Whinlatter Visitor Centre

We stayed within reasonable walking distance of the visitor centre and so trekked up there a several times for lunch. For us the food was okay and the service not bad - we certainly didn't encounter queues or long waits - but that was probably because it wasn't that busy. We did walk on much of the blue route and also the green route supposedly up to Seat How - but generally the trails have no views, meander around and at times are poorly signposted - so we had no idea where Seat How was(we did subsequently find it - but the summit point is off the path and not signposted) - so ended up finding our own way over to Lords Seat which unfortunately was covered in cloud by the time we arrived - so not really a place for fell walkers. The parking to me is far too expensive (Would like to know who is running the forestry commission and implementing this policy?) - but it is controlled by number plate recognition - the 1st 20 mins is free, £2 for an hour, 45p per 20mins after that up to £8 for the day - I guess if you intend to spend a full day there with your whole family doing all the activities you might be able to justify those prices but there are plenty of better places to have lunch for free - so wouldn't be paying an additional £3 say just for the privilege here. As for wi-fi - still unclear if they offer this free as there were no signs - but was told that it was different wi-fi in the visitor centre to the cafe? So didn't bother to try.

Loads of parking space and a great place to ride your bike! Two big ups and two awesome downs!

Spent two hours here, walked our puppy in the forest and then had a drink at the cafe. Nice food, good facilities, plenty of parking. Parking is £2 for the first hour and 45p for every 20min after that. There is a layby that is further down the road and free but it will add quite a bit to your walk, probably fine for mountain bikers. The forest is beautiful and quite different from mossy of the mountainous landscape of the rest of the lake district.

Gruffalo experience wa very good.

Good bike trails carpark fee does hurt a bit . Get there early for a space and a good clear run around the trails before the masses arrive

Excellent visitor centre, a particular highlight is the Osprey webcams set up in HD on a big screen, with really helpful staff to tell you what's going on.

Lovely cafe, great location, good food. The only reason this isn't a 5* review is that the kitchen struggles to keep up with demand at busy times and the wait can be long.