Address: Whinlatter Pass, Keswick, CA12 5TW, United Kingdom
Phone: +441768778469
Rating: 4.8
based on 276 reviews.
Facilities
Pros:
"The café and shop were good and car parking was reasonable."
"INCREDIBLE & WELL SORTED FACILITIES. CAR PARKING PRICES ARE FAIR.. GREAT CAFE & SHOP.. TOILETS, SHOWERS, ETC ETC."
"Facilities are great: bike wash, car park, shop and cafe."
"The cafe and the visitor centre are excellent, plus clean toilets."
"Facilities are also great."
"Incredible trail centre, nice variation of trails in a great location with great facilities (toilets, cafe, large carpark, bike shop / rentals)."
"The mountain bike shop on site has everything you'll need and more."
Cons:
"Car park seams pricey, but the facilities are all there as required and very clean and tidy."
"Also being local the yearly pass is way too expensive. Would definitely go more often if cheaper!"
"Now has parking cameras which is very greedy given they don't provide bins."
"Parking however was a bit of a nightmare around lunchtime."
"The car parking is the only thing that lets the place down with it often being over crowded and the fees aren't great."
"Parking charges were a bit steep as seems to be the case with a lot of forestry areas and getting worse."
"Not one rubbish bin anywhere either around the car park or on the trail."
Trails & Activities
Pros:
"The red bike trails are interesting to ride and about 11 miles long."
"This was the best hike I have ever been on and it lasted close to 3 hours."
"Fantastic place to explore. Plenty of activities all around the forest for the littleuns and biguns, enjoyable walks, adventure play area."
"The walks around the forest are well marked and show off the beautiful surrounding scenery."
"Lots to do for walkers, runners and cyclists. Lots of marked trails for all abilities."
"The Altura Trail which is rated as a Red & is made up of two loops(North & South) other are 6 miles in length, both require you to have a good level of fitness & trail riding skills."
"Loads to do for all the family! The Mountain bike trails are brilliant with epic views and very well maintained tracks."
Cons:
"I do enjoy this place when visiting the lakes however i must say due to all the tree felling its getting more like a woods than a forest go ape is expensive especially if you have a family of 5."
"Crowded in the peak season."
"Forestry were also butchering part of the MTB trails felling trees."
"Some great views, but the waterfall is almost inaccessible after recent storms so is not really worth the trip unless you feel the need to accomplish every route."
"Signs are poor. A white arrow on red background for mtb, a slightly different one for runners and a slightly different one again for a forrest trail. Signs suddenly run out."
"The waterfall is almost inaccessible after recent storms so is not really worth the trip unless you feel the need to accomplish every route."
"This is a lovely forest with lots to do for the kids, however I feel the contraptions they have put in for kids takes away the reason for being in the forest."
Cafe & Shop
Pros:
"There is a lovely gift shop and a lovely café too, although the prices in the café are steep."
"The cafe is lovely with plenty of coffee and cake to choose from."
"The cafe is very good too. We had a quick lunch of soup and sausage roll but the mains coming out looked amazing."
"The onsite cafe is lovely with great views and doggy friendly."
"Cafe was great, food was well worth the money and the coffee and ice creams were delicious too."
"A cafe, that offers a good range of quality products to eat and drink, whilst still being very reasonably priced, given its location."
"The cafe and other facilities are good."
Cons:
"The café needs a good clean though. So many cobwebs and dead flies under tables."
"Food was okay in the cafe but quite overpriced."
"Can get really busy on a nice day as was a big queue in the cafe."
"Nothing suitable for vegans in the cafe and the food they do have is expensive."
"Overly expensive bacon butty at £6. Smoked bacon rashers in a brioche bun and no butter or marge, yuk."
"Car parking charges and the cafe are expensive."
"Commercial rip off to the ordinary visitor, staff reluctant to help, jacket potato and a filling £8 and an ANPR car park price to rival your local hospital."
Parking
Pros:
"The car park is huge so you won't need to worry about parking issues."
"Parking is great and the facilities are top notch."
"The car park wasn't too expensive and you just pay before you leave."
"Like the car parking just pay when you leave and charges seem reasonable."
"Dog friendly! Lovely little shop and plenty of parking."
"Beautiful place, plenty of parking at a reasonable price."
"Plenty of parking and is always busy."
Cons:
"Overly expensive car parking in a forest, then charging £1.50 for a route map leaflet which you can download for free."
"Parking a bit expensive with 1 hour @ £2 hence 4 stars."
"Parking was quite expensive."
"The car park is ANPR so as soon as you enter its a charge."
"Parking is free for twenty minutes(!) then £2.50 for an hour, then additional costs for every fifteen minutes you stay."
"Car parking was very busy though and not cheap as equivalent to £1.50 per hour after the minimum period of 1 hour at about £2.50."
"Car park expensive cost £6.20 for 3hrs 23 min which they round up to 3hrs 40min and charge you for it."