Avon Wood - Fun Days Out

Lakes Aquarium sits in the village of Lakeside on the southern shore of Windermere. It opened in 1997 and is now themed around the lakes of the world, with both freshwater and salt water animals. Displays cover the Lake District, Asia, Africa, the Americas, marine life and Morecambe Bay.

Animals include oriental small-clawed otters, red-bellied piranhas, axolotls, common seahorses, thornback rays and Eurasian harvest mice. The Lake District area covers native and non-native wildlife, plus a conservation project breeding endangered white-clawed crayfish. There is also a Virtual Diving Bell, which shows underwater scenes on three semi-spherical screens. It is one of the docking points for Windermere Lake Cruises and sits at one end of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, so it fits easily into a day of exploring.

Tip: The Windermere Lake Cruises dock and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway are both here, so you can arrive by boat or steam train.

This family-run heritage railway is a former Furness Railway branch line, about 3 miles long. Steam engines haul traditional 1950s carriages through the countryside of the Leven Valley, from Haverthwaite via Newby Bridge to Lakeside, at the southern end of Windermere.

At Haverthwaite, the Victorian station is worth lingering at. You'll find a tea room in the original waiting room, a gift shop, an engine shed, and a woodland playground and walk. Lakeside station is the end of the line, where you can connect with Windermere Lake Cruises, so the train can be one part of a longer day on the water. The station also welcomes dogs.

Tip: The railway runs as a seasonal steam operation, so check the timetable on the railway's website before you set off.

Lakeland Motor Museum in Backbarrow, Cumbria, traces the story of road transport through the twentieth century. Its collection of more than 30,000 exhibits takes in classic cars, motorbikes, cycles and a large amount of motoring memorabilia, including a Bentley once owned by Donald Campbell and a World War II Willys Jeep.

The Speed Kings exhibition is dedicated to Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald, who between them set 21 world land and water speed records in the Bluebird cars and boats. There are also recreations of period shops and a garage, a First World War display, and exhibits on local Lakeland industries. A riverside café makes it easy to break up the visit. It suits motoring fans, families and anyone curious about how travel has changed.

Tip: Combined tickets with Windermere Lake Cruises let you do a cruise and the museum within 5 days of each other.

Holker Hall is a privately owned country house near Cartmel, still the home of the Cavendish family. The Hall's west wing was rebuilt by the architects Paley and Austin after a major fire in 1871, and you can walk through its rooms, many of them furnished with paintings and furniture brought from Chatsworth. Wheelchair access to the Hall is limited to the ground floor.

Outside, the formal and woodland gardens are the main draw. Holker describes them as national award-winning, and they are an RHS partner garden. Fallow deer graze in the grounds, and there is a deer park that is open from March to October. Picnics on the lawns are welcome, or you can eat at the Courtyard Café, which sits in the converted stable buildings alongside a gift shop. It suits garden lovers, history fans and families, and the grounds have smooth pathways with ramps through the Elliptical Garden.

Tip: Dogs are welcome everywhere except inside the Hall, on leads. Parking is free, and you can buy tickets at the kiosk on arrival.

Blackwell is a Grade I listed house above Windermere, designed by architect M H Baillie Scott as a holiday home. It keeps almost all of its original features, from the fireplace tiles, carved stone and wood panelling to stained glass, mosaic floors and the plasterwork of the White Drawing Room. The rooms hold furniture, metalwork and ceramics by leading Arts & Crafts makers, including Morris & Co., Ernest Gimson, W A S Benson and Pilkingtons.

Outside, Thomas Mawson's terraced gardens look across the lake to the Coniston Fells, with flower beds along the York stone terrace and a sweeping lawn. The house also hosts changing contemporary craft exhibitions. The tea room, set in the old kitchen and scullery, serves lunches, sandwiches and homemade cakes, with an outdoor terrace overlooking the lake. It will appeal to anyone interested in architecture, design and history, and it's a pleasant stop for garden and view lovers too.

Tip: The tea room stops serving main meals at 3pm, so plan lunch accordingly.

Sizergh is a Grade I listed castle and stately home about 4 miles south of Kendal, in the Lake District National Park. The oldest part is a tower from the fourteenth or fifteenth century. Inside, you'll find oak-panelled rooms, including the Inlaid Chamber, plus Strickland family portraits and paintings linked to the Stuart court in exile. The Strickland family owned the estate for centuries, and the Hornyold-Strickland family still lives here.

Outside, the garden has a lake, a kitchen garden and the largest limestone rock garden owned by the National Trust, home to part of the National Collection of ferns. The wider estate covers 647 hectares of parkland, with a wild play trail for children aged three and up. Birdwatchers may spot hawfinches near the main car park in spring. There is a café serving food made with produce from the garden, and a shop in the Visitor Centre.

Tip: Dogs are welcome on the wider estate, but only assistance dogs are allowed in the gardens, so plan your route accordingly.

Hill Top is the 17th-century Lakeland farmhouse in Near Sawrey that Beatrix Potter bought in 1905 as her artistic retreat, and later left to the National Trust. Inside, it is shown as she would have known it. You can visit every room, from the stone-flagged entrance hall and parlour to the upstairs treasure room, where a dolls' house holds the ham from The Tale of Two Bad Mice.

Many of the furnishings and views appear in her little books, so fans enjoy spotting the scenes for themselves. The informal cottage garden, planted with flowers and vegetables, is in keeping with her illustrations. There is also a small shop, a second-hand book nook and an independently run café in the orchard. On selected dates, the Dixon family lead farm tours where you can meet Herdwick sheep descended from Potter's own flock. It suits families and anyone who loves her stories.

Tip: Book your ticket in advance if arriving by car, as the small car park is for pre-booked visitors only. Afternoons after 2.30 tend to be quieter.

Levens Hall is a privately owned house and garden five miles south of Kendal, at the gateway to the Lake District National Park. It grew from a medieval pele tower into an Elizabethan family home, with fine panelling and plasterwork in the main rooms. It also has links to the Duke of Wellington.

The gardens are the main draw. They hold the world's oldest topiary, created by the French gardener Guillaume Beaumont, who also designed the grounds at Hampton Court. The park and gardens he laid out between 1689 and 1712 have survived remarkably intact. In the deer park you can see black fallow deer and Bagot goats. There's also a small collection of steam road vehicles, and the Levens Kitchen café serves produce from the estate. Garden lovers and anyone who likes a historic house will enjoy it.

Tip: Tickets can be bought online in advance or on arrival at the entrance kiosk, and online tickets aren't tied to a date or time.