So many of you have mentioned that we must visit The Boat Shack in the past year or so. Known for their epic milkshakes and hot chocolates, the Boat Shack is now award-winning and somewhere lots of people in the North East have a soft spot for and mention as one of their favourite family days out in North East England.
Located on the banks of Derwent Reservoir near Pow Hill Country Park, the Boat Shack has stunning views and is a lovely place to visit when you fancy some countryside air.
The Boat Shack Cafe is located on a campsite just up from Pow Hill Country Park which is a beautiful picnic spot by the reservoir.
You can park your car in the country park car park (use postcode DH8 9NU). The area is known for its Roe Deer and Red Squirrels amongst other wildlife so bring your binoculars if you have a pair. Once you've parked your car, you can't miss the signs for the Boat Shack at the top of a small hill.
We found a table and joined the queue to order. Unfortunately there was a bit of a backlog and the kids had to wait 30 minutes for their milkshakes. They're all made freshly to order by one talented staff member. Other drinks and food arrived pretty quickly.
There is a dog-friendly section of the cafe and there's plenty of outdoor seating where you can sit with your dog too. The views of the reservoir are gorgeous.
As the kids waited for their mega milkshakes we decided to have a potter around. No photos are allowed of the glamping pods here but they look fantastic.
As the kids waited for their mega milkshakes we decided to have a potter around. No photos are allowed of the glamping pods here but they look fantastic.
There's a duck pond, goats and alpacas to meet and feed (bring a 50p coin for animal food) on site. I think there might have once been a play park here but we couldn't find it during our visit - perhaps it is being refurbished? If anyone knows, let me know. To be honest my three were happy to just see the animals.
There's a camping field too - one brave camper was braving it in March. I'd love to camp here as the facilities look fab and there's lots to do in the local area.
The food menu looked lovely but my kids were all about the mega shakes. Shakes are £6 each and there are lots of combinations featuring everything from fizzy sweets to unicorns. There's a special mega shake bar where you can have a look and decide which combo you'd like to go for. Oh and alcohol is also available.
When the kids' mega shakes arrived they couldn't believe their eyes. They truly are epic. Not something we'd have every weekend or even every month but it was a nice treat for the kids. As you can imagine, they were pretty sickly and my three didn't finish them all.
There's a camping field too - one brave camper was braving it in March. I'd love to camp here as the facilities look fab and there's lots to do in the local area.
The food menu looked lovely but my kids were all about the mega shakes. Shakes are £6 each and there are lots of combinations featuring everything from fizzy sweets to unicorns. There's a special mega shake bar where you can have a look and decide which combo you'd like to go for. Oh and alcohol is also available.
When the kids' mega shakes arrived they couldn't believe their eyes. They truly are epic. Not something we'd have every weekend or even every month but it was a nice treat for the kids. As you can imagine, they were pretty sickly and my three didn't finish them all.
Not exactly the best value for money but as I say, ok for a Saturday treat. We did go for a nice long walk afterwards to try and balance all that sugar out a bit. A few followers messaged me to say if you ask nicely, they'll make smaller versions for you so that's something I'll keep in mind for next time.
You may remember last year we visited Derwent Waterside Park and Visitor Centre. We enjoyed their fabulous adventure playground, cafe and nature trail.
Once the kids had been defeated by the mega shakes, we decided to go for a stroll around the reservoir. It's such a gorgeous part of the world.
You may remember last year we visited Derwent Waterside Park and Visitor Centre. We enjoyed their fabulous adventure playground, cafe and nature trail.
This is an easy 2 mile walk from the Boat Shack. In the summer I imagine we'll park up here, walk around the reservoir to the adventure playground, walk back and enjoy a coffee/ice cream from the Boat Shack before heading home. You can read more about Derwent Waterside Park here.
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| Adventure Playground at Derwent Waterside Park |
Derwent Reservoir is a fab place to head out for a walk and the Boat Shack is somewhere I'd definitely recommend. I very much doubt we'll order a mega milkshake again (due to the kids not actually being able to finish them) but the kids are pleased they tried them and ticked them from their bucket list. Next time I think I'm going to go for pizza fries as they looked scrumptious and the boys had their eye on the various burgers on offer too.
For more days out ideas, why not join our FREE North East Days Out Facebook group and join 3000 local parents sharing their best days out across North East England.
With the Boat Shack cafe, animals to meet and feed, a duck pond, reservoir walks, wildlife spotting, nature trail plus adventure playground, visitor centre and dog exercise area at the other side of the reservoir. There's more than enough for you to fill a full day here.
- Find out more about The Boat Shack and check their opening hours here
- Follow the Boat Shack on Facebook here
- Find out more about Northumbria Waterside Parks and their upcoming events here
Looking for more ideas for a walk around North East England with kids? Check out these posts:
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Please follow social distancing rules & Government guidelines , respect the local area. leave no trace, take litter home, park responsibly and if somewhere is busy on arrival, please consider leaving and returning at a later date.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols / parking advice and charges with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed since this post was published.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols / parking advice and charges with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed since this post was published.
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Wow those look immense! You would definitely need the walk afterwards 😂
ReplyDeletelooks great-don't think i've been to derwent reservoir before but staying not too far for our brownie hol this weekend. I think i'm lucky that my kids don't like milkshakes ha ha!
ReplyDeleteThose shakes look incredible - a definite idea for when our niece and nephew come and visit in the Summer! We've only been to Pow Hill once and we parked up and wandered into the woods just to go red squirrel spotting, we had the place to ourselves and it only took about 20 minutes of very quietly standing still until one appeared, it ran right past us and then stopped for a while on a branch very close by - absolutely incredible experience!
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