Have a wiz of a time this half term

Planning a half-term trip to the beautiful South Lakes, in Cumbria, is a wizard move this October, particularly when the area’s attractions are laying on a feast of family fun to appeal to kids young and old alike.

The Wizards on Windermere event (October 22 to 28) will be summoning up a host of magical creatures at the award-winning attraction, The Aquarium of the Lakes, Britain’s only freshwater aquarium, located on the southern shore of Windermere.

The Aquarium's version of the Sorting Hat awaits visitors' and kids will discover which house they are in by pulling out a sticker. They can then enter the Aquarium’s inner chamber, with its mesmerising underwater tunnel, and be charmed by fabulous creatures, from otters to menacing pike and from red eyed frogs, to Cichlids from Lake Malawi.

Families will be transported into a spooky forest, to come face to face with creatures deemed to have extraordinary magical powers, such as a weird looking bearded dragon, a tarantula and a witch's favourite - a toad. They can then be spellbound by the trickery of diving ducks, staying underwater for up to 45 seconds, without the assistance of herbology!

During the week, owls and their carers will deliver important messages at Meet an Owl sessions. On October 23, 27 and 28, the Corio Raptor Care and Rehabilitation Centre will bring some of its winged ambassadors and talk about its work with sick and injured owls. On October 25, the World Owl Trust will take up the reins to explain owl conservation.

Kids will also be spell-bound by exciting activities, including wand making, whilst a mesmerising seek the quill contest will lead them to the answer that will decipher the ancient rune.

Visitors can arrive on the steam train at Platform Lakeside, if they wish, perhaps taking to the lake on a Windermere Lake Cruiser after their Wizards on Windermere visit. Admission to the Aquarium of the Lakes costs £7.50 for an adult, £5.00 for a child and £6.50 for concessions, or from £22.00 for family tickets. Combined Aquarium and train, or Aquarium and cruise tickets are available.

The Aquarium is open from 9am to 6pm (5pm in Winter) seven days a week. Log on to Aquariumofthelakes.co.uk for more information.

Pottering off to another top Lakeland attraction, The World of Beatrix Potter, is also a great idea. On Monday, October 22, all the Potter books will be presented in the course of just 60 minutes, as a parody by comic double act, Dan and Jeff – The Unauthorised Harry Experience – is performed, at both 3pm and 7pm.

Endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and lots of magic moments support the appearance of all the favourite Hogwarts characters – but watch out for the audience participation, as you will be involved in a game of Quidditch!

The event will be staged in the Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness, on Windermere, in the same building as the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. Tickets for this event cost between £6.00 and £13.00.

Admission to the attraction itself costs £6.00 for adults and £3.00 for children and allows visitors to see all 23 of Beatrix Potter’s tales brought to life in 3-D. Facing up to scary Mr Mc.Gregor, or getting to know characters Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-duck better, is easy in this enchanting world and sure to please the youngsters. For more information, visit Hop-skip-jump.com.

At Kendal Museum, in the historic market town of Kendal, kids can play a slate xylophone, make a medieval tiled floor, identify Roman pottery and learn the art of coin rubbing. After identifying natural history items and seeing a dinosaur print, families can find out more about one of Kendal’s most famous former residents, Queen Katherine Parr, one of Henry V111’s wives. Touch screens allow visitors to learn more about the history of Kendal Castle and gain an appreciation of what life was like 500 years ago.

More information is available at Kendalmuseum.org.uk.

Watch out for bugs at the Lake District National Park Centre at Brockhole, near Windermere, on October 20, when a Creepy Crawly Safari will take place. Starting at 11am, this allows visitors to join bug experts on a voyage bringing them up close and personal with hissing cockroaches, giant millipedes and land snails, intimidating spiders and more!

Families can follow various trails, including a Little Legs trail. This allows the child to explore Lake District wildlife and is suitable for under 7s. A Letter Search Trail encourages over 7s to develop map reading skills, whilst searching for letters hidden in the grounds.

Over 10s simply love the Compass Trail, where they spend 30-45 minutes, with their own compass, testing their navigation skills. There’s also the Landscape Literature Trail, stretched between a unique collection of 13 works of public art, set in inspiring locations around Brockhole grounds, thanks to a local schools project involving poets and artists.

Brockhole also boasts an adventure playground, impressive gardens and an all-weather centre with interactive exhibits. If the weather is kind, it is also a perfect picnicking place, by the shores of stunning Windermere. Visitors can also hop on a lake cruise, costing £5.80 for an adult return, £3 for a child return, and £16 for a family return of two adults and up to three children. For more details visit Lake-district.gov.uk.

At the all-weather Lakeland Wildlife Oasis, at Milnthorpe, south of Kendal, families can see everything from leaf cutter ants, to meerkats and visit zones including a Tropical Hall, walk-through Aviary, Butterfly House, Sealife area and Aquarium.

Children can discover lots about wildlife and world conservation programmes, with many interactive aids throughout the attraction. A visitor can also be a keeper for the day, caring for, feeding and interacting with exotic animals. This experience costs £75 for the whole day, from 10-4pm, including lunch, certificate and commemorative photo. Booking is required.

General admission costs £6 for an adult, £4 for a child, £5 for a senior and £18 for a family of two adults and two children. For more information, visit Wildlifeoasis.co.uk

If your family still has lots of boundless energy, the South Lakes again has a solution. A visit to the indoor Lakeland Climbing Centre, in Kendal, can see your youngsters indulging themselves with a Junior Taster session – a 90 minute-long fun introduction to indoor climbing, for those with little climbing experience. Different climbing experiences apply, according to age and experience.

Admission costs £7.50 for an adult visitor and £5.50 for an under 14 visitor. For more details visit Kendalwall.co.uk.

If outdoor activity is the preferred option, head to the Grizedale Forest, near Hawkshead, Cumbria. Within the forest, Go Ape offers the opportunity to literally swing between the trees, hanging from ropes, high above the forest floor. It caters for Gorillas (18 years and over) and Baboons (10-17 year olds), admission prices costing £25 and £20 respectively. For information and booking visit Goape.co.uk.

The South Lakes probably has a greater choice of attractions within a radius of 20 miles than any other regional tourism centre, with day-hopping options also being available to other tourist attractions beyond. A wide variety of accommodation is available, from farm cottages and B&Bs, to top of the range hotels.

Options can be sourced through Lakelandgateway.info or Golakes.co.uk for anyone wanting their October half-term holiday to be one with lasting memories.