Santa's Secret Grotto at ho-ho-honister

The booking terms & conditions are agreed at the time of booking. For Santa’s Secret Grotto, all of our usual booking terms and conditions will apply. You can view them by clicking here. All changes in bookings are subject to a £10 admin fee.

Yes, Santa’s Secret Grotto at Honister is suitable for all ages, including babies. It’s a family-friendly experience that can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages. However, due to some challenging terrain the route is not buggy friendly and we advise that you attend with one adult per toddler as there are some steps to navigate. Non-walkers will ideally be in a front carrier.

We recommend dressing warmly as inside the mine can be quite cool. Don’t forget to bring warm coats, hats and gloves, especially if visiting on a particularly cold day. Since you’ll be outside for a short time, waterproofs are a must. Additionally, we suggest wearing waterproof and comfortable footwear due to the wet ground.

No, due to uneven terrain and narrow passageways. We recommend bringing a front baby carrier or sling for infants, as this will provide a more comfortable and safe experience for both you and your baby. Back carriers are not allowed due to low passageways.

£25 per person.  

Santa’s Secret Grotto at Honister is suitable for all ages, from young children to adults. It’s a magical experience for the whole family.

We recommend arriving 30 minutes before your scheduled start time to allow for check-in. Please check your booking confirmation for specific arrival instructions. Due to our location, please check travel times before leaving and allow a little extra time.

Toilet Facilities: We have plenty of toilet facilities, including a disabled toilet and baby changing area. Please note, there are no toilets or changing facilities once you set off on your adventure up the mountain, therefore it’s essential that you do toilet stops before you set off.

Café: We have a Café located within the main visitor area, known as “The Bait Cabin”. It is open daily and serves homemade fresh food including soups, bacon and sausage sandwiches and delicious homemade cakes. There is even a choice of festive hot chocolates and other treats.

Shop: wander through our slate shop and gallery, where you can discover a great range of beautiful green slate products that have been mined and crafted right here at Honister. The shop is an ideal spot to browse unique souvenirs and artwork, offering the perfect chance to take home a piece of the Lake District mountains as a special keepsake or thoughtful gift.

WiFi: Stay connected during your visit with complimentary WiFi available to our customers.

Parking: Enjoy free parking facilities if you’re a Honister customer. For non-customers, parking is available at £5.00 per day per vehicle.

Temperature is a constant 51 degrees Fahrenheit / 10 degrees Celsius, please come prepared for the weather. Good warm jackets, waterproofs and strong footwear are recommended. Heeled boots/shoes are not suitable to be worn onsite anywhere and open toed shoes/sandals will prohibit participation on any activity. Honister does have the right to refuse admittance if inappropriate clothing is worn. Please make your clothing choices appropriate to the weather conditions! We are in a very remote location and failure to come equipped may affect your experience at Honister! Please remember it is always much cooler in the mountains than down at sea-level.

The Santa’s Secret Grotto duration is around 1.5 hours and this time will include a short bus ride, followed by walking and standing for the remainder of time. There’s a steep incline at the start to get to the mine entrance, which includes some steep steps. The Santa’s Secret Grotto experience also includes tunnels that may require a person to bend/stoop while walking for short periods of time.

From the start time to the end it is approximatley 1.5 hours.

The experience includes a bus ride up a mountain, a magical underground journey through tunnels and into the mine caverns, a visit to Santa’s Grotto, and warm drink & mince pie before heading back to the surface.

The ticket price includes the underground journey to Santa’s Secret Grotto, storytelling, meeting Santa Claus and receive a special gift (babies & kids only), a festive drink and snack and reindeer food for Christmas Eve.

Honister is open all year and in most weather conditions. If road conditions are icy on Honister Pass we can pick customers up from Seatoller in our 4X4’s. For safety reasons, we may introduce amendments to the route. If the weather does force us to cancel, we will contact all customers prior to arrival and provide an opportunity to rebook. Refunds will not be given.

Unfortunately, due to the terrain and nature of the mountain wheelchairs are not permitted. This is because the route involves many uneven steps. Our visitor centre is wheelchair friendly and access for all toilet facilities can be found in our café. If you are unsure or have any questions, please get in touch info@honister.com or 01768777230

We do not offer refunds. This is agreed to in the terms and conditions at the time of booking. All changes in bookings are subject to a £10 admin fee as per our terms and conditions.

We will only cancel our activities in the case of Strong Winds or electrical storms.

Honister reserves the right to make any operational changes at any time which are considered necessary for safety or operational matters.

For safety reasons we may introduce amendments to the route or activity termination.

If the weather does force us to cancel an activity, we will endeavour to contact all customer prior to arrival and an alternate activity or an opportunity to rebook will be offered. Refunds will not be given.

The address for Honister Slate Mine is Honister Pass, Borrowdale, Keswick Cumbria CA12 5XN. This will take you to Seatoller please contiue up Honister Pass. We are located along Honister Pass, next door to the YHA Youth Hostel. From Keswick: Head southwest on Station Road toward Lake Road/A591. Turn left onto Lake Road/A591. Continue to follow A591 for approximately 8 miles. Turn right onto B5289 (signs for Borrowdale). Follow B5289 for about 5 miles until you reach Honister Pass. Honister Slate Mine will be on your left. From Penrith: Take the M6 southbound. Exit the M6 at junction 40, signposted Penrith. Follow the A66 westbound for approximately 17 miles. At the roundabout, take the second exit onto the A591 (signs for Keswick). After about 3 miles, turn left onto B5289 (signs for Borrowdale). Follow B5289 for about 5 miles until you reach Honister Pass. Honister Slate Mine will be on your left. From Windermere: Head north on Lake Road/A591. Continue on A591 for approximately 18 miles. Turn left onto B5289 (signs for Borrowdale). Follow B5289 for about 5 miles until you reach Honister Pass. Honister Slate Mine will be on your left. From Ambleside: Take the B5286 northbound out of Ambleside. Continue on B5286 for approximately 9 miles. At the junction with the A591, turn right onto A591. After about 2 miles, turn left onto B5289 (signs for Borrowdale). Follow B5289 for about 5 miles until you reach Honister Pass. Honister Slate Mine will be on your left.

Yes, we have plenty of parking available to our customers and it is free if you have booked Santa’s Secret Grotto. On leaving the B5289 the main entrance for customers wishing to park at Honister is at the front of our Visitor Centre. Turn immediately right for our main ”Visitors’ Car Park”, turn left for the “Overflow Car Park”. We do not recommend you use our coach/wagon entrance as the track is not suitable for passenger vehicles.