Showcasing some of our personal favourite places to go, eat, drink and generally have fun.
Lisa says …
With a motorhome from Chasing Rainbows, the whole of the North-west of England is your playground — heck there’s Scotland, the North-east, Yorkshire … you get the picture!
Point is, there’s so much to see and do that if you don’t have a plan you could spend lots of time figuring out where to start.
The ideas on this page are things we’ve tried and tested ourselves. Places that are fun for kids, places that are great to visit and eateries providing the best local cuisine at great value prices.
Why not share the little gems you find on your travels with Morris the motorhome, so we can pass them on to our future friends!
Campsites
Perhaps the most fundamental thing to plan is where you will be staying overnight with your motorhome. You will find plenty to choose from listed here:
UK Campsite Search
www.ukcampsitesearch.co.uk
Lake District Camping & Caravanning Campsites
www.search-cumbria.com
UK Campsite
www.ukcampsite.co.uk
Bed and breakfast
Bank House, Penrith
www.bankhousepenrith.co.uk
Bank House, Graham Streed, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 9LE
If you intend staying a little longer in the area we can’t recommend more highly the lovely Bank House bed and breakfast in Penrith. Bank House is run by my friend Sarah on the same lines we try to run Morris with eco friendly principles and locally sourced produce. Call Sarah on 01768 868714 or check out their website.
Kennels and catteries
Two members of our family have severe allergic reactions to certain animals so we have decided to make Morris a pet free zone. Should you wish to bring your pet this far with you and drop them off before collecting Morris we are happy to recommend the following:
Milestone Boarding Cattery & Kennels
Milestone House, Melmerby, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 1HA
Contact Karin Bowes on 01768 881 838 or 07779 709 085.
Bainbridge Gate Boarding Kennels
Bainbridge Gate, Clifton, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2HD
Contact Mandy Kitchen on 01931 712887.
Favourite websites
Every ideas page needs some jolly good website links — here are ours!
Destination Cumbria
www.destinationcumbria.co.uk
Destination Cumbria claims to be the Lake District's only visitor information service specialising in Outdoor Activities. Even if your idea of exercise is reaching for the tv remote it’s well worth taking a look at this beautiful (and beautifully organised) site. Any website that can quote Aristotle, Bertrand Russell and Roger Miller (“Some people walk in the rain | others just get wet”) is okay in our book.
Go Lakes
www.golakes.co.uk
The mother of all “what shall we do when we get there?” websites. Way too much to summarise but PlanMyVisit is extra special, enabling you to build up and then print out a personalised itinery brochure. “Check it out” just doesn’t come close.
Fun days out that our children love!
Let's face it, if the kids are happy, everyone's happy. And if the kids are tired out by bed-time, so much the better!
Wetheriggs Animal Rescue and Conservation Centre
www.wetheriggsanimalrescue.co.uk
Clifton Dykes, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2DH
Top of our children’s agenda! Formerly Wetheriggs Pottery, the site has been saved from an untimely demise by Terry and Karin Bowes and is a great value day out. The animals are the stars of the show of course but also check out the Mediterranean Village selling local farm produce, gifts and arts, including award winning photographer Martin Baker and local artist Susan Prior. Don’t miss the cafe which uses locally sourced ingredients and features fabulous home cooking. The service is great too — our eldest son is on the staff!
Eden Ostrich World
www.ostrich-world.com
Langwathby Hall Farm, Langwathby, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 1LW.
Only five miles from Penrith on the A686 Alston road, this is a classic “fun day out for all the family.” Loads of different animals, a maze, indoor and outdoor play areas, a lovely walk down by the river, free parking, great food in the tearoom (worth stopping for in it's own right!) — oh and they have ostriches too!
Trotters World of Animals
www.trottersworld.com
Bassenthwaite, Cumbria, CA12 4 RD.
Located at the north end of Bassenthwaite Lake, Trotters is another old favourite — way too much to describe here so be sure to check out their rather cool website.
Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre
www.visitcumbria.com
Lowther, Penrith, CA10 2HH.
The chap who flies the birds has a great store of facts and stories while you are watching the displays and you can have a go yourself. There's a cosy cafe but we would suggest you take a picnic — there are plenty of picnic tables in the wonderful old walled garden where the birds are housed.
Acorn Bank (National Trust)
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Temple Sowerby, nr Penrith, Cumbria CA10 1SP.
More somewhere to spend a nice couple of hours than a full day out, Acorn Bank offers a lovely walk through the woods beside the river, orchard and gardens and a very cosy cafe (great Victoria sponge cake!) If you are National Trust members it is definitely worth a stop over — and at £10 per family (2009 rates) it is not at all unreasonable for non-members. Important note: closed Mondays and Tuesdays (we've been caught out before!)
Food stops and drinkeries
Abbott Lodge Jersey ice cream farm
www.abbottlodgejerseyicecream.co.uk
Clifton, Nr Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2HD.
What a great value stop this is! With fabulous ice cream freshly made on the premises at very reasonable prices you can’t go wrong — but there is also free parking, a playing field for ball games and free outdoor and indoor play areas (sorry, for the kids only!)