THE first thing you notice when you walk towards the adventure park is how high the nets sit in the tree canopy and the next thing that captures your attention is just how much fun it is going to be to be able to run, jump and bounce around - nine metres in the air.

Nestled in the heart of Brockhole, The Lake District Visitor Centre, at Windermere, Treetop Nets is a fantastic playground for young and old alike - you just need to trust in the expertise of the French rope experts who created the interwoven tree-scape of giant trampolines, walkways, slides and tunnels.

My ten-year-old son Zack could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of exploring the adventure playground whereas Millie, my 15-year-old daughter, was a little bit more reluctant to let go of her inhibitions and embrace the bounce and fun of the nets.

After an hour of running and jumping, the fun in the treetops was over - well for Millie it was anyway. However, the Treetop Trek beckoned for Zack and myself. A short safety briefing designed to reassure people that it was impossible to fall off regardless of how difficult it was to clear the variety of obstacles that hung from the trees.

With trepidation, we set off around the couse with its 35 specially designed challenged aimed at making you swing, climb, balance and fly through the ancient oak woodland canopy. After safely, albeit with a great deal of trepidation, negotiating the course your reward is a 250m zipslide - which certainly blew away the cobwebs.

A day of exploring the visitor center left all three of us ready for a hearty dinner and The Lamplighter dining room in Windermere proved to the ideal place to recharge your batteries and replenish your energy stocks with their reknowned raost dinner.

Lavishly prepared in the kitchen, the chef brings the roast to your table and carves the meat of your choice before serving a hearty portion on your plate that is already filled with a huge Yorkshire pudding and selection of beautifully roasted vegetables. Three very happy customers.

A trip to the Lakes would not be complete without trying out some of the fantastic watersports on offer and a perfect place to base yourself on the shore of Windermere is the Low Wood Bay Resort Hotel. With access to the marina and watersports centre a mere road's width away, there is something for everyone - from the seasoned sailor to the amatuer water skier.

The thought of an hour of water ski-ing didn't exactly fill me full of joy - I'm not the world's best swimmer by any stretch of the imagination - but once I had squeezed myselves into the wetsuits and clambered aboard the speedboat, I was eager to get into the water and give it a go.

Initial trepidation as you enter water is soon swept away as you bounce over the rippling water while being pulled up by the boats momentum, while desperrately fighting the urge to pull yourself out of the water and take a nose dive.

The sense achievement as I managed to stay on the skis for a good 90s was soon knocked out of me as I lost control and went head first into the lake, much to the joy of Millie and Zack. They couldn't be tempted to clip on the skis but they did give wakeboarding a go and thoroughly enjoyed hanging on for dear life as the speedboat cut through the water.

Exhausted after a day on the water we retired to the hotel where we were treated to a top qualiy meal in the Windermere Restaurant which offers fine cuisine and beautifully prepared local seasonal produce. As well as the restaurant, the hotel boasts a choice of restaurants and bars, a leisure club and a beauty salon for the more discerning traveller.

After a belly full of food and a good night's sleep, there was only two things left to do on our short visit and that was pick up some bikes from Electric Mountain and head across the lake to explore the western shore. Despite torrential rain - which you would expect at some point during a stay in the lakes - a nice hot chocalate and cake in the cafe at Wray Castle was enough to get us all back to the bike ferry in time to head home for a well earned rest after three days of action packed fun and adventure.

For more information about the wide variety of activites, hotels and restaurants available in the Lake District visit www.golakes.co.uk