Cumbria is a scenic North West England county famed for the Lake District, historical castles, and vibrant cultural heritage, attracting millions of visitors annually.
4 Oct
Free mystery apple identification sessions at Acorn Bank offer an opportunity to bring in apples from your outdoor space to be examined and identified by experts from the North Cumbrian Orchard Group and the Acorn Bank gardener. Booking is not needed in advance but a timed slot is allocated on arrival for up to three apples. The event occurs indoors at Acorn Bank in the Drawing Room. Normal admission charges to the venue apply.
9–10 Oct (another 1 day)
A volunteer-led guided tour exploring Acorn Bank’s industrial heritage, including its woodland paths and working watermill.
Acorn Bank Garden & Watermill is a National Trust property near Penrith, Cumbria, featuring an extensive garden of medicinal and culinary herbs, orchards of old English fruit varieties, and a restored watermill powered by the Crowdundle Beck stream.
10 Sep
A one-day watercolour workshop led by Catherine MacDiarmid, focusing on capturing figures with simplicity and freshness. Participants will be guided step by step from initial drawing to building up the painting in layers, with tips and techniques to develop a confident and expressive approach.
Allan Bank is a Grade II* listed historic villa in Cumbria, England, known for its connection to William Wordsworth and other literary figures. Located in the Lake District, it offers both indoor historical house exploration and outdoor garden experiences with red squirrels. The property is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.
4 Jul–1 Sep
Summer of Play at Sizergh is a family-focused event running from 4 July to 1 September 2026, with activities including dressing up, lawn games, musical instruments, sports sessions, and a scallop trail in the house. The event takes place both indoors and outdoors with various playful activities inspired by the garden party lifestyle of Sir Gerald’s family, hands-on sensory stations, garden play, and free family sports sessions. Normal admission prices apply and no booking is required.
Sizergh Castle is a Grade I listed stately home and historic house museum in Cumbria, England, featuring Elizabethan and Georgian architecture with notable oak interiors and portraits. Visitors can explore both the castle's historic indoor spaces and its extensive outdoor gardens and estate, which includes the largest limestone rock garden held by the National Trust.
24 Oct, 31 Oct
A costumed-guide candlelit night tour of Townend explores the 17th-century Browne family’s folklore, superstitions and remedies, with a look at the house’s historical commonplace books.
Townend is a 17th-century historic house in Troutbeck, Cumbria, owned by the National Trust. It offers insight into the life of a wealthy farming family and is a Grade I listed building open to the public for tours.
9 Oct
A volunteer-led 7km walk around Malham Tarn explores the landscape’s formation and local history, including stories of glaciers, cave men, monks and drovers. The route follows grassed paths and estate tracks, with stops to hear about points of interest and a lunch break.
Malham Tarn Estate in the Yorkshire Dales offers extensive outdoor experiences including a National Nature Reserve with boardwalks, diverse walking trails, and natural wildlife habitats. It is dog friendly, offers scenic countryside and woodland walks suitable for families, and provides mobility support through Tramper hire.
19 Dec
Hear live festive music from local saxophone duet Take Two while exploring Townend decorated for Christmas.
Holehird Gardens is a 10-acre fellside garden featuring spectacular views over Windermere, diverse plant collections, woodland walks, and a walled garden. Visitors can enjoy national plant collections and new accessible paths amid wildflower meadows and herbaceous borders.
18 Oct (next Sunday)
Join a volunteer for a walk through Acorn Bank’s orchard to learn about its history, the apple varieties grown there and how they are cared for. The tour may introduce visitors to apples fruiting at the time.
7–8 Oct, 13–15 Oct…
War Comes to Westmorland explores the Jacobite Rebellion through the stories of Old Ben Browne and George Browne of Townend, showing how the conflict affected the Lake District.
Windermere and Troutbeck is a National Trust property in Cumbria featuring natural landscapes around Windermere lake, historic farms including Beatrix Potter's Troutbeck Park, and sites like Ambleside Roman Fort and Bridge House.
30–31 Aug
Summer of Play Teddy bears picnic at Wordsworth House and Garden invites children to borrow picnic sets and bring their own snacks to enjoy a teddy bears picnic in the hidden walled garden. The event is free but normal venue admission fees apply. It is child-focused, wheelchair accessible to the garden area, and drop-in without booking is allowed. The event takes place outdoors in the garden on 30 and 31 August 2026 from 10:00 to 16:00.
Wordsworth House is a Georgian historic house museum in Cockermouth, Cumbria, where poet William Wordsworth was born. It is a Grade I listed building and is open to public visits from March to October each year.
Cockermouth is a historic market town in Cumbria, England, known for its medieval layout, Georgian architecture, and cultural heritage including the birthplace of poet William Wordsworth. It features a lively arts scene and scenic riverside walks.
7 Oct–13 Dec (another 65 days)
Explore Beatrix Potter’s creative process behind The Tale of Two Bad Mice through her manuscript, sketches, finished artworks and a restored dolls’ house. Visitors can watch animations and a conservation film, use interactive lighting and handle a replica dolls’ house.
8–9 Oct, 12–16 Oct…
Join a guided tour through Sizergh’s garden and plant collection. Guides discuss the garden’s history and development, current and future projects, and seasonal highlights.
Claife Viewing Station and Windermere West Shore offer stunning panoramic lake views from a historic viewing platform with coloured glass, combined with extensive outdoor walking and cycling trails along England's largest lake. Visitors can enjoy a cosy café, wildlife, and family-friendly activities in a beautiful natural setting with accessible lakeshore paths.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
Visitors use the Stranger Folk mobile app to follow a guided quest through Allan Bank’s grounds, completing magical tasks and encountering creatures from British folk tales.
7 Oct–13 Dec (another 65 days)
Visitors explore Hill Top to spot needle-felted mice and miniature scenes inspired by Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice.
8 Oct
Participants carve a trough bowl from local greenwood using traditional hand tools, with guidance from Woodmatters.
Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic castle in Cumbria with extensive grounds featuring rare trees, part of Windermere shoreline, and historic connections to Beatrix Potter. It is managed by the National Trust and offers both indoor tours and outdoor exploration, including public access to the grounds year-round.
10 Oct, 17 Oct…
A free weekly 5km parkrun at Fell Foot where participants can walk, jog or run, volunteer, or spectate. The event is welcoming and has no time limit.
3 Oct
Join award-winning photographer Joanne Coates for a harvest-season guided walk exploring her project Daughters of the Soil at Sizergh. The event includes observing seasonal change, patterns of work, and opportunities for attendees to photograph or sketch, concluding with a shared reflection and discussion on sustainable farming.
Halecat is a historic Georgian house set in scenic woodlands and gardens in Cumbria. Visitors can explore the house's grand interiors and enjoy the natural beauty of the estate's broadleaf woodlands and meticulously designed formal gardens, including a listed gazebo. The site offers facilities for children and is part of the Witherslack Estate, popular with walkers and wildlife enthusiasts.
18 Jul–30 Aug
Summer of Play at Acorn Bank offers playful family days out with traditional games, nature-themed rubbing plaques, and outdoor activities in the garden and woodland. Visitors can bring a picnic or purchase food and drink from the café and enjoy the surroundings.
25–28 Oct, 31 Oct
A half-term pumpkin-carving activity at Allan Bank where attendees can decorate a prepared pumpkin using provided tools and take home a tea light with it.
Wordsworth Grasmere offers a rich cultural experience exploring William Wordsworth's home, Dove Cottage, with restored gardens and woodland, an interactive museum with manuscripts, and engaging activities for all ages. Visitors can enjoy guided tours, a sensory garden, and a café serving local food amidst the scenic Lake District setting.
12 Oct, 19 Oct…
A volunteer-led, two-hour walk explores Sizergh’s ancient trees, farmland and limestone woodland, with views over the Lyth Valley and Lake District fells, and a visit to the historic mural at St John’s Church.
7 Nov
A hands-on greenwood spoon-carving workshop where participants learn traditional carving techniques and how to shape a strong, functional spoon.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition by documentary photographer Joanne Coates exploring the lives and work of women in agriculture, with photographs and landscapes from South Lakeland and other rural areas.
1–24 Dec
Visitors can follow a winter trail with nature-themed light and sound installations, discover Christmas in the house, and take part in self-led festive crafts in the Great Barn.
7 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027 (another 173 days)
An outdoor exhibition at Wray featuring enlarged photographs by Rupert Potter, Beatrix Potter’s father. The images show Victorian family life, travel, leisure and landscapes connected with the Potter family’s time in the Lake District.
30 Aug–1 Sep
Summer of Play at Wray is a free outdoor event designed for families and children of all ages during the school summer holidays. It features natural play activities including classic lawn games, hoops, and various outdoor games across the grounds, woodland trails, and paddle areas by Windermere.
Stagshaw Garden is a woodland garden in Cumbria managed by the National Trust, famous for its shrubs including rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias, providing a scenic outdoor experience.
7–20 Oct (another 11 days)
An immersive exhibition in Sizergh’s Great Barn featuring work by local and national artists inspired by soil.
7 Oct
A practical Woodmatters evening workshop in which attendees make their own shave horse, a tool used to hold wood steady while shaping it with a drawknife or spokeshave.
Rayrigg Hall is a Grade II* listed Tudor and Georgian private family home on the shores of Lake Windermere, offering scenic gardens, historic architecture, and notable past residents. Visits are by appointment with light refreshments available, providing a unique glimpse into historical architecture and gardens.
12 Sep
Heritage Open Day at the processing mill at Force Crag Mine offers a rare opportunity to visit the processing mill of the last working metal-ore mine in the Lake District. Visitors can explore the mill building and learn how the rock ore was processed into metal ore. Tours run approximately every 20 minutes between 10am and 2pm on 12 September 2026. The event requires no booking, is free to attend, and is suitable for ages 12 and up. Access is on foot or by bicycle via a 2-mile unsurfaced track, with optional transport from the parking lot. Dogs are not allowed inside the mill but can be left outside.
Derwent Island House is a Grade II listed 18th-century Italianate house located on Derwent Island in Derwent Water, Keswick, Cumbria. Owned by the National Trust, it features neoclassical interiors and is open to the public only five days a year, offering a glimpse into historical architecture and island life in the Lake District.
10–11 Oct, 17–18 Oct…
Visitors can sample ripe apples from Acorn Bank’s collection of 165 varieties, while volunteers share information about the apples and their history. The tasting takes place in the courtyard near the café.
30 Sep
This event is a guided walk with lichens expert Pete Martin at Allan Bank and Grasmere, focusing on exploring lichen communities celebrated in an exhibition. The walk lasts 90 minutes and takes place around the garden and surrounding parkland, highlighting the local lichen flora.
7–11 Nov, 13–18 Nov…
Hill Top is decorated for Christmas with scenes inspired by Beatrix Potter’s stories, including festive decorations and characters. Visitors can explore the house and follow a family-friendly trail outdoors.
13 Oct, 10 Nov…
Members of Harps North West play an informal harp quartet performance in the Wordsworth Study, with music ranging from folk and pop arrangements to classical and specially written pieces. Attendees can also chat with the musicians and see or try the harps.
18 Nov
A greenwood craft workshop where participants hollow out a branch and carve a dried-wood base to create a Scandinavian-style shrink pot.
6 Dec, 12–13 Dec
Hear live festive music from local musicians, including the Grasmere Glee choir, Harps North West and sax duet Take Two. Performances take place in Wordsworth’s study and the hall at Allan Bank.
Ambleside Roman Fort offers visitors the chance to explore the ruins of a significant Roman fortification from the 1st or 2nd century AD situated on the shore of Lake Windermere in Cumbria. Managed by the National Trust, the outdoor site features remains of defensive walls, gates, barracks, and other Roman structures, providing insight into Roman military presence in Britain. The site is accessible to the public and is an important historic and archaeological attraction within the Lake District National Park.
7–9 Oct, 12–16 Oct…
Join a guided tour through Sizergh’s garden to learn about its history and development, current and future projects, and seasonal highlights.
Levens Hall is an Elizabethan manor house in Kendal, Cumbria, known for its historic interior and extensive, world-famous topiary gardens dating from the 17th century. Visitors can explore the house and gardens, enjoy the picnic areas, cafe, and shop, with facilities suitable for children and wheelchair access.
16 Sep
A special guided tour of Allan Bank, Grasmere's first villa, led by historic building conservator Paul Lewis. The tour covers the building's history from its Georgian roots, changes after a fire, Wordsworth's tenancy, and later neo Gothic additions including a chapel-like structure housing medieval stained glass. The event is part of Heritage Open Days week and does not require booking.
17 Sep
A summer linoprint workshop led by Angie Mitchell at Allan Bank and Grasmere, where participants learn to produce simple linocuts using various colourways and surfaces. The workshop is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience and does not require a press. Booking is essential and must be made by contacting the artist directly.
31 Oct
Join a guided walk with the National Trust’s Nature Reserve Officer and farm tenants to learn about work to protect the Borrowdale Rainforests.
4–5 Dec, 11–12 Dec…
Townend is decorated for a Victorian Christmas, with traditional festive foliage and food on display. Visitors can see an ongoing Victorian cooking presentation.
Footprint in Windermere, Cumbria, is an educational centre housed in the first straw bale building in the region, offering pre-booked outdoor learning sessions, green woodworking, bushcraft courses, and family activities in a woodland and pasture setting. The site features wheelchair accessible facilities and indoor and outdoor experiences in nature.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
A family trail along the Holeslack accessible route, exploring the world of soil and the life found underground. Visitors can pick up a trail map at the Visitor Centre.
12 Oct, 19 Oct…
Join a guided walk to Sizergh Fell to explore traces of the area’s prehistoric and Roman past, alongside its grassland, wildlife and views over Morecambe Bay. The walk lasts around two hours.
11 Sep, 15 Sep…
Heritage Open Days: Gunpowder Walks at Sizergh offer an opportunity to explore the remains of Sedgwick's 19th-century gunpowder works on the estate and learn about their history from knowledgeable volunteers. The event consists of guided walks lasting around 2 hours, revealing local historical insights.
15–16 Sep
Heritage Open Days at Townend feature two 1940s themed days celebrating the opening of Townend by the National Trust in 1948. Visitors can learn about the Browne family in the 1940s, watch wartime cooking and rag rugging demonstrations, and see a vintage vehicle in the courtyard. Visitors are encouraged to dress in 1940s style. There is no guided tour of the house during the event.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
A permanent exhibition at Allan Bank explores how William Wordsworth influenced the Lake District. Visitors can see large-scale photographs of landscapes featured in his writing, alongside a first edition of his Guide to the Lakes and later guides.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
An exhibition about printmaker Gwyneth Alban Davis and the printing business she ran from a caravan in Langdale in the late 1940s. Visitors can explore her life and work, with printing activities available for adults and children.
7 Nov, 11 Nov…
Participants can make Christmas paper decorations using templates designed by paper artist Emma Boyes, with materials provided. The 60–90-minute workshops are held at Allan Bank, and attendees can take their decorations home or contribute them to the venue’s Christmas decorations.
Grasmere is a small lake in England's Lake District, known for its connection to poet William Wordsworth and its scenic natural surroundings. The lake allows private and hire rowing boats but prohibits powered boats. It features one island now owned by the National Trust and offers picturesque views from surrounding areas.
29 Oct
At Acorn Bank, visitors can watch the garden team juice ripe apples from the orchard and sample the freshly made juice. Each batch offers different flavours.
7–8 Oct, 11–15 Oct…
A 45-minute outdoor walk around the perimeter of Wray Castle, where a member of the Wray team shares stories about the estate’s history, notable guests and future plans.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
Tracy Hill’s site-specific art installation explores the role of fungi and lichen in shaping the environment and understanding climate change. Visitors can experience the installation in the house gallery.
7 Oct, 10–14 Oct…
An exhibition by artist Kathryn Poole brings together flower paintings, botanical etchings and lithographs of foxgloves from the grounds of Allan Bank. The works explore the foxglove’s life cycle, regeneration and the contrast between its poisonous and medicinal qualities.
8 Oct, 15 Oct…
Explore the Browne family’s 17th-century recipe book at Townend, where a volunteer in period costume discusses its food, medicine and household recipes. Food recreated by the living history team is displayed but cannot be tasted.
21 Oct
A guided architecture tour around Troutbeck village, examining traditional Lake District buildings and the exterior of Townend, with a chance to look inside its Lakeland bank barn. Attendees will learn how to identify clues that help interpret historic buildings in the region.
29–30 Oct
Families can take part in an introduction to bats in Langdale before going on a guided evening walk with bat detectors to look for bats and other wildlife. A hot drink is provided during the event.
Number Seven Church Street is a classic Lakeland cottage located in Wordsworth country, Ambleside, Cumbria, offering charming historic accommodation with limited accessibility and free parking for visitors. Access requires payment even for Historic Houses members.
17–19 Oct, 22–26 Oct…
Families can search the woods for the Golden Apple and identify Acorn Bank’s trees using a leaf activity sheet. Colouring materials are also available to use in the café.
30 Aug–3 Oct
Stoked Watersports offers kayak, paddleboard, and row boat hourly hire sessions suitable for beginners and a SUP pick up and go service for more experienced paddlers at Fell Foot, Lake Windermere, Cumbria. The sessions help visitors safely get on the water, improve their skills, and enjoy paddling on the lake. Booking is essential.
8 Oct, 13 Oct…
A 45-minute guided tour through Sizergh House, where volunteers introduce key people and events from the house’s 800-year history.
19–20 Sep
The Vintage Book Sale is a pop-up bookshop event at Acorn Bank offering a selection of rare and vintage books for sale. It takes place over a weekend and supports the venue through proceeds from book sales.
20–30 Nov
Visitors can explore nature-themed light and sound installations along a trail, discover Christmas in the house, and take part in self-led festive crafts in the Great Barn.
11–12 Dec
Participants use locally gathered greenery and provided decorations to make a natural Christmas wreath in Townend’s historic barn. The workshop includes mince pies and hot drinks and is suitable for people with any level of craft experience aged 16 and over.
7–8 Oct, 13–15 Oct…
A volunteer-led, 45-minute guided tour explores the history of Townend, the Browne family and the people and objects connected with their home. Some sessions include an additional focus on the library or a historical food display.