Grizedale Forest with Kids: Things to Do, Walks & More

Situated between Coniston Water and Lake Windermere, Grizedale Forest is one of the best family days out in the Lake District National Park. Spread across thousands of acres of Forestry England woodland, the forest combines outdoor adventure, art and family-friendly facilities, attracting almost a quarter of a million visitors each year.

‘Escape, Explore, Enjoy’ is Grizedale’s slogan, and there’s certainly plenty of opportunity to do all three.. Whether you’re stopping for an hour to follow one of the shorter trails or spending the whole day exploring, there’s plenty here to keep the family busy.

Where is Grizedale Forest?

Grizedale Forest is a 24.5 square kilometre area of woodland positioned in the heart of the South Lakes, directly between Coniston Water (to its west) and Lake Windermere (to the east).

Address: Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre, Grizedale Forest, Hawkshead, Cumbria LA22 0QJ
Click here for Google Maps location of entrance to main car park

There are several car parks throughout the forest, including Moor Top, Bogle Crag and Machell’s Coppice. For the activities covered in this guide, use Grizedale Main Car Park or the adjacent Kennels Car Park.

The car parks use automatic number plate recognition and are pay-on-exit, either by card or online within 48 hours of your visit via Park with Ease. First hour is £2.90, with additional time charged at 70p per 15 minutes, up to a maximum daily charge of £14.

Opening Times

The car park, trails and toilets are open every day, weather permitting. Severe weather can sometimes force closures.

• The Visitor Centre, Bike Hire and Forest Shop are open from 10am – 5pm 7 days a week.
• The Café, Café Ambio, is open from 10am – 5pm 7 days a week.
• ‘Go Ape’ is open from 10am – 3pm 7 days a week. This typically requires booking in advance.

Ticket Prices

Access to the forest itself is free (after paying for parking), and its trails and play area can be enjoyed free of charge.

Trail packs for the Gruffalo trail (£2.50) and the Room on the Broom trail (£4.00) can be bought from the Visitor Centre.

Bike hire costs vary and must be booked directly through the on-site bike hire. GoApe costs vary and must be booked directly through the GoApe website.

Exploring Grizedale with kids

There’s plenty to keep children of all ages entertained at Grizedale, from themed trails and woodland sculptures to cycling, Go Ape and the large adventure playground.

Activity trails

Youngsters can burn off energy on the dedicated themed activity trails, such as ‘The Gruffalo’ and the ‘Room on the Broom’ trails, using activity packs and interactive checkpoints to stay engaged along the way. Trail packs can be bought from the Visitor Centre and include mapwork, quiz questions, stickers and pop-up activities such as a buildable magic wand.

Playground

Kids will love the free adventure playground next to Café Ambio, with multiple slides, climbing walls, balance beams, swings and a sandpit. With equipment ranging from toddler-friendly play areas to more challenging climbing and adventure features, it’s a playground that works well for younger children as well as tweens and older kids. Its location next to the café is particularly handy for parents who want to grab a coffee while the kids play.

Family walks

There are several short, easy trails around the Visitor Centre that are suitable for pushchairs and younger children. The 1.5-kilometre circular Ridding Wood Trail is home to the famous Gruffalo sculpture, as well as other animal and nature sculptures hidden among the trees.

The Millwood Trail is another pushchair-friendly option, with a short 1-kilometre route and a longer 2.5-kilometre version that climbs above the Visitor Centre.

The Grizedale Tarn and Bogle Crag trails offer more strenuous walking over 7 kilometres and 5 kilometres respectively. Neither route is pushchair-friendly.

GoApe at Grizedale

For little adventurers, GoApe Treetop Adventure, which is situated within the forest, offers both their traditional high-wires course, as well as ‘TreeTops Adventure Plus’ aimed at children from 6 years and up. Booking and pricing is available directly through the GoApe website.

Cycling

Grizedale has a network of traffic-free gravel tracks suitable for family cycling, with routes ranging from easier forest rides to more challenging mountain-bike trails. Details of cycling routes and bike hire can be found here.

Observatory and Planetarium

New since 2025, Grizedale’s Observatory and Planetarium, located next to the main car park, now offers ticketed access to evening stargazing events. The planetarium is only accessible during these events.

The Café 

Located in the main courtyard next to the Visitor Centre, Café Ambio is the perfect pitstop. On sunny days, there’s expansive outdoor seating, and on those drizzlier days, the indoor space is light and welcoming.

The menu includes homemade scones, soups, burgers and more substantial lunch options. There’s also a coffee kiosk next door serving hot drinks and Luxury Lakes ice cream.

You can bring your own picnic, with plenty of places around the forest to stop and eat, but it’s worth visiting Café Ambio if only for a sweet treat at the end of your visit.

Facilities 

• Kiosk-style coffee shop
• Sit-down dining café with indoor and outdoor seating
• Toilets
• Baby changing facilities
• Dogs allowed

The Lake District Kids Verdict

Grizedale Forest is one of those Lake District days out where you can spend as much or as little as you like. The trails, playground and woodland are all free once you’ve paid for parking, while activities such as Go Ape and bike hire give you the option to spend more if you want to make a bigger day of it.

We think it works particularly well for families because there’s something for a wide range of ages, and you don’t need to plan every minute of your visit. You can simply arrive, head into the forest and see where the day takes you.