Whinlatter Forest Park & The Altura Trail: Catch this

If you really want to escape the hullabaloo of Christmas celebrations this year, Whinlatter Forest Park, set among the fells and valleys of the northern Lake District, is a remote enough spot.

An official refuge for the red squirrel and a popular nesting place for Bassenthwaite ospreys, the park is also a great attraction for mountain bikers, especially since the opening this week of the longest purpose-built bike trail in the Lake District.

The Altura Trail provides 12 miles of challenging climbs, twisty turns, rock obstacles, jumps and steep drops. And if you can turn your eyes for a few seconds as you hurtle down the track, there are sweeping views of Derwentwater, Bassenthwaite and the surrounding fells. Whinlatter, England’s only mountain forest, rises to nearly 2,600ft and on a good day you can see as far as Scotland from its higher reaches.

The new trail is graded red, or “difficult”, and is suitable for experienced riders with good off-road skills and a reasonable level of fitness. But a gentler blue route, designed with novices and families in mind, is due to open next Easter and there are plenty of waymarked and scenic walking routes through the forest for all ages and abilities.