Overwater Woodlands is in the north of the Lake District National Park so there’s plenty to do in the surrounding area. Walking, of course, is one of the most popular activities in the area and you don’t need to go anywhere in the car – you can simply set out on foot. It’s less than three miles to the village of Bassenthwaite (and the nearest pub) and a little further to the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake (just over four miles) but Overwater Tarn is the closest body of water, and that’s just down the road. There, or at Bassenthwaite Lake, you might catch a glimpse of an osprey. Dodds Wood (six miles) on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake is a good place to head for if spotting them is a priority for you. There’s also a manor house and gardens, Mirehouse, which is open to the public, and great walks there including a scenic three-mile signposted route to the summit of Dodd Fell. For a bigger peak, you could tackle Skiddaw, which at 931 is the one of the highest summits in the Lake District and England. It’s ever visible from here and it’s possible to hike up from Dodd Fell but a more popular and well-signposted route is to set out from just north of Keswick (10 miles away). The town of Keswick, on the shore of Derwentwater, is the closest classic Lake District town. It has cruises and boat hire on the water and the town is home to the small but interesting Derwent Pencil Museum and the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery with plenty of shops and eateries too. Grasmere is 22 miles away, the shores of Ullswater are 24 miles and Windermere 30 miles. You can reach the Solway Coast (20 miles) in just over half an hour.