At Solway, it’s not just non-stop fun for kids at our holiday park – there are great days out all over the place! We’ve pulled together our favourites so you can plan your stay and make sure the young’uns have the time of their lives.
BEST FOR
Fresh Air and Fun!
Watchtree Nature Reserve
28-minute drive
Explore one of the many fully accessible trails through this 205-acre nature reserve on the Solway Plain. Overlooking the Solway Firth estuary, Watchtree Nature Reserve offers clear views of the hills of the northern Lake District. Let the kids run wild along the trails or why not hire a bike from their Watchtree Wheelers fleet? As well as your classic bike they have a truly amazing selection of trikes, four-wheelers and more which means that literally anyone can enjoy wheeling (or being wheeled) around the reserve.
There’s a great little café and if you keep an eye on their events page you can book on to something special, be it an early morning birdsong walk or a bat-watching tour at dusk…
RSPB Campfield Marsh
33-minute drive
Pack a picnic and bring your binoculars to RSPB Campfield Marsh where you can observe all manner of birds and wildlife in this rich natural habitat comprising saltmarsh, peat bogs and wet grassland. Follow one of the colour-coded trails and hole up in one of the hides to see what you can spot, or follow the ‘Tale Trail’, a family guide to the reserve with Elmo the Peewit!
The Discovery Zone has a natural play area for kids where they can explore a wildflower meadow and pretend to be a badger in a child-sized badger sett. You can also hire pond-dipping nets and trays – kids will love seeing what they can find living below the surface of the water! (Spring and Summer only.)
BEST FOR
Amazing Animals!
Lake District Wildlife Park
40-minute drive
For a really wild day out, head to this 240-acre wildlife park featuring over 100 species of wild and domestic animals. With Skiddaw massif as the backdrop, it’s a stunning setting. From reptiles to apes, cats, and birds of prey, try and catch one of the presentations that take place each day for a fascinating insight into the animal kingdom at Lake District Wildlife Park.
There are plenty of places to picnic, or why not enhance your visit with some delicious home-cooked food from their café? You can then let the kids burn off any sweet treats in the outdoor play area. There’s even an indoor play area with soft play and a ball pool for really little ones.
Alpacaly Ever After
38-minute drive
Get a little closer to these characterful creatures at Alpacaly Ever After with a Meet and Greet, Alpaca Walk, or, for older kids who tackle climbs, a Llama Trek up a mountain! All the animals are rehomed rescues and taken wonderful care of. Booking is essential, and there are a number of locations to choose from in the north Lakes, the closest to Solway being at the Lakes Distillery near Bassenthwaite Lake where you can do an alpaca meet and greet.
If you’ve older kids (age 10 and up only), you could tie in a tour of this working whisky distillery set within a renovated Victorian farmstead. No sampling for them, mind you.
Walby Farm Park
47-minute drive
Animal lovers of all ages are sure to have a great time at Walby Farm Park. Enjoy the hands-on, educational animal shows in the fully covered Animal Barn and look out for special events in the school holidays. Aside from the adorable animals, kids can burn off some energy outdoors with adventure play, sledge slides, and trampolines as well as pedal go-karting, barrel train ride and a giant JCB-themed sand-pit with diggers. Phew! Walby Farm is a great shout whatever the weather as it’s also home to Cumbria’s largest indoor adventure play area!
BEST FOR
Seaside Kicks!
Silloth West Beach
Short Walk
Take a short stroll into Silloth to sample the good old British seaside. Silloth is a seaside town in miniature, with an indoor amusement arcade serving up a winning combination of sweet treats, loud noises and flashing lights. Just outside you’ll find a merry-go-round, trampolines, and bouncy castle plus a Thomas the Tank Engine train to take people for a spin around the village green, weather and time of year depending. If you fancy fish and chips or ice cream, you’ve come to the right place!
Just next to the green, there are two play areas to suit different age groups and a splash park that’s open in summer. The promenade makes for a lovely family-friendly walk offering amazing views across the water to Scotland, but if it’s bucket-and-spade-action you’re after, wander around to sandy Silloth West Beach. The surrounding grassy dunes are always fun for a run-up and down, too!
The Cumbrian coast has no shortage of scenic beaches – a few miles down the coastline you’ll find Allonby, and beyond, Maryport.
BEST FOR
Rainy Days!
Cave at The Wave, Maryport
26-minute drive
And now for something totally unique! Cave at The Wave is an innovative indoor caving system replicating a potholing and caving experience in a completely safe way for older kids and adults. The indoor caving complex features 75 linear metres of caves, climbs, slides, ball pools and chambers to explore, through winding passageways of stalagmites, stalactites, and rock pools, just like the real thing!
Instructors can set challenges, games and activities which will see cavers make their way around the tight squeezes, kinks, bulges and pockets.
The Lake District Coast Aquarium
26-minute drive
You can’t always rely on the weather in the UK, but you can still be sure of some great days out near Solway. On a scenic drive down the coast to Maryport, you’ll find the Lake District Coast Aquarium with over 75 displays showcasing a host of fish and marine life, both tropical and those found around the Cumbrian coastline. Don’t miss the feeding times!
Aside from the sea life, the aquarium has lots more to keep kids entertained, including an Aqua Blaster water cannon stall game and radio-controlled boats. If the weather improves there’s a 14-hole mini golf course outside and a nautical-themed adventure playground with equipment catering to kids from 5 to 15.
West Coast Karting, Maryport
26-minute drive
While you’re in Maryport, why not tag on a session at the North West’s largest indoor go-karting track? West Coast Karting is suitable for ages 8 to 80 and we’re not sure who will have more fun – the kids or the grown-ups!
BEST FOR
A Bit of Everything!
Bassenthwaite Lake Area
40-minute drive
Bassenthwaite is our closest Lake District Lake. And while a full walk around its shores is difficult due to boggy ground, you can enjoy a scenic stretch of it from the grounds of Mirehouse on its eastern shore. This beautiful family-run historic house offers magnificent walks around the formal gardens, woodlands, meadows, and shoreline. Explore the heather path maze in the Bee Garden, complete the Poetry Walk or follow the Family Nature trail. Kids will love the four (yes four!) adventure playgrounds. The Forest Castle nestled in the trees, The Steeplechase to race around, Squirrel Island for under 11s and the Forest Hazard Course to challenge 12- to 16-year-olds! Extend your visit with a walk around neighbouring Dodd Wood.
Alternatively head to the north-western side of Bassenthwaite Lake where you’ll find Dubwath Silver Meadows, a unique wetland nature reserve. Train-loving kids (and adults) should include a visit to Bassenthwaite Lake Station just opposite, a café in a restored railway station where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea aboard a full-size replica Orient Express train on the former Cockermouth to Keswick line.
So there you have it – so many great days out, you’ll be spoilt for choice! And believe us when we say this is just the tip of the iceberg…
