Bug & Beastie Week
Lake District Wildlife Park
27th - 31st May
Did you know that a dragonfly can fly up to 48 kph and that woodlice drink through their bottoms? Get up close and personal with our wonderful creepy crawlies. Our aim is to convince you that bugs and beasties are not creepy, they are in fact very cool! Fun games and activities and lots of interesting facts to learn about both native and exotic species.
Keswick Museum
Reimaging Goldilocks
Head to Keswick Museum to discover where the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears comes from
and why not write your own Fairytale?
Summer Fair
Keswick Museum
Saturday 25th May
Fitz Park & Inside the Museum
Teddy Bear's Picnic
Join for Storytelling, facepainting, craft activities, a chance to handle objects from the museum collection, and a Bear Repair station for any Teddys needing some TLC. There will also be stalls from local organisation joining the Fair, Café West will be open.
Wordsworth House & Garden
Animal Arts and Crafts
25-29 May and 1-2 June
Times: 10:30am to 15:30pm
Come along to Wordsworth House and get crafty and creative in the Discovery Room. Be inspired by our exhibition on British wildlife and make yourself something to take home.
Calvert Lakes Kids Club
Tuesday 28th May
Calling all young horse lovers! Back for 2024, we are running Kids Club sessions during school holidays for children aged 12 years and under.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
- Each session is 2 hours long.
- As well as having a ride you will learn about taking care of your pony’s needs.
- £38.50 pp
Each session will include one of the following pony Care Topics:
- How to groom your pony, to include learning all the different brushes and their uses.
- Tacking up and learning different parts of the tack
- Parts of the pony
- How to lead and handle you pony
- Pony First Aid
- What to feed your pony
- Checking fields are safe.
Rheged Centre
Daily
Making Space
Open daily, session time 10am & 1pm
Visit our Making Space to create your own décopatch model, using glue, patterned papers and imagination. Booking essential.
Indoor Play
Open daily, 10am-4pm
Rheged’s state of-the-art indoor play area, designed by Tigerplay features a new café serving coffees and cakes, along with a seating area for parents and guardians. The revamped space features three slides alongside each other to race down and a specific area for young children. It also includes an elevated level including a ‘nest-like’ den which can be reached through climbing walls and ladders.
The play area is suitable for those up to eight-years-old, or 4ft 6ins in height. Entry costs £5 for 1-8 years & £2.50 for under 1s per session.
Opening hours are from 10am - 1pm and 1:30pm - 4pm. Entry is permitted anytime within the sessions. During half term and school holidays, 1 hour play slots will be available, booking is advised.
Rheged Cinema
- The Garfield Movie (U)
Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure!
- IF (U)
IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (12A)
Several generations after Caesar’s reign, in a world where humans have been reduced to living in the shadows and new tyrannical leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and make choices that will define a future for all apes and humans alike.
- Macbeth: Ralph Fiennes & Indira Varma (12A)- great for future GCSE students
Tony and BAFTA Award winner Ralph Fiennes and Olivier Award winner Indira Varma star in a brand-new ‘full-voltage visceral’ (★★★★ Daily Telegraph) production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Filmed live at Dock X, a custom-built theatre space in London, this critically acclaimed staging of Macbethwill be unmissable on the big screen.
Theatre By the Lake
Red Riding Hood - an Audio Adventure
Thurs 30th May - Sat 1st June
1pm, 2:30pm & 4pm
The Sound of Music
Thurs 30th May - Sun 2nd June
7:30pm, with shows at 2:30pm and 5pm on selected dates
Cafe HNW
The Fairy Door Trail.
Find Six Fairy Doors in Upper Fitz Park - what’s on the back of the doors?
Unravel the clues to win a prize.
£2.50 per trail map
From 25th May.
Cafe HNW & Calvert Stables
Book Launch
Tuesday 28th May
2pm - 4pm
Frankie & Fudge in the forest
Live reading from The Woodland Stage - meet the author Karen Thompson & the artist Amanda Nutter.
Get your very own signed copy.
Cafe HNW
Live Music
0n The Woodland Stage
25th May : 4pm - 6pm Open Mic
26th May : 4pm - 6pm James Allaster
30th May : 3pm - 5pm Chloe Hirst
Honister Slate Mine
Kid's Go Free
Under 16 years
With any with a paying adult on our 10:30 am mine tours. Your little ones can learn about the history and process of slate mining deep inside Fleetwith Pike, as well as enjoy some spectacular views across the Borrowdale Valley.
During the tour, you will be guided by one of our experienced miners who will share their knowledge and stories about the mine and its history. You’ll get to see the impressive tunnels and caverns, as well as the machinery used to extract the slate. Our miners will also demonstrate how the slate is split and trimmed, giving you a hands-on understanding of the process.
In addition to the mine tour, Honister Slate Mine offers a range of activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Explore the slate gallery and gift shop with its huge variety of slate products, including coasters, plates, jewellery and bespoke signs all made from the slate mined right here at Honister. Take home a unique and authentic souvenir to remember your visit.
For the more adventurous members of the family, there’s a great range of adrenaline-fulled activities such as climbing in the mine (8 yrs+) , the famous Via Ferrata (10 yrs+), Canyoning and Europe’s longest highwire bridge – The Infinity Bridge.
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
