Family-friendly things to do at Fell Foot

Family walking at Fell Foot in winter, Cumbria | © National Trust Images/Annapurna Mellor

If you’re looking for some open space to play games and run off steam, a top spot for wildlife spotting and stone skimming or a great place for dog walking with a cafe, there’s plenty to keep everyone happy during a visit to Fell Foot.

Planning your family visit

Here is the information you need at a glance to help plan your day out at Fell Foot:

Toilets with baby-changing facilities can be found in the main car park, next to the café, and in the Active Base. There is a Changing Places facility in the boathouse adjoining the café.
The play area is near the south car park.
Paths are pushchair friendly.
The access statement gives more detail about accessibility across the site.
Highchairs and children's 'pick and mix' lunch boxes are available in the café.
There are picnic benches around the park and tables and benches outside the café.
Icecream Parlour open daily 2-4pm (July - September)

Family events and activities

Bring the kids and the family dog/s to capture a fun free portrait! There will be props and a Christmas backdrop, Photographer Shaun Barr will email the image to you afterwards. Booking a timeslot is recommended.

30 November & 7 December, between 10am-3pm

Book your session.
Join us for a family-friendly evening learning about the universe and stargazing on the shores of Windermere. Our astronomy experts will take you on a whistle stop tour of the universe on the big screen. You will learn some fun facts about stars, planets and galaxies.

Saturday 1 February 2025, 5.30-7.30pm

Suitable for children aged 0-12 years

To find out more and book tickets
Orienteering is a fun and exciting adventure challenge for all ages. It involves finding checkpoints by reading a map and navigating. Your task is to explore the park and find the marked posts.

We have four NEW orienteering courses at Fell Foot created in collaboration with Lakeland Orienteering Club.

If you’ve never tried orienteering before, then VENTURE is perfect for you. This short course guides you around the paths of the park with checkpoints close to the paths. This course is also accessible to those travelling on wheels. This course is 0.5km long.

The next step up is QUEST with checkpoints close to line features such as paths, walls, fences and the lakeshore. You can use the line features to help you to find your way or you might choose a more direct route between checkpoints to get there more quickly. This course is 0.9km long.

CHALLENGE offers more of a navigational challenge. If you have orienteered before, you will enjoy reading the map to zig-zag across the park to find the checkpoints. These courses are longer and need you to make more decisions about the route you take between checkpoints. This course is 1.9km long.

TRAILBLAZER requires you to plan your own route to find as many checkpoints as you can in any order. This is usually a race against the clock. You could use your own stopwatch or record your course using the Maprun app. You have 30 minutes to blaze your trail!

Find out more and download a trail map via Lakeland Orienteering Club.

Family-friendly things to do at Fell Foot

Play area

You can find the play area by the south car park. There is equipment for children to clamber, swing, spin and slide on. Picnic benches are close by in this area.

Get set to ride a balance bike

Balance bikes are the perfect way to help your future cyclists learn how to ride in beautiful, traffic-free surroundings. The balance bikes are located at welcome point in the car park, free to use, and can be borrowed on a first come, first served basis – so just turn up and get going.

Dip your toe in Windermere

Pop on your wellies or watershoes and paddle at the waters’ edge or skim stones.

Enjoy a bite to eat and picnic spots

Visit the Boathouse cafe for freshly prepared local hot meals and light bites. Pack your snacks and bring a blanket or picnic rug to make the most of the open lawns, or eat at one of the many picnic benches, including wheelchair accessible tables.

‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’

Enjoy the great outdoors and get closer to nature with our ‘50 things’ list of activities for young adventurers. There are plenty to tick off here at Fell Foot; make your own list or try a few of our suggestions to ge you started:

Playhouse and slide at Fell Foot playground | © S Hunter

Learn to paddleboard or kayak with Stoked Watersports

Our outdoor provider Stoked Watersports offer watersports and boat hire for all ages and experience levels. There is something for everyone with a choice of rowboats, kayaks (singles and doubles) and paddleboards. The hourly hire sessions throughout the day are ideal for beginners and families as Stoked Watersports provide all the equipment, on-water safety cover and coaching (as required). Visit the Stoked Watersports website for more details and to book.

If you have your own equipment

Canoe, kayak, inflatable dinghy and paddleboard owners can launch at the south end of the park for free, as long as you can carry the equipment down on foot from the car park.

The Active Base has hot showers and toasty changing rooms, complete with underfloor heating and secure lockers to make your day out comfortable. Day passes are available from just £2 and can be bought from the café. Please remember to Check Clean Dry if you are going on the waterto help prevent the spread of invasives in our waterways.