A must for visiting children are the soft play centre, Kirkby Stephen Station East (open weekends) and Brough Castle Ice Cream Parlour. There are also two playgrounds in Kirkby Stephen plus one in Warcop and Winton. Don’t forget to enjoy the countryside, nature reserves, parks and walks.
There are two free leaflets aimed specifically at visiting families with the Brough Family Buggy Walks and the Kirkby Stephen Adventure Trail which also contains a list of 41 free and cheap children’s activities. Both leaflets include things to look out for and find. They are available at the Visitor Centre or to download.
Here we offer you a list of 50 cheap or free things to entertain your children while you are in the Eden Valley:
- Feed the ducks at Frank’s Bridge
- Walk over Millennium Bridge and see Coup Karnan below
- Visit Stainmore Railway at weekends
- Walk the Poetry Path and take rubbings from your favourite stones
- Pretend to be a train on the buggy friendly NVT walk
- Look for red squirrels and report your sightings
- Visit Smardale Gill Nature Reserve
- Sit in the bird hide at Crossbank Nature Reserve
- See a hay meadow in bloom
- Go to Bowes Museum if it rains
- Travel on the Settle-Carlisle Railway over Ribblehead Viaduct
- Be a Knight or Princess at Brough Castle
- Look for fairies at Stenkrith Park
- Discover the Leper’s squint at St Michael’s Church, Brough
- Go Geocaching
- Discover the Loki Stone
- Fly a kite at Tailbrigg
- Defend the stone seat in Edensyde
- Have a picnic
- Find and identify 5 small pebbles or stones
- Watch a cricket match at Hillsbottom
- Find a piece of sheep’s wool
- Climb to the Jubilee Cairn on Kirkby Hill
- Find a waterfall
- Try Brough Buggy Walk
- Visit Platform 3 soft play centre (height restriction 150 cms.)
- Learn about Lady Anne Clifford
- Get 100 things in a matchbox
- Play Pooh Sticks at Swingy Bridge
- Identify some Brockram local stone
- How many buildings in Kirkby Stephen can you find with dates on?
- Discover and identify 5 insects
- Go on the Cumbria Classic Coach to “Barney” or Hawes
- Find the ancient elm tree
- Visit Farfield Mill
- Learn to count in old Cumbric – Yan, Tan, Tethera …
- Do the Kirkby Stephen Town Trail
- Imitate a bird song
- Learn a local legend
- Skim a stone on a quiet stretch of River Eden
- Find the Boar’s Tusk in Kirkby Stephen Parish Church
- Learn about Sir Andreas de Harcla
- Visit the summerhouse in Jubilee Park
- Go to the Brough Ice Cream Parlour and playground
- Find the furlong signpost
- Visit Wensleydale Cheese Factory
- Discover the Wharton oak and old deer park
- Find the old Grammar School
- Discover Bloody Bones Lane
- Visit a local play park