Brockhole
on Windermere
When you arrive at Brockhole you are
straight in to the car park and your car is registered as you drive
in. Parking isn't free but it isn't ridiculously over the top price
wise. Every time we have been we have spent a good 5-6 hours there
and parking has been around £5/£6 give or take. There are plenty
parking spaces and a decent overflow and on busier days (such as
during school holidays) attendants will direct you to a spot.
Once you are in the signs will
direct you to “The Visitor Centre” which is a large building that
contains:
- Reception
- Gift Shop
- Toilets
- Café
Upstairs in “The Visitor Centre”
is:
- Indoor Soft Play (for under 5's)
- Creativity Space
- Exhibitions
At the reception desk you can get
information on what is currently going on in the grounds. On our last
visit during Easter 2017 the latest attraction was “The Herdy
Trail”. Herdy, as you may know, is a brand that originated in The
Lake District and is based on the Herdwick breed of sheep. They
teamed up with Brockhole and devised a trail around the grounds to
find 15 sheep. It cost £3 for the activity pack which contained the
trail and at the end we got a gift bag which contained a sticker for
the car and some chocolate for the kids. Over the years they have had
various trails so this is something that changes regularly. The café
is a decent size and has a lot of outside seating on a terrace which
becomes very busy during the warmer months when they bring out the
ice-cream cart. We have never eaten in the café but we have purchase
ice creams and hot drinks from there before and the service was good
and the products weren't overpriced. The Gift Shop is what you would
expect and sells a lot of locally sourced products aimed at children
and adults alike. In my opinion it is a little expensive but I always
find that gift shops are...one thing for sure though is that there is no "tat". Everything they sell is good quality. The toilets are clean and well maintained.
Upstairs is the indoor soft play which is suitable for Under 5's. It
really is only suitable for younger kids as there isn't a great deal
of it and it is all very small but when we did visit one rainy day
when the twins were around 4 I was really pleased it was there. The
Creativity Space and Exhibitions are also good for indoor play if it
is raining and offer a range of activities for the kids to do.
However, the main reason that you want to visit Brockhole is for the
outside area which contains:
- Adventure Playground
- Orienteering / Trails
- Gardens and Grounds
As well as a whole bunch of “paid for” activities which I will cover in a bit.
The grounds of Brockhole are massive
and they are very well maintained and looked after. Just down from
The Visitor Centre is a large adventure playground which caters for
all ages. On our most recent visit they had replaced a lot of the
apparatus and they had put signs on every piece stating what age it
was aimed at. I thought this was a good idea as it allowed us to show
the twins that they were maybe a bit too big to be playing on
something aimed at 3 years and under but that they could certainly
have a bash at something aimed at 8 plus. As a Dad I have, naturally,
explored every part of the adventure playground and it is definitely
up there as being one of the fun ones. Just next to the adventure
playground is a large grassy area where you can picnic and a walk
that you take which runs up alongside Lake Windermere through a
wooded area. There are marked out orienteering trails that you can
follow and as you work your way along the path you will come across
the garden areas which are open to explore. Halfway along is a small
café that opened in 2016 which sells a small range of snacks, drinks
and ice creams. It does have a substantial outside area for sitting
at but inside there is only one table. The grounds are great to
explore and the twins love running around and seeing what they can
find.
That covers the stuff that is “free”
(apart from the Herdy trail) when you visit Brockhole which, trust
me, is more than enough to entertain the kids for a day. We always
take a picnic with us and find a nice seat by the lake and enjoy the
views and the peace and quiet.
On top of the “free” activities
there are also a range of activities that can be paid for including:
Archery – This is usually
set up during weekend and school holidays and costs £10 per person
for a one hour session. Every time we have visited it has been busy
so pre-booking online is advised.
Boat Hire – Various boats
ranging from kayaks to motor boats can be hired from the lake shore
and used to get the best views of Lake Windermere and the surrounding
areas. Prices vary depending on what you choose.
Bike Hire – Bikes can be
hired ranging from £16 to £30 for 4 hours or for the full day and
includes access to bike only areas accessible via the “Bark Barn
Bike Boat”.
Mini Golf – This costs
£3.50 per adult, £2 per child or £10 per family (2 ads 3 kids) and
there is no need to book. We have yet to do this but I think we will
on our next visit.
Pony Rides – These cost £12
for a 15 minute guided trek around the grounds. The twins have done
this and they loved it although I do think it is a little pricey for
how long you get.
Treetop Nets – This is
located literally above the adventure playground. It consists of
1500m of trampolines, nets, slides, tunnels and walkways suspended 9m
in the air. It costs £12.50 to £18 per person. We have yet to do
this as I want the twins to be a little older to enjoy it more.
Treetop Trek – This is the
first thing you see when you enter the car park. It consists of 35
treetop challenges such as rope bridges, wobbly logs and ends with a
250m long zip wire. Prices vary depending on age and what parts you
would like to do.
As well as these there are also one
off activities and exhibitions of which further details can be found
on their website.
Brockhole is one of our favourite
places to visit as a family and we would go here much more often if
it was our doorstep. The twins love going and it is one of those
places that can be an inexpensive, relaxing day out or you can splash
out and make it an activity filled day that everyone will enjoy. I
can honestly not recommend this place enough.
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