Our Visit to Whinlatter

We planned a visit to Whinlatter Forest in March 2026. The weather was cold but sunny, and so perfect for a forest walk. We took along Charlotte and Chris with their furry boy Milo, plus my mum and dad.

It was an easy drive there, about 40 mins, firstly it was a scenic drive along the coast and then we headed inland to the Lakes. Parking was easy, lots of spaces and you pay when you leave so no trying to work out how long you need to pay for.

We followed the Gruffalo Trail, but there are lots more trails to explore if this one isn't for you.  We stopped off along the way to get piccys with the Gruffalo and his friends and the path was easy to walk and not too much of a challenge.

We stopped off at a picnic area for a rest and were thrilled to catch a glimpse of the red squirrels. We had a little play with the water feature plus there's a table tennis table there too if you fancied a game.  There's a play area for the little ones, which could be entertaining for the bigger ones too.

The circular walk took us back to the beginning where we headed into the cafe for lunch.  The cafe is totally dog friendly so Milo and Maisie joined us but pretty much snoozed throughout the meal.

The food was extremely good and much needed after our long walk. From sandwiches, to hot food and lots of delicious cakes, it's the perfect end to a great morning.

We enjoyed a bit of a nosy around the shop and mum treated me to a bird feeder for the the garden at home.

All in all, it was a great day and we can highly recommend it to all our guests. Perfect for kids, perfect for furries and perfect for the older ones too. For those not so great on foot, we found the Gruffalo trail quite easy to navigate or if you are more into adventure then you could climb through the trees with GoApe.

Make sure you plan a visit during your stay and if you need any more info, feel free to just message us and say hi. 

Melanie xx