A weekend at Park Foot on Ullswater and a visit to Whinlatter Forest
We reached Park Foot Holiday Park late on Friday evening. Setting up on a hard standing electric pitch, we set out to discover the surroundings. Situated by Ullswater lake, the campsite boasts its own boat launch area and extends across the road into several fields. There is a lovely lakeside walk to Pooley Bridge or onto Barton Fell. The central zone features two play park areas, a sports court for basketball and footy, a convenience shop, a take-away, and TJ’s bar and restaurant. In addition, we noticed clusters of self-catering lodges and static caravans available for hire.
The kids enjoyed time in the park for about an hour, and afterwards, we decided it was time to return to the camper van for showers before settling in for the night. The campground's shower facilities were modern, clean and well maintained. While the water temperature was comfortably hot, we did notice a noticeable decrease in water pressure when multiple showers were in use simultaneously. Once we managed to tuck the children into the pop-top, we found it challenging to create a peaceful environment for them to fall asleep due to the ongoing shouting and music that extended well past the designated quiet hours of the campground. We put this down to it being a Friday and the hustle and bustle of everyone arriving, however, the park does state no noise after 11pm and this wasn’t policed.
After a disturbed sleep, we got ready for a day in Whinlatter Forest. Whilst cooking breakfast we tried to pin point where the noise was coming from. We noticed clusters of tents on and over pitches, so it was obvious large groups are allowed to camp together which isn’t normally the case on large sites. We were located near a toilet block which didn’t help matters. The bin was constantly being opened and left to fall shut and we were overlooked by groups of blokes hanging around the toilet doors vaping. We packed up everything and decided to turn the van around on our return for more privacy.
We drove to Whinlatter and promised the kids we could walk the new Gruffalo Party trail, celebrating the Gruffalo’s 25th birthday year. Whinlatter has stunning views across Bassenthwaite Lake, Derwent Water and Keswick. It has many walking trails and is home to the longest mountain bike trails in the Lake District. We picked up the kid’s trail packs for £4 each in the visitor centre. They included a bag to colour in, a party headband, the trail activity booklet, stickers, pencil, crayon and a sew on Gruffalo Party patch. The kids were thrilled and we set off out of the shop doors onto the trail. The trail features party-themed activities and games, along with facts to teach the kids about the forest eco-system. We searched for balloons, cupcakes and apples, found the characters from the storybook and completed activities in the booklet such as completing crayon rubbings from each station. When we found the Gruffalo, the views were breath-taking.
On completion of our trail adventure, we eagerly returned the trail booklets to the visitor centre to receive Gruffalo stickers and certificates. Excited by their achievements, the kids ventured into the gift shop, where they used their pocket money to choose something from a charming array of local gifts, books, and Gruffalo-themed toys. We made our way into the café for lunch. The cafe's excellent kids menu, featuring options like picnic boxes and pasta, was ideal for Esme. For ourselves, I opted for the flavoursome Lentil and Chickpea dahl, while Steve savoured the Hummus and Falafel flatbread. The dishes were not only fresh but also incredibly delicious! As we started our journey back to the van, the weather took a turn. Esme, exhausted from the day's activities, peacefully dozed off during the drive back to the campsite and Sam looked at his new book.
We strolled down to the lake and watched Steve swim across the choppy water. The children dabbled in the shallows with their nets, only to be deterred by the chilly temperature of the lake and the looming overcast sky.
After a warm shower, we opened a bottle of wine and prepared the BBQ. The sky cleared and the wind settled just on time for dinner and toasting marshmallows. The whole site was busy and loud, listening to England in the Euro semi-final. We sat out late and the kids played in the sunshine. It took a while to settle the kids down after the excitement of the night, and the ongoing celebrations outside. Steve took a walk down to the lake and I stayed with kids. Once again the noise continued well beyond 11pm, and we were woken by shouting and cans being kicked along the ground outside the toilet blocks.
We left early in the morning and concluded that while the location holds promise as a great spot for families, it is excessively commercialized and loud for our liking. This heightened activity could be attributed to the semi-finals and the imminent arrival of the summer holidays. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the parks and enjoying the outdoors, but we will be seeking a more peaceful setting for our next weekend away.