October Half Term Fun
October Half Term Fun
Whether you are on holiday, visiting for the day or you live here, there is so much on this October Half Term to keep everyone entertained
Halloween Fun at Lake District Wildlife Park
Cumbria Wildlife Week
28th October to 3rd November
A week of fun to celebrate Cumbria’s native wildlife. Join us and various other conservation organisations to learn all about nature friendly farming, rewilding, habitat restoration and wildlife conservation. Fun activities include planting acorns, making leaf people and animal masks. Interactive games include: Whose Poo, Whose Feather, Which Tree and Whose Footprint.
Halloween Event
31st October
Children in fancy dress get free entry into the Park for Halloween! Follow the pumpkin trail around the Park to see our animals enjoying a pumpkin of their own. If you dare enter the scary skeleton circle and have a peek in the witches cauldron.
Come and meet the witch and she may share some of her favourite spells. A fun day out for all.
Wordsworth Grasmere
23rd, 28th, 29th & 30th October
Are you ready for a spooktacular Halloween? Join Wordsworth Grasmere for hot chocolate, gingerbread, and Halloween crafts in our cosy Learning Space. Children will have fun dressing up in Georgian costumes while learning about the Wordsworths and hearing some of their writing. At twilight we’ll all head over to Dove Cottage and listen to some spooky Cumbrian stories – perfect for a special Halloween in the Lake District!
For families with children aged 3+. One ticket per family - £18
National Trust Wordsworth House and Gardens
Ghoulish ghouls or beastly boggarts
26th Oct - 3rd Nov
After exploring the house and getting into the spirit of a Georgian all Hallows eve, get creative by making yourself something scary to wear or decorate the house!
Booking not required
Spooky Cumbrian Stories by the fire
30th October
Keswick Museum
Super Scary Tealight Holders
29th and 31st October
Using clay, you will learn how to make and decorate a hauntingly delightful Halloween masterpiece. (One battery powered tealight included)
£6.50 per crafter
Lakeland Hauntings
Keswick Ghost Walks
Delving into the county’s past has been intriguing and more than a little disturbing at times with revelations of the imaginative, foolhardy, grotesque and downright stupid ways people in this county have found to bump themselves, and each other, off over the years.
Rheged Centre
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
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.
The Royal Opera - Wolf Witch Giant Fairy
27th October 2pm Rating - 12A
Join Red Riding Hood on her quest to deliver bread to her Grandmother, but who will she meet along the way?
English National Ballet - Swan Lake
2nd November 1:30pm Rating - PG
Live Show - Cartoon Circus
28th October 11am & 2pm
The one hour family show features some of Britain's funniest clowns, traditional slapstick comedy, magic, illusions, the amazing girl in the spinning bottle, cartoon characters, plate spinning, an acrobatic human slinky, puppets, prizes and surprises.
Calvert Stables
Autumn Kids Club
13th & 29th October
- 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
Keswick Climbing Wall
Indoor Rock Climbing & Bouldering
The Wall caters for both novices and experienced climbers. With qualified and experienced staff. Moreover, the expertise of the staff ensure that visitors’ safety is always the top priority. The Climbing Wall offers something for everyone, regardless of the weather or your age.
Free all-day parking and a cafe on-site
Cafe HNW
Halloween Park Trail
26th Oct - 2nd Nov
Find the clues in Upper Fitz Park to spell a spooky word and win a prize
Tickets £3
Mirehouse & Gardens
Open until Sunday 3rd November
Gardens open every day - Adventure play on Squirrel Island, The Steeplechase and Forest Castle and The Forest Hazard Course
House open Wednesday & Thursday Afternoons - take on the Owl Trail or Family Quiz in the house
Or go for a walk through the grounds down to Bassenthwaite Lake
Under 4's go free
The Puzzling Place
The Puzzling Place World of Illusion takes the theme of Illusion and runs with it. It is home to our ‘Anti-gravity Room’, ‘Ames Room’, ‘Hologram Gallery’ and ‘Eyelusions Exhibition’. It’s a fascinating, fun and social excursion into the wonderful world of optical illusion, which will leave you quite literally, not believing your eyes!
A great activity for a rainy day with the whole family
Derwent Pencil Museum
Derwent Pencil Museum, the home of the first pencil, and the Cumberland Pencil Company, manufacturers of Derwent pencil perfection since 1832.
Enter the Museum through a replica of the Seathwaite mine where graphite was first discovered in the 1550's. Through words, pictures and carefully restored machinery you can trace the history of pencil making and see how we make Derwent Fine Art pencils today. A journey of pencil and graphite discovery. Seasonal childrens activities, product demonstrations and lots of colouring in. Theres more to a pencil than you think!.
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
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 Trailis 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.
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.
Or why not head to England's last working Slate Mine Honister go on an adrenaline adventure or learn more about the history of the mine on one of their mine tours.
To keep up to date with any new events happening during October Half Term please head to our designated Half Term page that gets updated regularly