The Lake District is well known for its extensive list of outdoor activities! I mean, climbing, hiking, sailing, cycling, camping… we can only go on. Another thing the Lakes is famous for, is rain. Usually quite heavy rain, the type you don’t always want to be out in but fear not! There are still lots you can do in our beautiful area indoors and safe from the temperamental weather, we have put together a list of our favourite rainy-day activities for you to choose from. We can never guarantee the weather will be clear here, but we can promise you’ll never be bored in the Lakes.
Contents:
- Cafés, Pubs & Cosy Spots
- Workshops & Creative Experiences
- Indoor Adventure & Sports
- Shopping & Local Markets
- Cinemas & Entertainment Venues
- Spa Days
- Family-Friendly Indoor Fun
- Indoor Attractions & Museums
Cafés, Pubs & Cosy Spots
Homeground Cafe + Kitchen – Windermere
If on a rainy day, cosying up in a cafe is more your vibe, we have the perfect places for you! Homeground Cafe + Kitchen is a highly rated cafe on the high street in Windermere; it’s cosy vibe and great food will pull you in from the street. Gather your loved ones and come get snug in the warm atmosphere, peruse the fantastic menu and have a hot drink.
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The Bluebird Cafe – Coniston
The Bluebird cafe is situated in the perfect spot, right on the waterfront of Coniston. The view of the lake is stunning, even on a rainy day, it’s the perfect place to sip a coffee, nibble on a slice of homemade cake and watch the rain bounce off the water, maybe even out on the covered terrace for the more brave, outdoors-y souls amongst us.
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The Mortal Man – Troutbeck
“O, mortal man, that lives by bread What is it makes thy nose so red? Thou silly fool, that look’st so pale, Tis drinking Sally Birkett’s ale.”
If you’re not into cafes, what about a pub on a rainy day? This is a pub with not only a lot of local history, but a lot of character too. The Mortal Man is known for its warm atmosphere and country-house style interior, the crackling fire and a hot meal from their highly rated menu will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
The name of the pub comes from an old rhyme about Sally Birkett’s ale, the same rhyme that was depicted on the sign for the pub in the nineteenth century – Sally Birkett’s ale must have been fantastic because The Mortal Man was previously just a nickname but became so wide-spread that the name was officially changed!
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We’re thrilled to be sponsoring the Pub, Bar & Taproom of the Year again at the Cumbria Food Awards! Cheers to another year of celebrating the Lakes’ incredible local spots 🍻
Workshops & Creative Experiences
The Barn Hawkshead – Hawkshead
For the creative amongst us, sitting in a cafe or a pub on a rainy day may not always cut it – but don’t worry! The Lakes and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer. The Barn Hawkshead run fantastic crafting workshops, using locally sourced materials.
They offer workshops for needle felting woodland creatures out of local wool, wreath making, rag rug making and more. Cozy up in The Barn, hide from the rain and put your creative skills to the test.
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Greystoke Craft Garden and Barns – Penrith
A bit further up field, on the edge of the Lakes you’ll find Quirky Workshops @ Greystoke Craft Garden and Barns in Penrith. They hold courses and workshops year round, from finicky jewellery making to painting beautiful water colour landscapes to ceramic making – and we’re barely scratching the surface here! They provide a lovely lunch and even some home-made bakes during courses.
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OnlyWillows Jewellery – Kirkby Stephen
Tucked in a cosy little shop on the high street of Kirkby Stephen is OnlyWillow Jewellery, a hidden gem filled with hand crafted jewellery but also a pottery painting studio! The walls are lined with little figures, pots and dishes waiting for you to pick them up and give them colour. You can bring your own snacks and drinks from one of the many fantastic shops on the street – may I recommend Sandy’s for their hot chocolate station in winter or their slush station in summer.
You can curl up with your family around a table, sip on a hot choccy and paint to your heart’s content, they even dry and glaze it for you! If you’re close by, stop and pick it up, but if you’re not, they’ll even post it back to you – my own (terrible) heart-shaped jewellery pot can attest to this!
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Indoor Adventure & Sports
Keswick Indoor Climbing Wall – Keswick
If you love the outdoors but not the rain, can we interest you in indoor climbing walls? They are the best of both worlds, you can stay active, gather your friends and have a climb together all while you stay dry and warm indoors! Keswick Indoor Climbing Wall offers a multitude of different courses, classes and sessions – even the most experienced climbers will find something challenging here, the climbing wall has over 40 top ropes, giving 120+ routes, as well as a 100sqm bouldering area. Keswick too far of a drive? There’s one here in Kendal, too!
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LaserForce – Barrow-in-Furness
Not a climber but still want to stay active? Laser tag! Whether you are here in the Lakes with your friends or your family, it something you can all enjoy. Get strapped in and burn off some of that rainy day energy by running around the arena – it spans two floors! Laserforce offer big party packs or just standard game packs so there is something for everyone.
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Tour/climb the Mine @ Honister Slate Mine
Honister Slate Mine can give you something none of these can… being outside! In a way! You can tour the mines in whatever weather, explore the systems deep underground and see where slate has been mined for nearly 400 years – right in the heart of the Lake District.
If this sounds intresting but you’re looking for something slightly more active, look no further – You can climb the mines too! Another any weather activity, scale the walls of the caverns, climb rickety ladders, zipline through the mines, cross the old rope-bridges. It’s all bound to get your heart racing!
Shopping & Local Markets
Grasmere Gingerbread Shop – Grasmere
If you’ve heard of Grasmere, you’ve probably heard of their famous gingerbread. This is an absolute must visit when you’re in the lakes, the shop may be small but its iconic in every aspect, the employees wear old-timey themed uniforms and the shop itself is stacked floor to ceiling with famous products like the gingerbread, rum butter, fudge, and many more.
What makes this place so special is that it is one of two places in the world where Grasmere Gingerbread is made fresh and sold fresh – the recipe is hidden away in a bank vault and only one person currently knows it.
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Hayes Garden Centre – Ambleside
If on a rainy day you’re the type to like a wander in the shops, we can only recommend Hayes Garden Centre. Many a day has been spent meandering around the different rooms, perusing the shelves of endless beautiful products, weaving in and out of the legendary displays and admiring the breathtaking flora. They have a covered outdoor area too, and a highly rated cafe!
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Rock Shop – Ambleside
The Rock Shop is one of my personal favourite rainy-day activities! The warm shop stocks crystals and jewellery and a whole myriad of other curiosities but the jewel in their crown is the gem pit – yes, an entire pit of gemstones and pretty rocks of all colours!
You can grab a box or a bag and spend some time picking through the sea of gems, choosing ones that catch your eye, as many as you can fit in your receptacle. Hours can easily be spent sifting through, it’s a fantastic way to pass the time with your family or friends while you hide from the rain. They also have a make-your-own bracelet station on the top floor!
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Cinemas & Entertainment Venues
Rheged Centre – Penrith
Rheged Centre is tucked away on the edge of the Lakes in Penrith and truly has something for everyone to enjoy – it’s a gallery, a cinema, shopping centre, a cafe, they run creative workshops, have treatment rooms for beauty procedures and soft play areas for your little ones.
It’s a genius way to spend a rainy day with your family or friends, popping in and out of the variety of shops, admiring the gallery halls filled with art, enjoying their highly-rated food in the cafe, and then catching a screening of a new film in their state of the art cinema. Hours can be wasted in here, easily, and you’ll likely never run out of things to do or look at.
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Alhambra Cinema – Keswick
The Alhambra Cinema is a building bursting at the seams with history and character, having opened in 1914, it’s one of the UK’s first cinemas! It was open all through World War Two, hosting evacuees and broadcasting the news, in the 50s they covered the death of King George VI and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and they held the first Keswick Film Festival in the 2000s.
If the walls of the rooms could talk, they would walk you through a long history of this beloved building – they may not speak but they do show patrons what it may have been like back then with most of the original interiors and exteriors, a charm not many places still possess. Come get warm with your loved ones in here, snack on some popcorn and enjoy a screening!
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Brewery Arts Centre – Kendal
The Brewery Arts Centre is beloved here in Kendal, its one of the liveliest venues in the area with the laundry list of cinema screenings, live music performances, theatre productions, comedians and poets and artists alike walking the stages every week.
They hold creative learning workshops for all ages in a variety of types of arts, they serve fantastic food and drinks in the restaurant and exhibit art from local artists. On a rainy day, its easy to find your way here, in the heart of the town, having a hot meal or watching the latest movie or, if you’re lucky, catching a live performance from a local musician or poet.
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Spa Days
The Falls Spa (Ladore Falls Hotel & Spa) – Borrowdale
Sometimes a rainy day does nothing but inspire the need for rest and relaxation, and what better way to recharge than a spa day?
The Falls Spa at Ladore Falls Hotel is highly-rated, modern and decked out with all the treatments you could need or want. You will have access to spa facilities like The Thermal Suite with five different thermal experiences, The Outdoor Hydro Zone, a hydrotherapy pool that overlooks Derwentwater, and relaxation rooms where you can sip your beverage of choice, flick through a magazine from the library and allow yourself to sink into the day beds. The champagne bar offers glasses of bubbly and light snacks during your time, too.
Low Wood Bay – Windermere
If you’ve ever driven the road between Windermere and Ambleside, it’s likely you will have seen Low Wood Bay – a beautiful resort on the waters of Windermere Lake. They offer full or half spa days, usually paired with a meal in one of their fantastic restaurants and complete with treatments like a variety of massages, facials, a long list of thermal therapies, an indoor and outdoor pool, a mud room and an outdoor bar that serves indulgent cocktails. It’s the perfect way to spend a rainy day!
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Holte Spa (The Swan Hotel) – Newby Bridge
Holte Spa can be found tucked away in Newby Bridge, right on the riverfront. It’s the perfect venue for a quiet day of relaxation and rejuvenation. Indulge yourself in their massages and facials, and lose yourself in the Thermal Suite – a luxurious relaxation space complete with a steam room, Finnish saunas, experience showers, a jacuzzi, indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pools and many luxury treatments.
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Family-Friendly Indoor Fun
Lakes Aquarium – Newby Bridge
Your young ones may find it harder to sit and relax on a rainy day, so maybe a spa day is not in question. That’s okay; we have some family-friendly options that will be fun for everyone.
The Lakes Aquarium is a fair size but packed with lots of attractions – tanks displaying local aquatic animals like the Diving Duck or the Thornback Ray and ones from other parts of the world – Blind Cave Fish and Piranhas from Central America, Clownfish from the Pacific and Indian oceans, Oriental Otters from Asia, Dart Frogs from the rainforest, and many others for you and your family to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at! The aquarium is situated at the Lakeside station, where you can find Oscar’s Cafe for a spot of lunch.
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World of Beatrix Potter – Bowness-on-Windermere
This is the only attraction of its kind in the world, set in the heart of Bowness-on-Windermere is the World of Beatrix Potter attraction, shop and cafe. Built to honour the memory and creations of children’s illustrator and author Beatrix Potter, the attraction walks guests through the iconic stories she wrote, scenes from the Peter Rabbit series brought to life using a mix of technology and art.
When you first enter you will take a seat in their film room to get introduced to the beloved characters, then you will step into the magical world of a woodland glade, the kitchen of Mrs Tiggy-Winks and The Peter Rabbit Garden before you can use the screen room to take a virtual walk through the Lakes, in the exact way Beatric Potter would have seen it.
The gift shop is the only one like it, filled to the brim with Petter Rabbit merchandise. Sit down with a yummy slice of Peter Rabbit Carrot Cake or a Mr Tod’s Fruit Slice and a warm drink in the the new cafe is fashioned after a woodland wonderland!
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The Puzzling Place – Keswick
If you fancy something a bit more mysterious, maybe for you and your older kids, a must-see is The Puzzling Place! This is a walk through the worlds of illusions; each room has a different mind-bending trick that will shock and awe!
Find yourself losing your footing in the Anti-Gravity Room, walking the walls in the Sideways Room and having your mind blown in the Eyelusion Exhibition – it’s the perfect remedy for a rainy day in the Lakes and fun for the entire family.
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Outside-in Play Place – Kendal
On a rainy day, it can be difficult to find ways to entertain your little ones, but we have a solution! Outside-in is a charity run indoor play centre in the middle of Kendal, a mere minute’s walk from the centre of town. What makes this place so special is that the play areas are fashioned after Kendal Castle and the Kendal Highstreet – including iconic landmarks from the town like the library, the Old Fleece Inn and the post office, each with their own roleplaying prompts for the older children to enjoy. Additionally, they have an outdoor play area for the sunny days too!
Their Cafe is highly recommended too, with a variety of hot drinks and home-made food – all of which made with locally sourced ingredients. Parents can have a brew and a rest while the little ones burn off some of that energy, all whilst being able to keep an eye on them!
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Bowness Escape Room – Bowness
This activity may not be for everyone, but it’s certainly the most exciting – tucked away on the High Street is Bowness Escape Room. You and your family get one hour to escape either ‘The Cutting Room’ or the ‘Down To The Wire’ room by solving puzzles and working as a team to connect the clues.
It’s a fantastic way to waste some time waiting for the rain to pass and bond with your family, it being on the main street also means its very close to a range of cafes and restaurants too!
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Indoor Attractions & Museums
Wordsworth Museum & Dove Cottage – Grasmere
Wordsworth Museum and Dove Cottage are the shining jewels of Grasmere, a piece of history frozen in time. Once described by the poet as “the loveliest spot man hath ever found”, you can step into William Wordsworth’s home and garden, take a walk through his life and see the places he sat to write some of the most iconic poetry in history.
If you are a history buff, or even just an appreciator of the romantic arts, this is a must visit when you are in the Lake District. The museum attached to Dove Cottage is filled with bits and pieces of the Wordsworth’s lives – the famous Grasmere Journal written by Dorothy, William’s sister, can be found here along with some rare original Wordsworth pieces.
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Hill Top – Ambleside (paired with World of Beatrix Potter)
Tucked away in a lovely little corner of Ambleside you will find the home of the iconic children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter – the brilliant mind behind The World of Peter Rabbit book series. Step into her shoes and walk through the halls of the place she wrote the beloved books, see the garden that inspired her to create Peter Rabbit, pop in for a warm drink at Joe’s Cafe just around the corner or have a nosey around the Hill Top Shop, there’s something for everyone.
Why not make a day of it? Wander through history at Hill Top and then bring the story books alive at The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in Bowness-on-Windermere.
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Kendal Museum – Kendal
Kendal Museum is a treasure trove of history and knowledge, filled with pieces from the world wars to the times Vikings walked our land – and it’s right here, in Herdwick Cottage’s hometown! This building filled with curiosities from every time period has its own strong history too, a story of community coming together to ensure local history was preserved and taken care of.
This is a must-see, the museum is located in a convenient spot across from Kendal train station and a mere stone’s throw from the high-street where you can find our collection of warm and welcoming cafes and restaurants.
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Heaton Art Gallery & Mathilde’s Cafe – Grasmere
Located in the heart of Grasmere is the Heaton Art Gallery, a monument to the Heaton-Cooper family legacy of the arts. The museum was opened by Alfred Heaton Cooper in 1905 in Coniston for him to exhibit his work, he then moved it to Ambleside. Later in 1938, his son, William, built the museum we visit today in the Centre of Grasmere, where he displayed his late fathers work, his own and later his wife and children’s too. It stands today beloved and filled with generations of labours of love, reminding us why the arts are so important to stop and appreciate.
This must visit location is surrounded by Grasmere’s local shops and eateries, specifically the highly-rated Mathilde’s Cafe – an extension of the gallery too! It’s named after Alfred’s wife, Mathilde Marie Valentinsen, and serves a blend of British and Scandinavian food to honour her.
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Laurel and Hardy Museum – Ulverston
Now, this is an iconic location. A museum more aptly referred to as a labyrinth, filled to the brim with everything Laurel and Hardy – this spot has become a pilgrimage for fans of the comedy duo! First starting as a private collection, it was opened to the public to feast their eyes on rooms overflowing with merchandise, halls covered floor to ceiling with pictures of the beloved pair and even the ‘The Bowling Bar’ – a screening room that streams Laurel and Hardy hits continuously! This is an unmissable stop when you visit the Lakes, for fans and newcomers alike!
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The next time the clouds roll in, don’t let it dampen your day. Embrace it. Explore somewhere new. Make it part of the adventure! Rainy days are part of the charm here in the Lakes, and they’re even better when you have the perfect place to unwind. Whether you’re looking for panoramic water views, a snug hideaway close to shops and cafés, or a family-friendly base with room to spread out, our collection of properties across the region has something for everyone.
