UKC

Hi,

Going to be staying near Hope in August with some friends, most of us with kids between 18 months and 7 years and looking for some ideas of what to see/do with them, come rain or shine.

New experience for me - I've not been to the Peak District for a few years and never with kids, so usual biking/climbing activities are taking a back seat!

I've got a couple of ideas, but more up-to-date ones/local experience appreciated, please.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Picking fruits (bilberries/blackberries) and "climbing" (roped bouldering on slabs really) are favourite activities of our 2.5 yo. She loved to play with DMM offsets and try to place them in cracks when she was 18 months too. Generally sitting in the grass and around rocks seems to be a very interesting thing for a toddler to do.

For older ones, geocaching is usually a good bet. The caves around Castleton are nice if raining.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

The Chestnut Centre is good for a couple of hours and only 15mins from Hope,

Cheers, Si

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Half a day staring at fluffy things here may be fun ???

http://www.mayfieldalpacas.com/

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Hi, we went with friends and kids of about the ages you mentioned and we enjoyed this:
http://www.heightsofabraham.com/
Caverns were fun and couple of playgrounds (one with big slides in it) and nice café.

And this:
http://www.peakrail.co.uk/
If you park at Rowsley South and use it to get into Matlock, plenty of free parking. There's a nice park in Matlock which had a good playground and a little fun water area with paddling and squirting things (take swim suits for the kids!).

Have a good time!

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Well worth the trip for icecream face covered enjoyment....

http://www.ourcowmolly.co.uk/

In reply to muppetfilter:



The alpaca place is both really cheap and good fun. My kids loved it, even the 11 year old, who half the time tries to remember he's to cool for school these days, couldn't help giggle as the alpacas eat the food out of your hand.

I've also decided that the UK and particularly the Peak District is way more windy than I remember it being, so kites are good. Decathlon has ones that work well for not much money - it's the type of thing that you can use to disguise a hike for kids! "I hate going on walks", "Don't worry we're not going on a walk, we are going kite flying." "Oh! Cool! Can I fly the blue one?!" "Yes. Just run to the top of that hill first for a good flying site."

Higgar Tor is good for a walk because the boulders are like an adventure playground and there is the cool "crevasse" system you can explore on the right section of the cliff (climber's right) about 50 mtrs right of the Leaning Block.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Fairholmes is pretty kid friendly, hire bikes (and kiddie trailers) , nature trails, spectacular dam, especially if it overflowing, feed the ducks and many birds, eat a pasty at the cafe.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Blue john cavern is fun as is speedwell. As a kids i always like being in caves though guess these days there a bit more expensive than when I went.

If your in Hope and it is a nice day you can sit have a picnic beside Peakshole water. It used to be grassy banks by the river which is/was shallow and ideal for paddling and catching fish in for an afternoon, Footpath is right off PindaleRoad which is the road by the side of the church

In reply to DrIan:

Chatsworth house. Amazing kiddie playground / sandpit thingy. nice gardens for mooching about and picnicking.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Buxton has a good park with stuff for all ages and the Buxton Tap House with a naughty array of ales is but a stone's throw away. If it rains, there's a soft play in the town too.

High Peak and Tissington Trails are good for cycling. You can hire cycles but it's first come first served.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Thanks, everyone - a few suggestions a bit further than we'd like to travel from base, but will bear in mind for the future.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Try Hope Valley Icecream, at Thorpe Farm, halfway between Hathersage and Bamford. You can see the cows being milked by an automated machine.
How about scrambling around the boulders at Higgar Tor or the right hand end of Stanage.
Walking up Mam Tor from the Mam Nick car park.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

My daughter has loved Dovedale. When she was very little it was the paddling, then the stepping stones, then the caves, then the lovely pointy mini mountain (Thorpe Cloud - not a mountain but very pointy), then the spires and now she wants to run it!

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Hathersage has an outdoor swimming pool which is great

Castleton has Peveril Castle - our kids (2 and 5) made felt crowns with us first then walked all the up, battled all over the castle then walked all the way back down again

Hardwick Hall a little further away but great for a day out

Second the Chestnut centre - good to combine with an easy ascent of Mam Tor (from the high car park)

Padley Gorge (down from Fox House) has great paddling and a handy ice cream van, plus close to burbage south for some easy bouldering / rock scrambling

Geocaching at the Longshaw estate (near Fox House) is good fun and can be combined with the above

Have fun!

In reply to LastBoyScout:

+1 for Hathersage outdoor pool (plus caff).