Standing fully clothed in cold water to my chest, preparing to scramble up the waterfall, I was beginning to feel rather sorry for myself. The thick foliage around us was blocking out all but a glimmer of the thin August sun, and things were becoming distinctly chilly. Then I looked down at my nine-year-old son, Matthew – or rather at his little head poking out of the water – and I didn’t feel so hard done by.

After a short pause for breath, it was time to go on, squidging in our waterlogged trainers through the pools and clambering up the rocks towards the source – gorge-scrambling is precisely the right word for it. Just as the terrain was flattening out, we came to the final challenge: a wall, several yards long, rising vertically out of a deep pool.

There were, assured our instructor from Summitreks, more than sufficient hand and footholds along the wall for us to make it to a stretch of dry, pebbly land beyond. Locating them was akin to playing an especially fiendish form of vertical Twister. And so, like a family of Duracell bunnies trying to make it up the mountain, Matthew, his brother Alexander, 13, sister Elisabetta, 15, and I slipped and plopped one by one into the icy water below. Buoyed by our lifejackets, we kicked ourselves to the shore.

The father of teenagers is under increasing pressure to play Action Dad these days, and where better than the Lake District? The water temperature – even in high summer – may be a shock for those accustomed to Mediterranean holidays, but the rugged beauty of the surroundings, and ingenious range of activities to be pursued, provide a welcome contrast to beach life.

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BACKGROUND

• A week in the saddle in Bulgaria

• Riding Kyrgyzstan

• Go wild in the Camargue on horseback

We based ourselves for the week at the Holgates Caravan Park in Silverdale, on the edge of Morecambe Bay. For the children, the prospect of staying in a caravan park – or, rather, telling their friends they had spent their holidays in a caravan – did not exactly appeal. Driving up the motorway, jokes about trailer trash abounded.

A rapid rethink became necessary when we were shown to our three-bedroom caravan: “Sweet” chorused the boys as they ran around the place and found it had all the comforts of home – albeit in a much smaller package. And unlike home, it had a large pool (indoor, thankfully), extensive grounds and the salt marshes of the bay only a couple of fields’ walk away.

And then there were all those things to do. Slightly more comfortable than the gorge-scrambling, but even better at getting the adrenaline flowing, was the abseiling, organised by River Deep Mountain High, based in Haverthwaite. Trussed up like chickens in our safety harnesses, we were attached to ropes, tied around a couple of stout trees and then, one by one, lowered over the side of a sheer rock face. The kids loved it so much they demanded a second go. A walk through spectacular caves followed.

That afternoon, on another excursion with River Deep Mountain High, we took to Coniston Water. Thanks to some ferocious paddling, our two wide Canadian canoes made it across the surprisingly choppy water to Peel Island. On the way back, we let the wind take the strain: with the help of our instructor, we lashed the two canoes together with rope, erected a sail and, hey presto, we had our own catamaran.

Our day at Witherslack Hall Equestrian Centre, near Grange-over-Sands, was more leisurely. It offers courses for the most experienced riders, but as near beginners we settled for a gentle walk. The biggest challenge when you travel at that kind of speed is preventing the horse from snacking along the way, but it was a good way to appreciate the scenery. (Not only does the centre do lessons, it also offers two, three- and four-day holidays for unaccompanied children aged seven and over.)

It wasn’t all physical effort, of course: we began the week with a cruise on Lake Windermere and ended with a slap-up meal (from £10.95 for two courses) at the Wheatsheaf, a wonderful 17th-century family-owned inn in Beetham, near Milnthorpe.

Yet it was the adventures that have provided the most enduring memories. So would I choose to scramble up a gorge again? My first response, as we wandered back through the crowds of tourists in Coniston, water dripping from our clothes, was a resounding “Thanks, but no”. But, now after a few months of my usual sedentary life, I may reconsider – and so, the children tell me, might they.

Gorge-scrambling with Summitreks, from £29 pp, 01539 441 212, www.summitreks.co.uk; three-bedroom holiday caravan at Holgates Caravan Park, £305-£736 per week, 01524 701 508, www.holgates.co.uk; River Deep Mountain High, two activities £50-£70 pp, 01539 531 116, www.riverdeepmountainhigh.co.uk; Witherslack Hall, trekking from £23 pp, 01539 552 244, www.witherslackhall equestriancentre.co.uk; Windermere Lake Cruises, adult £5.25, child £3.15, 01539 443 360, www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk; the Wheatsheaf, 01539 562 123, www.wheatsheafbeetham.com; Rural Escapes brochure, www.enjoyengland.com/ruralescapes

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