maps can be collected from the front of the Keswick Cheese Deli or from the Tourist Information Centre. Find out more at www.thekeswickmousetrail.co.uk.
Summer Touch Rugby
Throughout The School Holidays
Summer touch rugby at Keswick Rugby Club every Friday from 6.30pm to 8pm.
No need to book, just turn up. Everyone is welcome.
FACTORY: Festival of Creative Arts
11th to 14th August
A new weekend arts festival, showing paintings, photography, ceramics, textiles and much more including the best of local music talent.
Summer Club
9th, 10th, 15th & 19th August
26th July and 24th August
Drop in to the Learning Space at Wordsworth Grasmere for some summer holiday ‘Make and Play’ family activities. Explore summer as we craft and create. We’ll bring William and Dorothy’s writings to life as you have a go at a range of making and creative writing activities. 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
18th August (10.30am & 2.30pm)
Get creative in the outdoors and go exploring with the team at Wordsworth Grasmere. Walk from Dove Cottage to White Moss Common, where children can have a go at sketching and painting their surroundings. From craggy fells to shining lakes and perhaps even a heron in the pond, they’ll find no end of inspiration! On the walk there and back there will be plenty of stops to see what animals and plants you can spot, and you will share some of William and Dorothy Wordsworth’s writing in the places that they wrote about.
FREE Fitz Park I-Spy Trail
All Summer
If you're looking for some fun outdoor family activity in Keswick, why not drop-in to Keswick Museum and pick up your FREE I Spy Trail – a great way to explore the town's beautiful Fitz Park any day of the week. Find the numbers, look around, look up high and on the ground, spot an eagle and a fountain, spy a bridge, a bear, a mountain! There are 10 trail posts to find – when you’ve found them all, come into the museum for a prize!
The Tortoise and the Hare - A Suitcase Story
Thurs 18th & Fri 19th August (11am & 2pm)
Get ready to hop like a hare and travel like a tortoise. Who will win, slow and steady or fast and furious?
We travel around with our suitcase of stories, spinning yarns and telling tales. What will come out of the suitcase today? Join us at Theatre by the Lake for an unexpected dash to the finish line. On your marks, get set…GO!
An interactive story for under 6s and their grownups with live music, puppetry and a tale you thought you knew.
Head to the Park
We've a choice of outdoor play areas around Keswick. Fitz Park, close to the town centre, has a fantastic children's playground, outdoor gym, a multi use games area and BMX track as well as a large open recreational area. There are also grass tennis courts and a putting green. At the other end of town, close to the lake, Hope Park has crazy golf, putting, a pitch and putt course and remote controlled boats. Whinlatter Forest Park, just outside Keswick, has a wonderful adventure playground laid out as a trail through the forest where children can explore the natural environment. It includes an archimedes screw, secret doors in trees and a series of pulleys to move millions of little pebbles. Nearby at Mirehouse Historic House the grounds are home to four woodland adventure playgrounds and a heather path maze in the Bee Garden.
Go for a Walk
Take a look at our Family Walks page where you'll find a selection of routes from buggy friendly walks for young families to more challenging routes for those with older children.
The multi-user railway trail between Keswick and Threlkeld allows families of all ages to get out together as you can use the path on foot, bike, scooter, buggy and wheelchair. There are lots of information panels along the way where you find out more about local nature and wildlife as well as the history of the railway.
Head up to Whinlatter Forest, England’s only true mountain forest, where you'll find walking trails of varying lengths to suit all abilities
Take a Walk on the Wildside
Take a walk with an alpaca, a unique chance to bond with one of the Alpacas as you lead them, feed them and even take them for a dip in the lake. Alpaca Meet and Greets are great for all the family, lasting around half an hour and allowing you to get up close.
Or spend the day at the Lake District Wildlife Park - see over 100 species of wild and domestic animals in 24 acres of parkland set amongst breath-taking scenery. There are birds of prey and a rare breed farm animal collection. Play areas, picnic sites and a café make it a fun day out for all the family.
Indoor Fun
Head to Puzzling Place, a world of optical Illusions. Be amazed by interactive illusion exhibits, artwork and sculptures and see balls roll uphill in the anti-gravity room.
At the Derwent Pencil Museum discover the history of pencil making and see the world's largest pencil. Visit Keswick Museum where you'll find digital activities and engaging exhibitions.
Click here for more details of our local attractions.
Outdoor Adventures
There are a wide range of family activities around Keswick. Whinlatter Forest is home to Go Ape, a fantastic treetop adventure where you can swing through the trees or if you’d rather stay down on the ground, you can enjoy the all-terrain Segways to explore Whinlatter forest from a thrilling new perspective.
From Ghyll Scrambling to Indoor Climbing, Rookery Woods to Canoeing, there are lots of exciting adventures waiting for you at Keswick Climbing Wall & Outdoor Activity Centre.
Find out more about water based activities here including sailing, paddle-boarding, kayaking and canoeing. To find out more about outdoor activities around Keswick click here.
Get on Your Bike
Cycling is a fun way to explore the area and, if you haven't brought your bike with you, you can hire one from Cyclewise in Whinlatter Forest where you'll find a choice of mountain bike trails.
The pump track in Fitz Park is a very popular destination for riders from beginners through to advanced. For younger riders, just learning to ride a bike or not yet confident to go on the road, the perimeter path, which runs all way around the park, makes a great circuit.
The Keswick to Threlkeld Railway Trail is a 10km out and back off-road route with gentle gradients. Being a multi-user trail it is great for the whole family with cyclists, runners, push-chairs, walkers and mobility scooters all sharing the space.
Read Our Blogs
For more inspiration about what to see and do in the Keswick area read our blogs.
What's On
From Family Fun to Festivals and Shows, check out what's on in Keswick
