Drive yourself wild

You might think the Lakes are about peace and quiet, but a new 4x4 adventure company, Kankku, has other ideas, offering off-roading trips on tricky terrain in the backwaters of the Lakes, as half- and full-day sessions. You take the wheel armed with a rally-style list of directions and a walkie-talkie for staying in contact with a Kankku guide, then negotiate rough and overgrown byways typically used by farm vehicles. Now the experience has been adapted to provide the bumpiest hotel transfer ever – a self-drive off-road safari from Windermere station to, among other hotels, the flash new Brimstone (01539 438062, brimstonehotel.co.uk, doubles from £250). Crossing Windermere by ferry, you take a back route to the hotel, tackling rocky outcrops, shallow water and steep drops. The journey takes at least an hour-and-a-half, is heaps of fun, and showcases some hidden bits of the Lakes. Beats a taxi any day.
• 015394 47414, kankku.co.uk, hotel transfer £100 per vehicle. Two-hour trips £175 per vehicle, five hours £285

National Trust arts events

National Trust Uncovered is a nationwide arts series that comes to the Lakes on 7-8 September, with 10 events around Derwentwater, including walks on themes such as Coleridge and Nature, and In the Footsteps of Artists. Open-air concerts called The Flow of Inspiration (Sat 2.40pm, Sun 11.40am) at the Lodore waterfall will include an arrangement of Robert Southey's 1820 poem Cataract of Lodore.
• 017687 746649, nationaltrust.org.uk, one event £4, two £7, three £10, booking essential for most

Family nature activities

Teach your kids about birds, bees and other beasts at a selection of wildlife events at Brockhole, the visitor centre on the shore of Windermere, next week. On 26 August and 28 August, young twitchers can spy on their winged friends from the bird hide, learning to identify species (10am-5pm, just turn up, free). On 27 August, Sounds of Nature sessions let over-sixes use wireless headphones, plus microphones in the undergrowth and under the water, to listen to creatures and insects (11am, 1pm and 3pm, book on 0845 272 0004, £5). And they can learn what to feed birds and create bird food treats on 29 August (11am-3pm, just turn up, £3).
• See lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/events for similar events all year long

Rock climbing

A new specialist rock climbing company, Women Rock, run and led by Mandy Glanvill, qualified with a Mountaineering Instructor Award, offers all sorts of rock climbing sessions for female climbers, with a relaxed and supportive approach. One of the most popular courses is Learning to Lead, aimed at women with some experience. She also offers taster and introductory sessions, and while Mandy is based in Keswick she'll travel all over the Lakes.
• 017687 80467, womenrock.co.uk, half-day taster session from £40pp, full day Learning to Lead £100pp

Themed hikes

A new audio trail for Langdale called High Fell – The Cumbria Landscape Story, tells of the radical changes that took place in the Lake District after the second world war. Visitors follow an easy six-mile circular route from the car park in Elterwater up to Chapel Stile and back while hearing about the history of the region, including traditional woodland practices, the revolution in farming and how wildlife has changed. Download from cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/highfellstory.

There are loads of other themed walks in the park, including a week of volunteer-led guided walks as part of the Ullswater Outdoor Festival (21-29 September). Find these and other activities at lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/events. For young visitors, Tale Trails (taletrails.co.uk ) are downloadable story walks with maps and a narrative: Luna the Glow Worm of the Coppermines Valley (£3.95) is a new 6km walk near Coniston.

Events at Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts House

One of the Lakes' hidden treasures, Blackwell Arts and Crafts House in Bowness is a delight to explore, a wonderful home with gorgeous interiors, built in 1900 by Mackay Hugh Bailie Scott as a holiday home for a wealthy businessman. There are little panelled nooks where visitors can sit and read, exquisite stained glass, carvings and metalwork, as well as lovely gardens. The shop sells a wide range of local craftmakers' work, from textiles to ceramics, and forthcoming exhibitions include Collect Cumbria, showcasing 25 local artists, from 12 September-31 December.
• 015394 46139, blackwell.org.uk

Hostel revamp

YHA Ambleside officially reopened with a launch party in July after a £1.42m facelift, adding 11 en suite rooms, more bathrooms and other new public spaces. There's also a new restaurant and bar open, with oak floors and period furniture and views of Windermere, including from an outdoor terrace (dorm beds from £15, rooms from £29). The YHA has 20 hostels in the Lake District.
• 01629 592 700, yha.org.uk

Miles Without Stiles

The Miles Without Stiles project has created routes through the park that are accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs, with better, smoother paths and gates replacing stiles. There are already 42 routes across the Lake District national park, but the tourist board says several new routes will be added this autumn. Keep checking the website or sign up for email updates to find out when they are announced. In the meantime, try the one around Blea Tarn , perhaps followed by a drink in the classic hikers' and climbers' bar in the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel (Great Langdale, 015394 37272, odg.co.uk, rooms from £58), built in the 1880s.

Heritage days

Heritage Open Days celebrates England's architecture over four days in September (12-15), and there are several events in the Lake District. Higham Hall, a 19th-century Gothic mansion-turned-college-turned-educational trust near Bassenthwaite lake, with views of Skiddaw, is open to the public with music, crafts and art on 13 September. Also, throughout September, the Ravenglass and Eskdale area in the western Lake District celebrates a history dating to Roman times, with its Lives in the Landscape event, including guided walks, reenactments and electric bike tours. Also, on 13 September, there's a free open day from 10.30am-3pm at the Ravenglass excavation site (Walls Drive, Ravenglass).

Electric biking

For those who don't have energy for too much pedalling, electric bikes are a welcome introduction to the Lakes, which now has a whole Electric Bicycle Network of paths. There are also new guided tours, including a 24.8m ride through woodland and beside Windermere on 8 September Arrive by train and enjoy 20% off ebike hire; other local discounts and deals apply.
• See electricbicyclenetwork.com/hiring/lakedistrict for places to hire, usually £10-20 half-day, £20-35 full day