Haverthwaite Station, Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway

A vintage steam train runs between Haverthwaite and Lakeside, chugging through the Furness Valley with proper Lakes scenery either side. You board at Haverthwaite Station - a restored Victorian affair with period platform furniture and the sort of station master's cottage that looks straight from 1950s Britain. The journey takes about an hour, and honestly, it's the kind of thing that sounds twee until you're actually on it and the locomotive's whistle echoes off the fells.

It works particularly well if you've got children who'll lose their minds over the actual steam and the clatter of the wheels. Adults who remember steam railways from childhood tend to get a bit misty-eyed too. The route hugs the landscape nicely - you're not staring at industrial backdrops, which helps. At Lakeside, the train connects with the steamers that cross Windermere itself, so you can string a proper day together rather than just doing one thing and calling it finished.

The station sits close to the A590, making it reasonably straightforward to reach from wherever you're staying. Newby Bridge Country Caravan Park sits just 1.7 miles away if you're based nearby. Weekends get busy, particularly during school holidays, so midweek trips are worth considering if you want to actually get a seat without fighting for it.

You'll want a couple of hours minimum including the journey and a wander around the station itself. It's transport as entertainment rather than transport as transport - which is exactly the point. Not cheap, admittedly, but the experience sticks with you.