South Lakeland Leisure Village - Fun Days Out

Pleasure Beach Resort, long known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is an amusement park on Blackpool's South Shore. It was founded in 1896 and sits right along the promenade. Rollercoasters are the main draw, with ten to ride. The Big One was once the tallest and steepest in the world, and is still the longest in Europe. The park also has the largest collection of wooden coasters in the UK, including Big Dipper, Blue Flyer, Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak.

There's plenty beyond the big coasters. Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine, which opened in 1904, is the oldest amusement ride in Europe, and there's a well-known water ride too. Younger children can head to Nickelodeon Land, a themed area where they can meet favourite characters. Non-riders can buy park entry without rides to watch the shows, eat and enjoy the atmosphere. It suits thrill seekers, families with young children and anyone who likes a bit of fairground history.

Tip: Check the official calendar for opening days and times before you go, and book eTickets online ahead of your visit.

Lancaster Castle is a Grade I listed medieval castle and former prison on a hilltop in the city centre, standing on the site of three successive Roman forts. English Heritage has called it the North-West's most important historic and archaeological monument. It served as a prison for centuries, and part of it still hosts Crown Court sittings.

You can wander the courtyards, enjoy the external views and stop at the courtyard café without paying, but the interiors can only be seen on a guided tour of about an hour. Tours cover the castle's darker past, from witchcraft trials to transportation to Australia. Expect steep approaches from every direction.

Tip: There's no on-site car park and on-street spaces are limited to 2 hours, so use one of Lancaster's larger car parks or the park and ride.

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.

The Ashton Memorial is a Grade I listed folly in Williamson Park, Lancaster. Lord Ashton had it built in memory of his wife Jessy, and it was completed in 1909 to a design by John Belcher. At around 150 feet tall, it dominates the Lancaster skyline. It has been called "England's grandest folly" and the "Taj Mahal of the North".

Outside, you'll see a copper dome, Portland stone and sculptures representing Commerce, Science, Industry and Art. Inside the dome are allegorical paintings by George Murray. The upper floor is used as an exhibition space, and the building also hosts concerts and weddings. The first floor outdoor viewing gallery gives superb views of the surrounding countryside and across Morecambe Bay to the Lakeland fells and mountains.

Tip: The first floor outdoor viewing gallery looks out over the countryside, Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland fells.

Blackpool Zoo is a 32-acre zoo set beside Stanley Park, about two miles inland from the Golden Mile. It cares for over 1,000 animals from around the world, and opened in 1972 on the site of the old Stanley Park Aerodrome.

Highlights include Project Elephant Base Camp, with the largest indoor elephant house in the UK, and Giraffe Heights, where visitors can book encounters to hand-feed the giraffes. You can also see gorillas, orangutans, lions and Amur tigers in the Big Cat Habitat, and watch California sea lions in the 250-seat arena at Active Oceans. Walk-through areas such as Lemur Wood and Amazonia put you close to the animals, and the Dinosaur Safari trail features life-size dinosaur models. There is also a Playbarn.

Tip: Tickets can be bought in advance online. Follow the brown elephant signs if driving, and use sat nav postcode FY3 8PP.

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.

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.

White Scar Cave is a show cave under Ingleborough, in the Chapel-le-Dale valley of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is the longest show cave in Britain, formed in Carboniferous limestone and first explored in 1923. Every visit is a guided tour, covering about a mile and taking around 80 minutes.

Along the way you reach The Battlefield, one of the largest known cave chambers in Great Britain at 90 metres long. An access tunnel has been cut so it can be part of the visitor trail. Above ground there is a car park near the ticket office, plus a café and shop.

The cave stays a cool 8°C all year round, so bring a jumper or jacket. Tours need a minimum of two visitors to go ahead, and they run weather permitting.

Tip: Wear a jumper or jacket, as the cave is a cool 8°C all year; the time of the next tour is displayed at the ticket office.