The outdoor sculptures, and bike and hike trails of Grizedale Forest are 7 miles up the road – and anyone remotely adventurous is going to love Grizedale’s treetop adventure course, Go Ape (www.goape.co.uk). Or drive a couple of minutes round to Haverthwaite station for a car-free day out on the steam railway up to Lakeside (015395 31594), where you can jump on a cruise to Windermere and Ambleside (015394 43360).