Family Christmas Ideas 2003

For details of walks and cycle routes:
National Trails www.nationaltrails.co.uk
National Cycle Routes www.sustrans.co.uk

Where to stay
Monkhouse Hill Cottages near Keswick won 2003's Cumbria for Excellence Award for the best self-catering accommodation. The cottages are arranged around a courtyard and all have log-burning stoves - get ready to toast marshmallows. (Make catering for your clan that much easier by ordering groceries online for delivery at the cabin.) Grizedale Forest is close by for winter walks. Weekly rentals start from £490. Get more information about Monkhouse Hill as well as hundreds of other cottage properties from Cumbria's tourist board.

Armathwaite Hall near Ullswater provides a traditional experience for kids and parents alike. Christmas day starts with a visit from Santa, present-opening and a traditional turkey lunch, followed by the Queen's speech (perhaps a good time for a nap?). On Boxing Day families can visit Trotters World of Animals in the hotel's grounds, where children meet Monty the Python, a family of gibbons and birds of prey. Then it's back to the hall to collect a packed lunch and off to Lake Ullswater for a winter cruise. Cruising is one of the best ways to take in the Lakeland scenery, especially when the surrounding fells have their first winter snow. In the afternoon there is a guided walk along a favourite Victorian woodland track to Aira Force, one of the Lake District's finest waterfalls. Guests are driven back to the hall. Later in the evening, parents don black tie for an after-dinner casino night of blackjack, roulette, professional croupiers and funny money.

The three-night Christmas and New Year packages cost £760 per person including meals and entertainment; children under 4 to 12 years sharing with parents are £200 per child; under-4s are free with meals charged as taken.

For details:
Cumbrian Tourist Board www.golakes.co.uk
Armathwaitehall Hall www.armathwaitehall.com

Things to do around and about
Weather permitting, the hills of the Lake District make excellent toboggan runs. Two of the best locations are Latrigg Fell near Keswick and Kirkstone Pass near Ullswater. In addition, many Cumbrian tourist attractions stay open during Christmas and the New Year. Popular with youngsters is Keswick Climbing Wall, and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, England's first narrow gauge railway. The Railway runs a Santa Special three times a day, every weekend in December, whereby kids get a visit and a gift from Santa, and parents enjoy mince pies and a drink. Tickets cost £14 for adults; £14, including Santa gift, for children aged 1 to 11; and £7 including token gift for children aged 12-15. For tickets, telephone Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway on tel 01229 717171.

For details: