Fell End Holiday Park
Fell End is a family holiday park near Milnthorpe in Cumbria, north-west England, set in the Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just south of the Lake District. It's a self-drive, self-catering park built around an indoor heated pool and leisure complex, with lodges, static caravans and camping pods to stay in, its own 90-acre nature reserve across the lane and a proper wildlife zoo a short walk down the road.
On this page
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who Fell End suits, what's on site and the facts to skim first.
Fell End is a self-catering park with a strong wet-day answer and an unusually good wildlife setting. The indoor pool, gym, steam room, soft play and arcade sit in one leisure complex, so a wet Lake District day isn't a wasted one, and there's a nature reserve across the lane and a full wildlife zoo close enough to walk to. The catches are worth knowing up front: there's one pool with no shallow baby area and no kids' club or childcare of any kind, and the on-site bar closes at 5pm on weekdays, so a midweek dinner often means cooking in your unit. You'll get the most from it if you want a nature-led base with an indoor safety net, and less if you need a toddler splash pool, drop-off childcare or to be inside the National Park itself.
Best for
You want a self-drive Lake District base with an indoor pool and complex for wet days, a peaceful nature reserve on the doorstep and a wildlife zoo a short walk away, in self-catering lodges, caravans or camping pods.
Maybe not for
You need a shallow baby or toddler pool, supervised childcare or a hot evening meal on site midweek.
Best ages
Babies upwards, though with no kids' club and no separate baby pool the youngest are always with you and paddle in the one main pool.
What stands out
A 90-acre nature reserve across the lane and the Lakeland Wildlife Oasis zoo within walking distance, both rare for a holiday park.
What to check
The indoor pool has no separate shallow area, and the kitchen keeps separate hours from the bar, so ask before you rely on dinner there midweek.
Where is it?
In the Arnside & Silverdale AONB near Milnthorpe, Cumbria, just south of the Lake District and about 30 minutes from Windermere.
Quick facts for families
What the park is like
Where Fell End sits, the sister park next door and the town on its doorstep.
Fell End sits in the hamlet of Hale, about a mile north of Milnthorpe in Cumbria, run by the Pure Leisure Group. It's in the Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the same protected landscape now also formally designated a National Landscape, which lies just south of the Lake District National Park rather than inside it. Pure Leisure describes the park as a southern gateway to the Lakes, and that's fair: Windermere is about 30 minutes away by car, and Kirkby Lonsdale around 20. If being inside the National Park boundary matters to you, this isn't that, but it puts you close to it with quieter surroundings.
The park shares its facilities with an adjacent sister site, Hall More, a camping-only park about a five-minute walk away whose guests use Fell End's pool, complex and restaurant. The fishing lakes and some of the walking sit on the Hall More side, so the two work as one for a family staying at Fell End.
Milnthorpe itself is a small market town under a mile away, with a Friday market and basic shops, and the local roads and pavements around it are flat and easy with a buggy for a day out. If level ground matters to you around the park, ask when you book how far your unit sits from the leisure complex and whether the route to it is flat, as that varies across the grounds. For the wider area, see our Lake District guide.
Where you'll stay
Every way to stay, which suit a family and how the prices compare.
Fell End is self-catering, with three kinds of holiday hire plus pitches for your own tourer or tent. The table below is the line-up with the sizes the park publishes; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Type | Size | Bedrooms | Sleeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-Storey Lodge | 40 × 16 ft | 3 (1 double + 2 twin) | 6 | The signature two-floor unit, around 120m² across both levels, with two shower rooms and decking; also marketed as Pure Leisure’s “two storey cottages” |
| Atlas Heritage | 40 × 12 ft | 3 (en-suite master + 2 twin) | 6 | A larger single-floor static caravan, so no stairs inside; a 2021 model |
| Delta Pure Haven | 31 × 12 ft | 2 | 4 | A mid-size single-floor static caravan; a 2019 model |
| Willerby Brookwood | 28 × 12 ft | 2 | 4 | A compact single-floor static caravan with one shower room |
| Willerby Linwood | 28 × 12 ft | 2 | 6 | A compact single-floor static caravan; a 2025 model |
| Other static caravans | 2–3 bed | 2–3 | 4–6 | Further ABI, Europa and Victory models on the park, all standard single-floor holiday homes |
| Camping pod | Small deck | – | Small family | A basic wooden pod with electric heating, a light and a socket, a lockable double-glazed door and an insulated roof; bring your own sleeping bags and cooking kit, as there’s no kitchen or bathroom |
| Touring or camping pitch | – | – | Your own unit | A pitch with an electric hook-up for your own tourer or tent |
The static caravans are the practical middle ground for most families. They're single-floor, so there are no stairs inside and a buggy moves around easily, and they run from compact two-bedroom models such as the Willerby Brookwood, which suits a family of four, up to the larger three-bedroom Atlas Heritage that sleeps six and gives you noticeably more room. The two-bedroom models sleep four to six depending on the layout, so check the sleeping arrangement against your family when you book.
The Two-Storey Lodge is the largest and most comfortable option, a two-floor unit sleeping six with two shower rooms, which the park also markets as its "two storey cottages". The upstairs-and-downstairs layout can put a sleeping child on a different floor from the living space, though the stairs make it less straightforward with a crawler or a buggy inside than a single-floor caravan.
The camping pods are the simplest and cheapest way to stay: heated wooden pods with a light, a socket, a lockable double-glazed door and insulation in the roof, but no kitchen or bathroom, so you bring your own sleeping bags and cooking kit and use the shared facilities. They suit families who are happy camping, with toddlers or older children, more than a very young baby. There are also touring and camping pitches with electric hook-ups for guests bringing their own tourer or tent.
On price, the pods are the cheapest way to stay, the static caravans sit in the middle and the two-storey lodges are the most expensive. Pure Leisure prices through its own booking system rather than a fixed rate card, so the way to see current costs is to run your dates through the booking widget. Fell End doesn't list on Booking.com, Expedia or Hoseasons, so that direct system is the only place to book it.
Some units are dog-friendly, chosen through the pet option when you book. On accessibility, Pure Leisure's static caravans can be fitted with wider doorways, ramp access, lower counters and adapted bathrooms, though which Fell End units are adapted this way varies, so tell the park what you need when you book. Most holiday homes come with their own parking.
The pool and the leisure complex
The one indoor pool and how it works with young children, plus the gym and steam room.
The pool is indoor and heated, part of what Pure Leisure describes as a £3.5m leisure complex. It's the reason the park still works on a wet day, and reviewers consistently name it as the standout feature. It's the only pool, though, and the thing families with the youngest children need to know is that there's no separate baby pool, shallow area or splash zone. A child who can't yet stand or swim needs an adult in the water with them the whole time. If a dedicated toddler pool is a must, the comparisons section below flags parks that have one.
The pool rules are that under-10s must have an adult with them at all times in the complex, and under-14s must leave by 9pm. Pool hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sunday. The pool is open to the public as well as to guests, which is a little unusual for a park pool. For holiday-hire, short-stay and camping guests there's an admission charge, and Pure Leisure recommends reserving it when you book to get a lower rate; owners and seasonal touring guests swim free. Ask the amount when you book. If the pool is closed for maintenance during your stay, guests can be directed to Pure Leisure's sister park, South Lakeland Leisure Village at Carnforth, about 6 miles south.
Alongside the pool the complex has an air-conditioned gym with cardiovascular and weight-training machines, a steam room and changing rooms, so there's an adult side to the leisure offer as well as the family one. The park's own facilities page labels it a "stream room", which is a typo rather than a separate feature.
Eating on site
There's one place to eat and drink on the park, the Woodland Edge Bar and Restaurant, which Pure Leisure runs as a cafe, bar, lounge and restaurant in one. It serves pub classics and cooked breakfasts through to dinner, with a monthly specials menu, and there are sports channels on a big screen in a family-friendly seating area. It has large indoor and covered outdoor seating, so it copes with a wet day. One thing to hold in mind: the Sunday roast runs only on the last Sunday of each month, not every week.
The bar hours are 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 8pm Friday and Saturday, and 9am to 4pm on Sunday. The kitchen keeps its own hours, which the park asks you to check with reception. That matters for planning dinner: with the bar closing at 5pm midweek, check the kitchen times for your dates or plan to cook in your unit those evenings. There's also a small shop on the park for basics.
Babies and toddlers
What there is for the youngest guests, and everything that fills a family day.
The first thing to be clear about is that there's no kids' club, no crèche and no babysitting at Fell End. The children's offer is facilities you use together rather than anything supervised, so a parent is always on duty. In practice that's an outdoor and an indoor play area, the pool and the nature reserve, and it's a good fit for families who want to potter together rather than book children into sessions.
For play there's a large outdoor wooden play area on grass with climbing frames, swings and adventure toys, a dedicated indoor soft play, an indoor amusement arcade and a pool table, which the park describes as two play parks. The nature reserve runs a Young Naturalist Challenge, a family trail where children collect observation points toward a gold star, with leaflets at the first hide or reception, which gives a toddler a reason to keep walking.
Baby equipment such as cots, highchairs and stair gates isn't listed among the park's facilities, so the safe plan is to bring your own. If you'd rather not, phone the park on 015395 62122 to ask what they can provide before you book. In the pool, the under-10 rule means the very youngest always have an adult in the water, and with no shallow toddler section it's the one main pool for all ages.
Things to do
The standout is the Fell End Nature Reserve, a 90-acre reserve of lakes, meadows and woodland that Pure Leisure created from farmland around 2016 and calls the Quiet Reserve. It has three wildlife hides, one named the John Wilson hide and inscribed with a line about making time to watch wildlife, and level, easy-access paths that take a pushchair. There are dragonflies, deer and birds, and in autumn and winter Highland cattle graze the meadow, a distinctive sight for young children. One detail to hold: the reserve is across a country lane from the main park rather than within the grounds, and dogs aren't allowed in it even though the rest of the park is dog-friendly.
Beyond the reserve and the leisure complex, the Hall More Fishing Lakes are a five-minute walk at the sister park, a trout lake and a mixed coarse fishery managed by the local angling association, with permits needed directly from them. The park sits among footpaths and bridleways through the AONB for walking, though there's no guided walking programme laid on. Indoors, the soft play, arcade and pool table cover a wet afternoon, and the gym and steam room give the adults something too.
The area and days out
The wildlife attractions on the doorstep and the towns and lakes within a short drive.
The nearest day out is one of the best. The Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is a full wildlife zoo on the same road in Hale, a short walk of roughly half a mile from the park, with over 100 species including snow leopards, a Wild Café and a VisitEngland Gold award. It's open daily from 10am except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. It charges separately and isn't part of any park package, so budget for it, but a proper zoo you can walk to is something few holiday parks can offer, and it makes a half or full day without the car.
Leighton Moss RSPB, near Carnforth about 3 to 4 miles away, is the largest reedbed in north-west England, with otters, bitterns and marsh harriers, three hides, a café, baby changing and all-terrain Tramper scooters to hire, and pushchair-friendly paths apart from the route to the Lower Hide. Pure Leisure describes it as walkable from the park, and it is, but the footpath route is a 45 to 60 minute countryside walk each way, so it's a fine outing for adults who enjoy walking and an ambitious one with a buggy; most families will drive.
Two gentler local walks suit young children. The Fairy Steps is a woodland walk with fairy houses, fairy doors set into old trees and historic carved stone steps, about 25 minutes on foot or under five minutes by car, and it's free. Heron Corn Mill in Milnthorpe is a Grade II listed 18th-century working watermill with a restored threshing barn, open Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm, which is more of an educational stop for older children.
There's no beach at the park, and the nearest coast needs a note of caution. Arnside, about 15 to 20 minutes away, is a small estuary village on Morecambe Bay, with a pier, cliff-top walks and the National Trust's Arnside Knott, a 520ft hill with views. Its sands are a tidal estuary rather than a swimming beach, with dangerous quicksand and fast tides, so they aren't a safe place for toddlers to play. Jenny Brown's Point near Silverdale is a quieter coastal viewpoint a short drive away, with woodland tracks and a picnic spot.
For towns and lakes, Kirkby Lonsdale is a historic market town about 20 minutes off, with Devil's Bridge, a Norman church and shops, and a view that Turner once painted. Windermere and the Lake District are around 30 minutes away, with lake cruises from Bowness pier, an aquarium and waterside walks. Kendal, about 15 minutes north, is a wool town with supermarkets, the Abbot Hall gallery and the Museum of Lakeland Life, and it's the home of Kendal Mint Cake. Lancaster, about 15 minutes south, has a castle, Williamson Park with its butterfly house, the Judges' Lodgings museum and the main shopping and services. The Yorkshire Dales are also within reach, out east via the A65.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what they flag, how it compares, the journey in and the weather.
This is our read across the family-travel write-ups, the good and the less good.
What families love
- The indoor pool as the wet-day standout, the reason many choose Fell End over other parks in the area.
- The peaceful nature reserve, an unusual and distinctive extra.
- The wildlife zoo within walking distance, especially good with toddlers.
- Everything close together on one park: pool, play areas and restaurant on the doorstep.
- Competitive pricing next to similar parks.
- A quieter setting than the busier parks right on Windermere.
Common gripes
- No shallow or baby pool, the clearest gap for very young children.
- The bar and restaurant closing at 5pm on weekdays, so no midweek dinner on site.
- No kids' club or childcare, so the children's offer is facilities-only.
- The Lakeland Wildlife Oasis charging separately, so it's an extra to budget for.
- The park sitting just outside the Lake District National Park proper.
One aggregator, Kiddieholidays, ranks Fell End eighth of ten in its round-up of toddler-friendly Lake District parks, below parks with dedicated shallow pools and more supervised facilities, while still praising the pool and steam room. That placement mirrors the picture above: strong on the indoor complex and the setting, held back for the youngest by the single pool.
Against similar parksHow it compares
The comparison that matters most for babies and toddlers is the pool. Landal Whitbarrow, near Penrith, has a dedicated children's splash pool as well as its main pool, which is the edge Fell End lacks for children who need shallow water; Whitbarrow sits further from the main southern-Lakes draws, though, and nothing there matches Fell End's walk-to zoo. White Cross Bay, a Parkdean park, is directly on Lake Windermere, which Fell End is not, and it has an indoor pool too, but its off-peak entertainment gets mixed reviews where Fell End's year-round leisure offer reads as more consistent.
Closer to home, South Lakeland Leisure Village is Pure Leisure's premium sister park about 6 miles away at Carnforth, with a full complex including a spa and more upscale lodges, and it's the park guests are sent to when Fell End's pool is closed for maintenance. It has no toddler water feature either, and it reads as more adult-led, so Fell End keeps the family edge and the zoo on its doorstep. At the top of the market, Another Place, The Lake on Ullswater is a luxury hotel rather than a holiday park, with an Ofsted-registered kids' club and toddler sessions at a much higher price, a different proposition entirely from self-catering Fell End.
Getting there and when to goGetting there and when to go
This is a self-drive destination, with no transfer or shuttle. By road the park is just off the A6 between Milnthorpe and Beetham, close to junction 36 of the M6, which is the main route from both the north and the south. The address is Slackhead Road, Hale, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, LA7 7BS, and the park's number is 015395 62122.
By rail there's no station at Milnthorpe. The nearest are Carnforth, about 4 miles south on the West Coast Main Line; Oxenholme Lake District, about 8 miles north on the same line with Avanti West Coast stops; and Arnside, about 3 miles away on the Cumbrian Coast line. From any of them you'd take a taxi, with Oxenholme roughly 15 to 20 minutes away by road. For anyone flying, Manchester Airport is the most practical, about an hour and a half by road, with Liverpool a similar distance and Leeds Bradford a little further again, and all of them mean hiring a car since there's no transfer.
There's no mandatory minimum stay, with the booking system taking anything from 2 to 21 nights. On timing, the shoulder-season months of March to May and September to October are the ones to aim for with young children: lower prices and fewer crowds, with the indoor complex still there as a wet-weather fallback. May in particular is the sunniest and one of the quietest months.
A mild, wet climateWeather
This is mild, wet, maritime north-west England, at the southern edge of the Lake District. The Lakes are England's wettest region, and Milnthorpe sits on the drier southern side of that, but you should still plan for rain in any month, which is exactly why the indoor complex matters. On the nearby Morecambe coast, the reference point for the figures below, July is the warmest month at an average of around 16°C and January the coldest at around 5°C, though the park closes for a few weeks around the turn of the year, so the coldest weeks aren't all bookable. There's no sea-swimming guidance here, since the coast is a tidal estuary rather than a swimming beach.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | 7.5° | 1° | 192 mm | 16 |
| March | 9° | 2° | 167 mm | 15 |
| April | 12° | 3° | 114 mm | 14 |
| May | 15.5° | 5.5° | 114 mm | 13 |
| June | 17.5° | 8.5° | 109 mm | 14 |
| July | 20° | 10.5° | 108 mm | 12 |
| August | 19.5° | 10° | 133 mm | 13 |
| September | 17° | 8° | 153 mm | 14 |
| October | 13.5° | 6° | 242 mm | 19 |
| November | 9.5° | 3° | 216 mm | 20 |
| December | 7° | 1° | 230 mm | 18 |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Fell End runs an 11-month season, roughly February to December; the exact winter closure changes year to year, so check when you book.
Practicalities and getting help
Where to shop for supplies, the nearest A&E and how the park handles access.
For supplies, the park has a small on-site shop for basics. Milnthorpe, about a mile away, has a SPAR convenience store in the town square and other small shops, though no Co-op in the town itself, with the nearest in Carnforth. For a proper supermarket run and pharmacies, Kendal is about 15 minutes north.
For medical help, the nearest full A&E is at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Ashton Road, Lancaster, LA1 4RP, about 15 minutes and 8 miles south, on 01524 65944. Kendal's Westmorland General Hospital is closer, about 15 minutes away, but it's a Minor Injuries Unit rather than a full emergency department, so it's the right stop for smaller injuries but not for anything serious.
On access, the nature reserve has level, easy-access paths that suit pushchairs and all abilities, and there's accessible parking on the park with most holiday homes having their own parking. Assistance dogs are welcome in all the facilities except the gym, the sauna and the swimming pool.
Questions
The things families ask most, useful links and when this guide was last updated.
Are cots and highchairs provided, or do we bring our own?
The units are self-catering with a kitchen, so making up bottles and weaning are easy to manage yourself. Pack a travel cot to be sure of one; if you'd rather borrow cots, highchairs or stair gates, call the park on 015395 62122 to ask what they can supply.
Can we get a hot dinner on site during the week?
Monday to Thursday the bar shuts at 5pm and the kitchen keeps its own hours, which the park asks you to check with reception, so either eat early or cook in your unit those nights; Friday and Saturday it stays open to 8pm. If a midweek meal out matters, ring reception to check the kitchen times before you rely on it.
Do we have to pay to use the pool?
Not automatically. Pool use isn't bundled into a holiday-hire, short-stay or camping booking the way it is for owners, so you pay for access, and it's cheaper added when you reserve than paid at the door. Ask the price when you book.
Is there a shallow pool for a baby or toddler?
No, and it's the main thing to weigh for the very youngest. There's one pool for all ages with no shallow toddler section, so a child who can't swim yet is in the water with a parent throughout. If shallow water is essential, Landal Whitbarrow near Penrith has a dedicated children's splash pool where Fell End doesn't.
Can we bring the dog?
Some units are dog-friendly, so choose one through the pet option in the booking system rather than turning up with the dog, and check any charge as you book. One thing to know: dogs aren't allowed in the nature reserve, even though the rest of the park is dog-friendly.
When is the park open?
It runs an 11-month season, roughly February to December, closing for a few weeks around the turn of the year. The exact dates change from year to year, so check them before booking a trip in January or early February.
Is it really a 5-star park?
The “5-star” and “award-winning” labels are Pure Leisure's own descriptions rather than an independent grade like an AA rating, so treat them as the operator's marketing and judge the park on the specifics: the indoor complex, the nature reserve and the self-catering accommodation.
How do we get there without a car?
There's no transfer or shuttle, so without a car you'd take a train to Carnforth or Oxenholme and a taxi from there, with Oxenholme about 15 to 20 minutes away by road. With children, luggage and a self-catering shop to do, most families drive.
See more Fell End photos
Open the Fell End photo gallery →Useful links
- Fell End Holiday Park: the park's own site for accommodation, the leisure complex and booking.
- Lakeland Wildlife Oasis: opening times and prices for the zoo a short walk from the park.
- The Lake District with little ones: our guide to the wider area, its towns and lakes and when to go.
Last updated July 2026.
