The Lake District was beckoning and with the promise of sun, sun, sun I loaded the boys, food and wet weather gear into the car and set the sat nav for Silverdale in Lancashire, a hop,skip and a jump from my comedy hero Eric Morecambe's home town.

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.

Silverdale is set on the rural fringes of the picturesque village and once through the barrier it is easy to see why it is award winning and is the flagship of Holgates - the company has been on the go for 50 years.

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 Holiday home owners all of whom have use of the 17m heated indoor swimming pool, bubble pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna.

There is also a fully equipped gym, fully stocked shop, soft play area, games room, nine hole golf course, bar and restaurant and a launderette.

And I discovered all this before I'd even seen the 'van,' our home from home for the next six days.

And 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, I'd been told they were overwhelming.

And 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.

But by now the van beckoned and it didn't disappoint.

The four berth had a twin and a double, 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 thrown from the city of my birth Hull, well, it felt like home.

The des res accommodation was great, it offered a brilliant base from which to explore and a comfortable place to rest weary heads and limbs.

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 Donald Campbell's Bluebird.

Motoring along the lake was an ideal way to see the homes of the well-to-do as well as spying out the island which was used for filming Arthur Ransome's, Swallows and Amazons.

The 40 minute cruise set us up for the journey into the world of motors and the quiz the boys were given and which kept them busy for the 90 minute visit.

It seemed apt that our next adventure was off-road, courtesy of Men of Kankku in Windermere.

It's something I've never done, always had a hankering, but had shied away. But here we were, in a landrover, 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 you know once I got the hang of it all, 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), blood thirsty 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.