We have four children, aged ten, seven, five and four. Over the last few years, we’ve visited many different places including a number of parks, castles, and other tourist attractions. An interesting day for the children has to be fun, preferably with space for lots of running around in fresh air and picnics but also giving the opportunity to gain new impressions. We would be interested to hear from other readers about their own favourite places to visit.
Marwell Zoo http://www.marwell.org.uk/ Our favourite zoo, this is small enough to enable young children to walk around over several hours. The enclosures have been designed to allow exceptional views of the animals. Most of the large African mammals are here including giraffes and rhinos but Marwell is most famous for it’s big cats. Some of the rarest leopards in the world can be found here, including snow leopards and Amur leopards, of which only 35 are believed to be left in the wild. But the most magnificent of all are the tigers, which we could watch all day – languidly sunbathing on their viewing platform or padding around their enclosure. These animals exude nobility in their movements.
Odds Farm Park, near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. http://www.oddsfarm.co.uk/ Our favourite haunt when the children were younger. The farm has a number of rare breeds of pigs, sheep, cattle, goats and poultry, which are a source of fascination for children to watch and occasionally feed. The animals are well cared for, with lots of space to roam. There is an indoor barn with hay bales for children of all ages to play on, and several large playgrounds. Numerous events and activities are organised most weekends, including small animal handling, bottle feeding of lambs, talks on the rare breeds and storytelling. There is lots of space to relax in, even during the crowded summer months. We spent many happy days there in all seasons with friends and family.
Exmoor Zoo http://www.exmoorzoo.co.uk/ A delightful zoo deep in the Exmoor National Park with a number of different breeds of monkeys, lemurs and larger mammals such as cheetahs.
Tarr Steps, Exmoor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarr_Steps A pre-historic clapper bridge which spans the River Barle which is estimated to be over 3,000 years old. The bridge is 180 feet long, and is made from a number of stones, weighing up to 5 tons each, in a deep, secluded wooded valley. There are some lovely walks along the river and it is easy to imagine meeting our Iron Age ancestors in such a quiet, unspoilt place.
Cliveden House Gardens http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-cliveden/ This is a wonderful place for a picnic, high above the River Thames, and the café in the old orangery serves excellent tea and cakes to help tired parents and children recover from hours of playing.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew http://www.kew.org/ A unique variety of plants from around the world, housed in spectacular glass houses and parkland. There are many different activities for children in all seasons, including open air ice skating at Christmas.
Wild Flower Centre, Bayfield Estate Bayfield , Letheringsett, Holt, Norfolk http://www.naturalsurroundings.org.uk/ We found this wonderful place by accident when holidaying at Wells-Next-The-Sea in Norfolk. Set in a peaceful valley, along a stretch of the pristinely clean river glaven, we were struck by the quality of the work in recreating wild flower meadows, and the beauty of the landscape. There are a number of activities for children, including river dipping. I will never forget the enraptured stares of our children when they emptied their plastic trays from the river bed and discovered dozens of different creatures, including fish, river snails, and insects. This was a natural treasure trove, in a spot where we could have happily sat for hours. This was also the first place where we’ve seen live red squirrels.
Bodiam Castle and Kent and East Sussex Railway http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/places/bodiamcastle/ http://www.kesr.org.uk/pages/links.htm Bodiam Castle is one of the best preserved medieval moated castles in England. It was built in the fourteenth century and is on an altogether smaller, more intimate scale than the earlier castles of the Norman and Early English eras that were built to subdue the local population. All the curtain walls and towers are intact and have been partially restored to enable visitors to climb to the top of the battlements. Dressing up kits can be hired for children from the booking office. The site often has medieval days with armoury displays.
Four hundred yards across the river from the castle lies Bodiam Station, the current terminus of the Kent and East Sussex Railway. This is a well preserved steam railway line which runs for 21 miles to Tenterten. The railway passes through some lovely countryside, including some ancient watercress beds. The railway staff are exceptionally friendly and informal. Our children were invited into the cab of a diesel engine and the Guard gave one of our sons his red and green flags to wave, which made his day!
St.Michael’s Mount and St.Michael‘s beach, Cornwall http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/ The children enjoyed the walk and climb to the top of this well-preserved castle, although pushing a pram across the rocky path at low tide was more strenuous than we expected. After a long wait for the water bus to return us to the mainland, we spent several hours unwinding on the sandy beach overlooking the mount.
Bluebell Railway, East Sussex http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/ One of the first private steam lines to open, and set in beautiful countryside, we’ve visited the Bluebell Railway many times.
York http://www.nrm.org.uk/ http://www.yorkminster.org/ The train service from London to York is so fast that it makes a day trip to this medieval walled city feasible. Our last visit concentrated on the National Railway Museum and the stunningly beautiful Minster. The NRM contains a varied collection of locomotives and rolling stock from the beginnings of rail travel to the Eurostar and the Japanese Bullet trains. Walking underneath a giant steam engine that had been sectioned to show the working components made a particular impression on the children.
The Hawk Conservancy, Andover http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/ An enormous collection of birds of prey from around the world, including British owls and hawks, together with American condors and African eagles. There are spectacular flying displays every day. Even the sight of a giant condor with a wingspan of over twelve feet gliding towards us from over a mile away was surpassed by the aerobatics of the peregrine falcon. Children have an opportunity to hold these magnificent birds on their arm.
Corfe Castle, Corfe and the Swanage Railway http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-corfecastle/
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/ Corfe Castle is one of the most spectacular medieval castle ruins in England, built in a natural break in the Purbeck Hills in Dorset. There are numerous special events held throughout the year, including medieval fairs where children can watch traditional yew longbows and arrows being made and used, and the adults can try homemade mead. Corfe village contains what is reputed to be the smallest museum in the country, located within the medieval town hall, and some excellent pubs. Our favourite, the Fox, has many good beers and offers tasty food that we usually eat outside in a picturesque garden overlooking the castle. A short walk takes the visitor to Corfe Castle station, where the Swanage Railway runs regular steam trains to the seaside town of Swanage with it’s sandy beaches and walks round the Isle of Purbeck coast.
The Lookout Discovery Centre, Bracknell http://www.bracknell.gov.uk/lookout Over 1,000 hectares of forest and nature trails, with a children’s science centre. Our children spent hours building dens and hiding in the woods.
The National Maritime Museum, Falmouth http://www.nmmc.co.uk/ A fascinating museum for children and adults, with interesting interactive exhibits that demonstrate the principles of sailing and the history of maritime travel and exploration through to the present day. An unexpected bonus was going crabbing from the quay.
The Imperial War Museum, Duxford http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.00d Set on a Second World War airfield, this is one of the largest collections of aircraft and military vehicles. There is a striking contrast between the graceful, peaceful lines of Concorde and the sinister-looking military jets from the Cold War, with the most appalling destructive capability.
Art in Action Exhibition, Waterperry House, near Oxford This is an annual exhibition, held in July. It provides a feast for all the senses, with every kind of craft imaginable from around the world being demonstrated, from carpet weaving to musical instrument making. http://www.artinaction.org.uk/event_pressinformation.asp
Berkhamstead Castle http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.001001001013003004001 One of the earliest Norman castles in England, all the earthworks of this motte and bailey castle are intact, and there are huge open spaces for children to play in. A great place for family picnics.
Alnwick Castle http://www.alnwickcastle.com/ The second largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor Castle, and the home of the Percy family (the Duke of Northumberland) for over 600 years, this is a rugged medieval castle with collections of armour, jewellery, and restored ornamental gardens. Many people will recognise the castle from the Harry Potter films, where it was used to represent the Hogwarts School of Wizardry.
Beaches
Of all the places we’ve taken the children, our favourite places for a day trip are beaches which have a combination of rock pools, clean, shallow water for swimming and splashing around in and which have enough space for the children to play games such as beach cricket and burying parents. When the children become teenagers, no doubt the allure of these places will pall for a while, so we will try to make the most of this period. Some of our favourites include:-
Studland Bay, Dorset
Branscombe Chine, Bournemouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Camber Sands, East Sussex
Wells-Next-the Sea, Norfolk
Geoff Butts
