Wet Friday. Saturday is the fell day. Keep Sunday low.
Friday is wet and wild, with heavy rain in the valleys and gales on the tops, so keep after school indoors. Saturday is the pick: MWIS has light winds, rain unlikely and the cloud lifting off the summits by midday, and the Met Office gives Keswick a misty start and highs around 17C. The Met Office is less sure about the wind right on the summits, so stick to a small fell. Sunday turns grey, with fog on nearly all the fells, drizzle off the sea on the southern and western hills and a stronger wind up high. The valleys stay mostly dry and mild.
Sunset 6.44pm on Saturday (6.46pm Friday, 6.41pm Sunday). Full mountain forecast (Mountain Weather Information Service)
Friday is a washout, so keep after school short and dry. Saturday brings light winds for a small fell, and Kendal is full of comic artists all weekend.
3.3km (2 miles) up and back, about 120m of climbing
About 1 hour 20 minutes
Start: Small car park by St Peter's Church, Martindale, Ullswater CA10 2NF
Saturday has the lightest winds of the weekend, and Hallin Fell gives you a proper summit cairn and a huge view of Ullswater for very little climbing. It's grassy paths all the way, so it works as a first fell for younger ones and a quick win for teenagers.
The top is exposed with no shelter apart from the cairn, so turn back if the wind gets up. The car park is small, so go early, and take the narrow road in from Pooley Bridge slowly.
Fri 2 Oct until 5pm, last entry 4.30pm (Sat 10am to 5pm, Sun 12pm to 2pm)
Carlisle Cathedral Suggested donation £5 adult or £12 family, no booking, All ages
Luke Jerram's seven-metre moon hangs inside the cathedral, made from NASA images where each centimetre is about 5km of lunar surface. A dry stop if you can reach Carlisle before half four. Services can limit access, so check the cathedral calendar first. Details and booking
Sat 3 and Sun 4 Oct; collage comics 10am to 4pm, Giant Phoenix Comic Club 10.30am to 12.30pm
Kendal; ticketed workshops at Kendal College Westmorland Campus, Market Place LA9 4TN Drop-ins free (£5 donation welcome); workshops £10, £8 concessions, All ages; workshops from 7+ to 15+
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is in town, and the free drop-ins let anyone make a collage comic or join a giant live draw. Older children can book a proper workshop: manga characters for 9 to 12s or printed cinema comics for 12 and up on Saturday. Spaces are limited. Details and booking
Climb the spiral staircase, see the dungeon and try the dressing-up clothes. It's the Friends of Dalton Castle's first seasonal opening, and it pairs well with Ford Park in the morning. Details and booking
Gosling Sike, Houghton Road, Houghton, Carlisle CA3 0LD Free, no booking, All ages
Bring bags or buckets and pick as much fruit as you like from Cumbria Wildlife Trust's orchard. There are toilets on site, and dogs on leads are welcome. Details and booking
Saturday is the last listed day for Stoked Watersports' kayak, paddleboard and rowing boat hire, and it's the calmest day of the weekend. Booking is essential on 02393 593939. Details and booking
Lower Fitz Park, Keswick, outside Cafe West Free, register once online, 4 to 14
A 2km run where taking part matters more than the time. Register before your first one and bring the barcode. Under 11s need an adult with them to and from the start. Details and booking
Whinlatter Forest, Braithwaite, near Keswick Trail pack £4 (Halloween sheet only £1.50); parking £2.90 for the first hour, Primary age
About 1.25 miles on stone forest tracks with some climbs, so allow an hour. All October there are extra Halloween cauldrons and clues, and a crossword that earns a sticker. The trees take the edge off Sunday's wind. Details and booking
Hill Top, Near Sawrey Child (5 to 17) from £8.50, family from £42.50, Primary age
Needle-felted mice hide around Beatrix Potter's house as The Tale of Two Bad Mice comes to life by candlelight. Staff at reception tell you how many to find. Pre-book if you're driving, as the car park needs a ticket and has a two-hour limit. Details and booking
Rheged, near Penrith £3, children 16 and under free, All ages
Work by 57 UK artists on birds, in ceramics, paint, photography, sculpture and textiles, with family activities alongside. It closes on Sunday, and it's just off the M6 if you're passing. Details and booking
Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass CA18 1RQ Tickets not on sale yet, All ages
It covers the whole half-term, which is 26 to 30 October in both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness. The 2026 theme and tickets are still to come, but Muncaster says to book early, especially for the nightly All Owls Eve display. Details and booking
Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel LA11 7PL Check Holker, All ages
Storytelling with Taffy Thomas, pumpkin carving, crafts, face painting and a pumpkin trail round the gardens. Pre-book the carving, as spare pumpkins are limited. Details and booking
Book ahead
Tip. Sunset is about 6.45pm this weekend and getting earlier by a few minutes a day. If you're on a fell on Saturday afternoon, aim to be back at the car by six, and pack a head torch anyway.