It’s no wonder that not one but two of the most magical children’s literature of all time, Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons and Beatrix Potter’s charming illustrated books from The Tale of Peter Rabbit to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, were set in the English Lake District. Not to mention the inspiration the Romantic poets took from this lakeland region, most notably William Wordsworth. It may be busier now, but there’s still a glorious sense of joy about this dramatic landscape with so much for families to explore from paddle boarding on the lakes to the Eskdale Railway, the Lake District Wildlife Park, Lowther Castle and Gardens (home to one of the best children’s playgrounds in the UK), and many National Trust sites including Aira Force waterfalls, Hill Top (the home of Beatrix Potter) and Wordsworth House and Garden.

Stay at Armathwaite Hall Hotel & Spa

Set on the green shores of Bassenthwaite Lake in acres of deer park and woodland, this beautiful hotel has family rooms for those with younger children, and interconnecting rooms for older children or grandparents. If your children love animals, you’ve come to the right place as the hotel has its very own lemurs, meerkats and alpacas, and is also just a short walk from the Lake District Wildlife Park. Residents enjoy two for one adult entry with kids going free. Back at the hotel, parents can indulge in a spot of pampering at the award-winning spa.