THE first time I went to the Lake District it rained.

The time after that the heavens opened ... and again 15 years ago we had to rush to the nearest store for waterproofs. Oh, and I've done caravans - the less said the better.

But never one to let inclement weather and a week in a mobile home get the better of me, I loaded the boys, food and wet-weather gear into the car and set the sat nav for Silverdale Holiday Park in Lancashire, a hop, skip and a jump from my comedy hero Eric Morecambe's home town.

With oodles of optimism and a weather forecast of Easter sun, sun, sun, we made our way off the motorway and along the tranquil country roads. Spring had well and truly sprung as we discovered a rural idyll at the end of a long and winding road.

The park is set on the rural fringes of the picturesque village of Silverdale, and once through the barrier it is easy to see why it is award-winning and is the flagship of holiday company Holgates.

Situated in more than 100 acres of scenic park and woodland there are 80 hard-standing touring pitches, 13 luxury holiday homes for hire, camping facilities, eight family camping pods and 350 static caravans, all with access to the 17m heated indoor swimming pool, bubble pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. There is also a fully equipped gym, well-stocked shop, soft play area, games room, nine-hole golf course, bar and restaurant and a launderette.

All this, I discovered before I'd even seen the "van" - seemingly the common parlance for our home from home for the next six days.

As we made our way up the hill the excitement was building. The boys wanted out of the car and a chance to explore; I wanted to see the spectacular views, having been told they were overwhelming. Rounding the corner into our parking area and climbing the steps on to the private deck area, the scene before us was breathtaking. We looked across to the Kent River, which feeds into Morecambe Bay. It was peaceful, the birds were singing and later that night an owl called out across the park.

The four-berth van itself didn't disappoint. There was a twin and a double bedroom, the latter with ensuite and TV. A second bathroom served the boys. The kitchen came with a dishwasher, five-ring hob and oven, while in the living room there was a feature wall with hidden lights, second TV and central heating throughout.

It was cosy and comfortable and, remembering that Swift caravans are made in Cottingham, a stone's throw from Hull - the city of my birth - well, it felt like home. The des res accommodation offered a brilliant base from which to explore and a comfortable place to rest weary heads and limbs.

The local area had plenty to explore by foot, including the Pepperpot - a tall, circular, 19th-century tower in the nearby woods - and Arnside Knott: a wildflower-covered limestone hill with terrific views. The village - a short 15-minute walk away - offered a few shops and a good Indian called Cinnamon where you can sit in or take away (though you do need to take your own alcohol). Arnside village, a 15-minute drive away, could also be reached on foot along the coastal path.

After exploring the local area, we set off for the Lake District for even more adventure. Many moons ago I ventured north to David Marshall Lodge at Aberfoyle in the heart of the Trossachs. It has a zip line and great fun it is. How different would Go Ape at Grizedale Forest be?

Silly question. Three hours later, arms and leg muscles pummelled but with a feeling of exhilaration, we completed the course. It is an aerial assault course for the eyes, ears and all muscle groups. Dangling hundreds of feet above the ground is not for the faint-hearted, but at the same time it's not something to be missed. It's a fantastic activity and as long as you are relatively fit, not a hardship.

But it did call for something a little more, so we followed it up with a cruise on Windermere, from Bowness to the Lakeland Motor Museum, home of the famous Bluebird jet Hydroplane in which Donald Campbell was killed on Coniston Water in 1967.

Motoring along the lake was an ideal way to see the homes of the well-to-do as well as spying out the island, where the movie version of Arthur Ransome's Swallows And Amazons was filmed.

The 40-minute cruise set us up for the journey into the world of motors we encountered at the museum.

It seemed apt that our next adventure was off-road, at the Kankku adventure centre in Windermere. It's something I'd always had a hankering to try, but shied away from. But here we were, in a Land Rover with no power steering, and a puzzle map to get from A to B, via Z, Y and X.

With the boys strapped securely in the back, flaps up and me feeling several feet above the ground, we roared off. What had seemed simple in the office suddenly became a challenge in the Krypton Factor. The upward-pointing arrow didn't seem to correspond with anything in front of us and how we were supposed to make an acute left turn across the traffic had me wishing for the Stig.

But once I got the hang of the impossible climbs and rocky roads, overhanging branches and figure-hugging passageways, they were there to be beaten - and we did ... tremendously.

As our time in the south Lakes was coming to an end, the call of the wild was ... calling. South Lakes Safari Zoo offered it all: free-roaming kangaroos, biting lemurs (must not be fed), bloodthirsty tigers and vultures swooping overhead as we walked through the vast caged area.

Hours of walking made sure we saw the penguins, fed the giraffes and backed off as the monkeys got a little too close. It was an excellent day and a great way to end a very dry, sunny and memorable trip.

Helen Smith and her family were guests of Holgates Silverdale Caravan Park, Lancashire www.holgates.co.uk 01524 701508 email: caravan@holgates.co.uk.

5 things to do in the Lake District

Lake Aquarium in the village of Lakeside on Windermere's southern shore is the third most visited paying tourist attraction in Cumbria and a great way to discover a magical underwater world.

The Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway (L&HR) is a 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) heritage line in Cumbria. It runs from Some services are timed to connect with sailings of the diesel excursion vessels or steam vessels on Windermere, sailing from Lakeside to Bowness and Ambleside.

Predator Experience - a wide range of interactive experiences designed to educate and inspire. It includes a chance to walk with wolves or discover what it's like to fly an eagle. The really brave can meet and handle Charlotte the pink tarantula and the collection of friendly snakes.

Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain, stands at 3,209ft and is one of a horseshoe of high fells surrounding the head of Eskdale, Cumbria.

The imposing Sizergh Castle, at the gateway to the Lake District, has a beautiful garden including a pond and a superb limestone rock garden. centuries-old portraits and fine furniture sitting alongside modern photographs of the Strickland family, who still live there.