Blowy Friday, showery Saturday. Sunday is the dry one, so save the walk for then.
Friday starts with heavy rain and a westerly gale on the tops (MWIS has 50mph at dawn), then eases to showers with some hail. Saturday is the wettest and windiest day: MWIS calls it frequent showers, some heavy, with 40 to 50mph west-north-westerlies gusting higher and most tops in cloud above about 600m. The Met Office gives Keswick light showers and highs near 13C. Sunday looks like the best of it: the Met Office mountain forecast says mainly dry and occasionally bright with moderate winds on the tops, though the Keswick valley forecast hints at fog. MWIS had not published Sunday when we checked on Wednesday, and the timing of the worst weather is less certain, so look again on Friday morning.
Sunset 6.28pm on Friday, 6.26pm on Saturday, 6.23pm on Sunday. Full mountain forecast (Mountain Weather Information Service)
Saturday is a day for roofs, so we have a deer festival, a museum of prehistoric monsters and a family silent disco. Sunday is drier, which is when the hill and the apples come out.
3.5km (about 2 miles) there and back, 120m of climbing
About 1 hour
Start: Start where the lane beside the lower entrance of the Windermere Hotel leaves the main road, Windermere LA23 1AW
It's the first summit Wainwright ever climbed, and it gives you a 360 degree view over Windermere and the central fells for an hour's effort. The start is three minutes from Windermere station, there are public toilets on Broad Street, and a hill this size sits below the worst of the wind and cloud on a mainly dry Sunday.
The first stretch is steep, up to 1 in 4 in places, and the path is a mix of tarmac, gravel and stone. Parking is in the village and at Broad Street car park, so allow time to find a space.
Rheged, Penrith Free entry; some talks have booking links, All ages
A festival trail, willow weaving, wildlife artefacts, films, storytelling and music, plus free wild venison burgers if you can get the children past the willow. Individual talks such as Behind the Lens have their own booking links, and the organisers are on 01768 868000. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, from 10am (children's sports 12.30pm, hound trails 2pm, fell race 2.15pm, wrestling 4pm)
Wasdale Head £5, children under 12 free; free off-field parking, All ages
A proper old-style valley show with Herdwick sheep classes, sheepdog and terrier classes, terrier racing, crafts and produce stands, and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling. It's outdoors and the weather is showery, so bring a coat and expect the sheep to look unbothered. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, 9am to 2pm (second Saturday of every month)
Orton, Penrith CA10 3RU Free to browse, All ages
Over 20 local farmers, growers and craftspeople. It's a good stop for a pie and a bag of something unusual, and a quiet one for the grown-up who needs a brew. Details and booking
The Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness £5 child, £7.50 adult, Family session
Everyone wears wireless headphones and picks a channel: child-friendly music, cheese or guilty pleasures. The disco is on the middle floor, reached by lift or steep stairs, and the box office on 01229 820000 (option 1) can arrange tickets if you can't use stairs. Details and booking
The Coro, Ulverston Check The Coro box office, Not stated
Ulverston Amateur Operatic Society, the group behind Come From Away, put a whole baking tent on stage. There's a 20-minute interval, which is about how long it takes to decide on a biscuit. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, 10am to 4.30pm (Sun 11 Oct, 11am to 4pm); last exhibition day is Sunday
The Beacon Museum, West Strand, Whitehaven CA28 7LY Day ticket £7.50 adult, £4 child 4 to 16, £19 family, All ages
Prehistoric monsters fill the Harbour Gallery and the Light and Dark Gallery, and it ends this Sunday. Last admission is 45 minutes before closing. Details and booking
Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, near Penrith (meet in the courtyard by the café) Free event; normal admission applies, All ages
Drop in and taste apples from an orchard with 165 varieties, some said to taste of pineapple or strawberry. Volunteers will talk apples at you for as long as you let them. No booking needed. Details and booking
Sizergh, near Kendal LA8 8DZ; pick up a map at the Visitor Centre Free with normal admission, Children with an adult
A trail about soil and the creatures underneath it, made with the publisher Nosy Crow. The Holeslack route takes buggies and wheelchairs. Wear shoes you don't mind getting muddy, as the soil is the whole point. Details and booking
Tullie, Castle Street, Carlisle Included with museum admission; under 18s free, All ages
Mechanical automata you can operate yourself to bring odd little characters and stories to life. Sunday is the final day of the exhibition. Details and booking
Walby Farm Park, Crosby-on-Eden, near Carlisle Check Walby for current prices, All ages
Pick your own pumpkin on the farm and pair it with the animals and the indoor play. Booking is advised, and check the opening hours on the day. Details and booking
Drop-in family crafts 24 to 31 Oct; Gamesworld retro arcade 25 to 31 Oct
Tullie, Castle Street, Carlisle Check Tullie, Family
Half-term is 26 to 30 October, and Tullie has drop-in crafts, a retro arcade and storytelling sessions on 26 and 28 October. Gaming slots need booking, and the storytelling details are on the Tullie site. Details and booking
Rain-proof
Book ahead
Tip. The forecast was written on Wednesday and Saturday's showers could shift, so check MWIS again on Friday morning before you commit to a day. A flask in the car is cheaper than a café stop for the whole family.