Since having our daughter 17 months ago, we have hiked to bothies in the Cairngorms, stayed in an Alpine mountain refuge in Italy, climbed a Munro on the west coast of Scotland, stayed in Britain’s most remote youth hostel, wild camped in the Lairig-Ghru and hiked over 20 Wainwrights — all with a baby and now toddler in tow. Of course, we have been learning as we go and made mistakes along the way — albeit nothing too serious thankfully. We feel passionately that getting outside with little ones is possible and absolutely necessary, whether that be a short stroll around your local park or a big ramble over the fells. In this new series on the blog, we want to share some of family adventures to inspire you to try some of your own.

All aboard la’al ratty

This adventure begins in Ravenglass, on the west coast of Cumbria. It is from here that we embarked on our journey into Eskdale on the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway, affectionately known as La’al Ratty. The Ravenglass to Eskdale Railway is in fact one of the oldest and longest narrow gauge railways in England, originally built in 1873, and riding it feels like a real remnant of Cumbrian history. The journey is 7 miles long – taking around 40 minutes – and travels through spectacular scenery; from the coast at Ravenglass, whizz across the estuary, through woodland and into the hills to arrive at Dalegarth Station, just a 5-10 minute walk into the lovely village of Boot. We tried to pack minimally, but knowing the walk to the campsite would be short we did allow ourselves a few luxuries… Aífe went in her backpack carried by Harvey, and I had our large duffel back on my back which carried all our camping gear. Then we each had a bag of food and extra supplies in our hands, and Oslo trotting alongside us for the short walk to the National Trust Eskdale campground.

Golden Hour and a good feed

We had originally planned to camp at the National Trust Eskdale campsite. In fact, I booked this trip a month or so in advance and was sure that by late March the weather would have improved for camping. But Cumbria was struck by a bout of wild weather in mid-March and we were worried that the ground would be too muddy for camping with a baby and dog, so on the morning of our travel I sent a quick email to the campsite and asked if we could swap to one of their camping pods. I got a response almost immediately that yes, we could! So we left the tent behind and were very excited to unlock the door of our little wooden pod for a couple of nights. We opted for a basic pod which just had a squashy floor and a heater. It was fantastic to have a bit of shelter from the wind and rain, and the heater was greatly welcomed for the chilly March nights. I would definitely stay in a pod again in the cooler months as it just means you have somewhere dry and warm to retreat to after a day in the hills, without paying the prices of a holiday cottage. Plus, you still get that feeling of camping with your sleeping bags and cooking out on the deck. It’s a great compromise with kids, in my opinion.

When we arrived, we unloaded all of our belongings, set up our sleep systems and made a cup of tea to settle in. Then as the sun began peeling through the clouds, we decided to head out for a walk to explore the area. The light was golden and glorious, as we climbed from Boot onto the fell and across to Blea Tarn before returning by walking next to the railway tracks. It was a great little walk of just under 5km. I’ve plotted it on Ordnance Survey from Boot here — though this map shows you return via the road, we actually turned left at the railway and walked next to the track before continuing on the old railway line past Dalegarth Station. After our walk, we headed to the Boot Inn for a fantastic dinner. The food there was delicious, with loads of variety, and the staff were incredibly friendly. We did end up going back twice more in two days!

chasing waterfalls and escaping rainfall

We woke up to the sound of rain pattering on the roof of our wooden pod the next morning, and felt glad to be under a solid roof rather than canvas on this occassion. By 9am, the rain had subsided and we enjoyed a slow morning drinking coffee and eating porridge. Aífe loved being able to get straight outside from the pod and was out exploring non-stop all morning. I look forward to not having to follow her around everywhere she goes when she’s a bit older! After breakfast, we made sandwiches, packed our bags and headed out to explore — with a loose plan to head to Stanley Ghyll Force.

We began by walking through the woodland, which was beautiful with the gushing rivers, yellow gorse and mountains in the distance beyond. It was also completely empty! We were there the week before school holidays and felt very grateful to have the woodland all to ourselves, though I imagine with the buzz of lots of families and kids running around, it’s an equally wonderful place to visit. We began following the river and ascending towards Stanley Ghyll Force, as the terrain became more rugged and wild. When we eventually reach the waterfall, we were struck by how beautiful the gorge was — almost otherworldly with ferns growing out of the cliffs and steam rising from the gushing water. At the top of the waterfall, there is a viewing platform which makes for an incredible vantage point, though certainly gets the heart-racing if you’re a little afraid of heights!

As the weather was still quite settled, from the waterfall we decided to continue walking and do a loop of the fields ahead before returning into the woodland a different way. We passed old farms and cottages, and had a wonderful view of Eskdale as we descended back into the woodland. Just as we stopped for lunch, it started raining so we continued on to a beautiful, mossy woodland where the sun came out and we spent a good hour relaxing, soaking in the warmth and quietness of the woods with just the river babbling a little beyond.

When we eventually dragged ourselves out of the woods, it was a short walk back to Boot where we stopped at the pub again for a mid-afternoon snack before heading back to our camping pod. For dinner, we cooked beans and sausages that we ate on the deck of our pod as the sun went down and the new moon appeared over the fells.

goodbye eskdale

On our final morning in Eskdale, we awoke to a misty, grey day. We enjoyed another slow morning with warm chocolate croissants from the campsite shop, then packed our belongings away before checking out from the campsite at 10am. Our train was at 1pm so the campground staff let us leave our bags in the office while we headed out on a short walk. We decided to ramble in the other direction this time and walked up to Eel Tarn. It was another great, little walk and we, yet again, managed to avoid any rain. When we got back to the campground, we picked up our bags and then headed back to Dalegarth Station where we got tea, pasties and cake before embarking on our journey back to Ravenglass. Aífe was so excited about the train on our journey home, looking out the window for practically the whole journey and pointing out all the ‘baa-baas’, flowers and trees.

Catching the train made this little trip away feel like so much more of an adventure, and was ideal with a toddler in tow. There is loads to do from Boot, whether you want a long or a short walk or simply to lounge at the river with a picnic. There are also three pubs, lots of swim spots and beautiful scenery in every direction. We had a wonderful few days away in Eskdale to kick off the Spring and get us excited for future camping trips!

Useful information

Booking: I would recommend booking both the train and campsite in advance, especially in the summer months. You can find links down below:

Ravenglass to Eskdale Railway

National Trust Eskdale Campsite

Food & drink: There are three pubs near Boot: The Boot Inn, Brookhouse Inn, and a little further up the hill you’ll find the Woolpack Inn.

Walks: We walked to Blea Tarn (4.6km from Boot), Eel Tarn and Stanley Ghyll Force. If you wish to do a longer walk, you could walk to Scafell Pike, Birker Fell or Harter Fell. Use OS Map OL7 or you can see more information on walks and sites in the area in the Lake District guide.