Jetsettersblog

If your inspiration of what to do with the children during the holidays has already dried up, that of attractions in the beautiful Western Lake District hasn’t, with a wide variety of very different activities on offer, to help you amuse the kids.

LET THE CHILDREN MAKE A NOISE

The newly refurbished, lighthouse-shaped attraction, The Beacon, is allowing children to let of steam in Make A Noise workshops, designed for children aged 3 to 12. These are musical instrument workshops with an exciting difference, in which children can make unusual types of instrument, such as a Mexican bird rattle, or a Peruvian rain stick, out of a variety of different materials.

The workshops cost £2 per child per session and run during mornings and afternoons. Morning workshops take place between 11am-12pm and afternoon sessions run from 2pm to 3pm. Under 8s needed to be accompanied by an adult and pre-booking is essential.

Visit www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk for more details.

BECOME WELL-VERSED IN GEORGIAN LIFE

At Wordsworth House, in Cockermouth, there’s lots going on throughout the summer months, every day bar Sunday, when the attraction is closed.

On Mondays, (11.30- 1pm) visitors can join a drop in session to decorate a pastry fish in the Georgian kitchen of this National Trust property that was once home to the Wordsworth family.

On Tuesdays, the activity will focus on creating a traditional, scented pomander and on Wednesdays a fragrant, lavender bag.

On Thursdays, there’s a different activity each week. On August 7, children can join a drop in workshop, running between 11.30 and 1pm, or 2pm-3.30pm, that will enable them to make a gorgeous butterfly or bug mask.

There are family tours of the garden taking place between 12 and 2.30pm, that will reveal the secrets the young William Wordsworth and his sister enjoyed when at play here.

Visitors arriving on a Friday can enjoy a taste of Georgian cookery, taking away recipes from the Eighteenth Century, to try out at home.

On Saturdays, a physical challenge awaits, as visitors are invited to try their hand at a game of skittles, taking on Wordsworth House’s manservant (12 - 2.30pm).

There are talks, readings and trails to enjoy every day, Monday to Saturday, when the home is open between 11am and 4.30pm, with last admission at 4pm. Entrance costs £5.60 for an adult, £2.80 for a child and £14.50 for a family ticket, admission giving visitors the chance to enjoy all events for free. Visit www.wordsworthhouse.org.uk for more details.

HAVE FUN FOOLING AROUND

At Muncaster Castle, near Ravenglass, in the Western Lake District, there’s a summer of fun in store for families who like fooling around.

Every Sunday and Monday, there will be events at which a past or present Fool of Muncaster will be entertaining visitors with a sublime and totally off-the-wall blend of humour and frivolity.

Muncaster is also home to beautiful gardens, described by John Ruskin as ‘the Gateway to Paradise’. These include the Sino-Himalayan garden, in which many rare species can be found.

It is also the location of The World Owl Centre, which has wide collection of these birds, from diminutive pygmy owls, to strange fish owls. A Meet the Birds show takes place during the afternoon, allowing visitors to learn much more about these reputedly wise old creatures.

In the Meadow Vole Maze, families can help the 2.5 inch, vertically challenged Max Meadow Vole find his way safely out of 7 foot tall grass, thanks to a realistic, sensory experience that communicates the dangers wild creatures face.

With a wildfowl pond, play gardens, gift shop, Creeping Kate’s Pantry and Heron Happy Hour, there’s lots to see and do.

Muncaster is open from 10.30 am to 6pm during the summer. Entrance costs £7.50 for gardens, owl centre and maze for an adult and £5.50 for a child. A family ticket costs £24 for two adults and two children.

An upgrade of £2.50 per adult, £1.50 per child, or £5 for a family of four, is available to those wishing to also tour the castle, reputedly haunted by the spirit of the legendary Tom Fool. The castle does not open on Saturdays and has opening hours of 12 noon to 4.30pm.

For more information about the Western Lake District, visit www.western-lakedistrict.co.uk