Aira Force and Gowbarrow Park

The 65-foot Aira Force waterfall crashes through a wooded gorge above Ullswater, the centrepiece of an 18th-century pleasure ground, with champion trees and red squirrels. Stone bridges cross the beck above and below the fall, so most visitors climb one side and come down the other, and paths run on into Gowbarrow Park, a former deer park grazed by Herdwick sheep and crowned by Gowbarrow Fell with wide views over the lake. Waymarked trails include a 4.5-mile route up to the summit of Gowbarrow Fell and an easy 1.2-mile walk to Glencoyne. It was on this shore that William and Dorothy Wordsworth saw the daffodils behind his best-known poem. Reviewers find the waterfall circuit manageable with young children, though it is rocky underfoot and boots are wise; the falls cannot be reached with a wheelchair or pushchair. Tips from regulars: the main car park fills quickly on fine days, so arrive early or try the smaller car parks along the road, and dogs must stay on leads.