The Area

RSPB’s Leighton Moss is the largest reed bed in north-west England, and home to some really special birds such as breeding bitterns, water rail, bearded tits and marsh harriers. You might see deer too, not to mention butterflies aplenty! In the autumn there are up to 80,000 starlings seen is spiralling ‘clouds’. Recently used as the venue for BBC Autumn Watch.
Choose from a selection of trails and hides, most of which are suitable for wheelchairs, and get right to the heart of the reed bed. Or take the nature trail alongside two coastal lagoons to see lots of wading and water birds.

The Wheatsheaf in Beetham and The Tavern in Hale are good local pubs for food and drink a short walk from the Park.

The Smithy Inn (Holme) ,L’Enclume (Cartmel), No 17 (Milnthorpe), Masons Arms (Strawberry Bank), Derby Arms (Whitherslack), Kingfisher (Arnside), Wolfhouse Gallery (Silverdale) are all easy to get to for good food. There are many more restaurants in local towns and villages to explore.

Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is a unique and exciting blend of exotic wildlife and interactive hands-on displays, which take you through 3,000 million years of evolution.

Cinderbarrow Miniature Railway is a fantastic little railway running round the picnic site at Cinderbarrow. The railway is open to the public for rides on both diesel and real steam trains in miniature, on Sundays and bank holidays throughout the summer, as well as a special event on Halloween. There is a family friendly picnic site surrounded by woodland, with lots of open space.

Carnforth Station Heritage Centre and the Brief Encounter Refreshment Room are a popular local attraction. You can enjoy a snack or a light bite as you soak up the atmosphere in the unique surroundings of the Brief Encounter Refreshment Room, which has been restored to its 1940s glory to resemble the set used in the film where Laura and Alec first met in David Lean’s film “Brief Encounter” starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.


Sizergh Castle is a beautiful medieval house, with rich gardens and estate. This imposing house stands proud at the gateway to the Lake District.

Levens Hall is 10 minutes away. Whether you wish to explore this fine Elizabethan house and world-famous gardens, to call in at the Bellingham Buttery for home-made cooking after a walk in the Park or visit The Potting Shed Shop to purchase a gift, we know that all ages will find much to discover and enjoy. The ancestral home of the world-renowned Gillow furniture family, Leighton Hall is 10 minutes away and provides a beautiful setting for many themed events throughout the season.

Sea, shoreline and beaches are ten minutes away. Morecambe Bay is a place with unique wildlife and habitats and a great place for outdoor adventures. The Bay is one of the best places in the UK for a range of high adrenaline outdoor activities from sailing, to powered paragliding, parachuting, windsurfing, mountain biking, horse riding, and kite surfing. The headlands and promenades of the bay offer spectacular seascape views. The hardy and adventurous can take a guided walk across the sands. Each and everyone can look up across the tidal sand and mud flats towards the Lake District and the Bowland Fells.

The Arnside and Silverdale Art Trail is a community event, organised by volunteers encouraging “ownership” by all the participants. The Trail aims to encourage creativity within the community, promote and showcase the work of amateurs and professionals within the AONB and, to bring a wide range of arts and crafts within everyone’s experience. Anyone who creates their own work can apply to be an exhibitor.

Lakeland Arts is one of the leading independent museum and gallery trusts in the UK. The Trust is highly regarded for the excellence of its collections and exhibitions at Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Blackwell (The Arts & Crafts House), and the Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry. The Trust took over responsibility for the Windermere Steamboat Museum in 2007.

The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, is known nationally as a centre for world-class theatre, music, art and events. The Brewery has a 450 capacity music venue, three cinemas, two visual arts galleries, a drama studio, a great restaurant, Warehouse Café, the famous Vats Bar, and a fantastic theatre seating 200.

Discover the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland they are all a short distance and easy to access from Beetham Holiday Homes.