31 of the best family days out in the UK

Times

22-05-2025

School holidays can feel stressful when there are long days to fill and bored children to entertain, so here are some terrific days out that will keep everyone happy. Now that the weather is warming up there are plenty of outdoor adventures, from a boat trip to a puffin island to a wild walk among giant trees. Other exciting family-friendly attractions across the UK include free museums that make learning fun, theme parks and sporty activities where energetic children can burn off energy. Struggling for inspiration? These family days out will impress even the fussiest of your offspring.
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For a family trip with bags of fresh sea air and a healthy dose of prehistory, bring a collection kit (miniature hammer, goggles and magnifying glass), whack on some wellies and rewind to the age when dinosaurs pounded the Earth. The best spot to search for fossils is Lyme Regis, where you can look for ammonites, devil's toenails and dinosaur bones in the rocks and shingle. Top of your list should be the Ammonite Pavement area at the western end of Monmouth beach, where thousands of dinner-plate-sized ammonites are exposed at low tide; East Cliff beach and the area under Black Ven; and Charmouth beach, where fossils can be found on the sand. For more insight, join a guided three-hour fossil hunt with the pros at the Lyme Regis Museum (adults £16.75, children £12.75; lymeregismuseum.co.uk). Nearby, the family-friendy Hotel Alexandra has gorgeous gardens and direct access to the beach.
hotelalexandra.co.uk
You'll never get closer to puffins than on Skomer Island where, from April to August, 41,000 of the dinky, tuxedo-clad, bright-billed birds run riot. A short, bumpy boat ride from Martin's Haven off Wales's southwest tip, this thrillingly wild isle looks ripe for a Famous Five-style adventure, with ragged, wave-lashed cliffs and wildflower-cloaked slopes (adults from £30 return, children from £24; pembrokeshire-islands.co.uk). Bring a picnic and sturdy boots to hike the four-mile circular walk via The Wick, where your clan will be amazed by puffins nesting by the path, bringing sand eels for their cute furball pufflings and launching themselves off high cliffs. The only place to stay on the island is Skomer Island Hostel, which you should book well ahead to get one of its family-sized rooms; you'll have the puffins and starry night skies pretty much to yourself once the day-trippers have departed.
welshwildlife.org/skomer-island-hostel-booking
Medieval Alnwick Castle looks as if it's been plucked straight out of a bedtime story with its riot of towers, courtyards and baileys. You might recognise it as the backdrop for Hogwarts in the first Harry Potter films and Brancaster Castle in two episodes of Downton Abbey. There are brilliant activities for kids, from wizarding fun with broomstick training to the artisans courtyard, where children can dress up in medieval costumes or launch a dragon quest (adults £21.55, children £11.35; alnwickcastle.com). If it's a nice day, swing over to Alnwick Garden next door for its bamboo labyrinth, a poison garden full of deadly plants and an enchanting treehouse restaurant set in lime trees 18m above the ground (adults £18.95, children free; alnwickgarden.com). A combined ticket gives you access to Lilidorei, a Christmas-themed elfin play village. Stay the night at the Cookie Jar, a converted convent turned cosy boutique hotel that's right on the doorstep of the castle and gardens.
In the wild heart of the Highlands, the Cairngorm Mountain Resort is a guaranteed family hit (cairngormmountain.co.uk). There's a chance to spot native wildlife such as the tiger moth and rock ptarmigan; explore an adventure playground (children £5); or turn things up a notch on the tubing slides (£15 for 30 mins). Older children can blaze a trail at the mountain bike park (day pass adults £22, children £10-£15). The clincher is a two-hour guided hill trip to see, feed and take photos with the UK's only free-roaming reindeer herd; booking ahead during holidays is essential (adults £23, children £16; cairngormreindeer.co.uk). Just north of Cairngorm Mountain, Badaguish drops you deep in the woods, with forest lodges sleeping up to 12 and family-sized camping pods sleeping up to five.
Children love tales of mighty ships and few can rival the story of RMS Titanic, which fires imaginations in Belfast, where the luxury ocean liner was designed, built and launched in 1911. Dive right in at Titanic Belfast (adults £24.95, children over five £11; titanicbelfast.com), which catapults you back more than a century in ten interactive galleries with digital screens, special effects and a fun floating Shipyard Ride, where you rise and fall through the bowels of the ship in rotating cars. Explore the whole area on an outdoor, hour-long Discovery Tour with audio guide (adults £15, children £10). Let it all sink in while staying at the spectacularly barrel-vaulted Titanic Hotel Belfast, a nautical beauty fitted out in art deco style.
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My, my, how they've grown. Westonbirt National Arboretum is sylvan fantasy stuff, with 2,500 tree species including towering giants such as Californian incense cedars and sky-scraping sequoias that will have children craning their necks, wide-eyed with wonder (adults £17, children £4; forestryengland.uk). Scooters and bikes are welcome and there's a treetop walkway with its crow's nest rope bridge, the Silk Wood for bluebell spotting in spring, and the Gruffalo and Stick Man walks inspired by Julia Donaldson's books. Deep in the honey-dipped loveliness of the Cotswolds, the Hare and Hounds, just down the road on the way to Tetbury, is a manor-turned-pub with pretty gardens, family rooms and a warm welcome.
Kids can run wild and free in the forests of BeWILDerwood in Norfolk (adults £22.95, children £20.95; bewilderwood.co.uk). The park is inspired by a series of fantastical books by Tom Blofeld, with characters like Swampy the Marsh Boggle and Snagglefang the BeWILDerbat popping up at meet-and-greets and on the storytelling stage. But the real magic comes high up in the treetops, where children can whizz along zip lines, dash down super slides, clamber into a sky maze and explore the Twiggle village treehouse. Back at ground level, they'll love boating on the Scaaaaary Lake, where Mildred the Crocklebog lives, building dens and getting stuck into crafts. Off-peak Toddlewood tickets (£12.50) are great value, covering admission for one adult and one child aged under three. Stick with the back-to-nature theme and stay at the Moorhen in the pretty village of Horning, right in the heart of the Norfolk broads. Sleeping up to five, the Coot Cabin is a family glamping fave, with bunk beds, a garden and barbecue (from £100).
themoorhenhorning.co.uk
With its gorgeous gardens, riverside location and impressive, well-preserved stone structure, there's lots for grown-ups to enjoy at this fortress, dating back to 1068. Little ones will make a beeline for the activity trail Zog and the Quest for the Golden Star, while over-10s can be scared silly in the dungeon experience at Warwick Castle (adults £26, children £26; warwick-castle.com). Great for all is the Falconer's Quest birds of prey show, the UK's largest with 60 species swooping in around a theatrical narrative. Extend the magic with an overnight stay in a medieval-themed wooden lodge or glamping tent at the Knight's Village.
Few homes inhabited by children are devoid of Lego bricks, and most parents have to accept they will be begged for a day trip to Legoland in Windsor eventually (adults £29, children £29; legoland.co.uk). Cave in and experience Mythica, an area dedicated to magical creatures with huge models and the UK's first 'flying theatre' ride. Elsewhere are a Spinjitzu-teaching Ninjago ride (if you know, you know) and Miniland, which reconstructs our world using 42 million blocks (try copying that at home). There's no obligation to stay at the Lego hotel. Give your eyes a break at the calm and neutral-toned Coworth Park, a luxury manor with oodles of space for them and a posh spa and Michelin-starred restaurant for you.
Read our full review of Coworth Park
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It's all about Gangsta Granny at the Alton Towers theme park, near Stoke-on-Trent (adults £29, children £29; altontowers.com). The World of David Walliams area brings Raj's Shop and other elements loved by his young readers to life. Top of the bill is Gangsta Granny: The Ride, combining spinning carriages, special effects and audio-visual entertainment. The park has dozens more thrilling rides for young adrenaline junkies in training, plus its own accommodation, like the tot-pleasing CBeebies Land Hotel and a Gangsta Granny room at the Alton Towers Hotel.
From the Great Hall at Hogwarts to Diagon Alley, the fantastical sets from the Harry Potter films will wow fans at the Warner Bros Studio Tour just north of London (adults £56, children £45; wbstudiotour.co.uk). Learn about the films' special effects secrets, and get stuck into the sheer level of detail, from hand-drawn books to incredible mechanised props that reduced the need for CGI. Stay in London at the Pullman London St Pancras, close enough to Platform 9¾, and with a cool, neon-lit lobby and large neutral rooms.
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If you're at the stage when Daddy Pig's dulcet tones are as familiar as your own voice, taking your children to Peppa Pig World at the charming Paultons Park will be a real parenting win (adults £45, children £45; paultonspark.co.uk). Circle into the sky on Miss Rabbit's Helicopter Flight, spin along a colourful waterway on Grampy Rabbit's Sailing Club ride and meet Peppa and George themselves. The park has overnight packages at local hotels that give families a second day in the park for free; although if you've done your time, retreat to a lovely New Forest hotel such as the impeccably designed Lime Wood, with its outdoor pool, spa and restaurant by Angela Hartnett.
Read our full review of Lime Wood
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Whether your offspring want to pose with King Charles, hang out with Taylor Swift, or snap a selfie with Beyoncé in a festival photobooth, Madame Tussauds can make their dreams come true, sort of (adults £29, children £26; madametussauds.com). The attraction's waxwork figures of famous faces from stage and screen to sports are more convincing than ever, arranged against high-spec sets to make your teen's selfies all the more Instagram-worthy. After rubbing shoulders with the stars, you can hole up like a celeb at the Treehouse Hotel in Marylebone, which has connecting rooms with mid-century furniture and skyline views, plus tepees for children and a fun jungle foliage design.
A day trip to Urquhart Castle, set dramatically on a rocky outcrop overlooking Loch Ness, should fire the imagination of any little ones. Children may be reluctant to draw their gaze from the water in case Nessie should make an appearance, but there is plenty to hold their attention at this 1,000-year-old stronghold, from the murderous physics of a full-size trebuchet to a dark and grim prison cell (adults £14, children £8.50; historicenvironment.scot). All around, the humbling scenery of the Great Glen sets the scene for mystery and legend, while the cosseting Loch Ness Lodge has loch-view bedrooms, private cottages and whisky by a roaring log fire.
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Surf's up near Bristol, where this artificial lake can create 1,000 waves per hour for children and adults at all levels. Young beginners can learn to stand up on their board in a safer, easier environment than the sea; while three-footers are laid on for intermediates (adults £35, children £25; thewave.com). The Camp has a collection of sleek safari tents sleeping eight in double, bunk and sofa beds, as well as spartan six-person bell tents. The Clubhouse café serves everything from porridge and loaded-smoothie bowls to build-your-own cooked breakfasts.
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If it's your child's dream to pose alongside a Premier League or Women's Super League trophy, then this is the place to fulfil it (well, official replicas). Home to the world's largest public collection of football objects, this museum is where the whole family can spend hours brushing up on their knowledge while exploring interactive exhibits. Study the 1863 laws of the game, see Mary Earps' goalkeeper gloves, and dive into a penalty shootout. Under-fives will enjoy the Discovery Zone play area (adults £15, children £9; nationalfootballmuseum.com). Carry on the fun with a stay at the Treehouse Hotel Manchester, less than a ten-minute walk away; or go for the hat-trick of footballing brownie points by staying at Hotel Football, followed by a tour of the Old Trafford stadium it overlooks.
One of the UK's most popular theme parks, Thorpe Park has some of the country's most creative and stomach-churning rides, including Hyperia, billed as the UK's tallest, fastest and most weightless coaster, and Stealth, the UK's fastest launch coaster, which hurtles you 0-80mph in 1.8 seconds (adults £29, children £29; thorpepark.com). More child-friendly are the dodgems and Amity Beach with its sand and shallow pool. There's accommodation here in shark-shaped cabins, and you can upgrade to a ride-themed room. Or escape to the Hand & Spear hotel in Weybridge, a pub with 12 boutique bedrooms and eclectic decor in lively wallpapers, framed ferns and vintage furniture.
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Family days out take a new track at Didcot Railway Centre, where on dedicated Steam Days you can get unlimited rides on Great Western Railway steam trains. Children can experience 200 years of transport history, as they explore the signalling centre and air-raid shelter, and climb onto a footplate in the 1932 engine shed. Throw in outdoor play areas and refreshment rooms and you'll never escape (adults £14, children £8.50; didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk). To the south, at Goring, the Miller of Mansfield inn has boutique bedrooms in tasteful neutrals, family suites sleeping up to five, and the Chiltern Hills on your doorstep.
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The years between the red and yellow plastic Cozy Coupe car and driving lessons pass quickly. Fill the gap with a day trip soaking up British motor-racing history at the family-friendly Silverstone Museum (adults £23.50, children £19.50; silverstonemuseum.co.uk). As well as learning about racing legends, families can have a go on interactive exhibits like a nostalgic Scalextric set, or slide into the Sim Suite for a 30-minute spin on a virtual track. Ten minutes' drive away, Whittlebury Hall and Spa, a large golf resort with a huge indoor pool, is a good family option.
Children love diggers (that's just a fact) and getting to actually drive one will blow their tiny minds. At Diggerland they can operate JCB excavators, use loaders to complete stacking challenges and get spun around in a super-size digger-bucket ride. There are four Diggerland parks in the UK, in Kent, Yorkshire, Devon and Durham, all with the same attractions, plus play areas, dodgems and go-karts (adults £25.95, children £25.95; diggerland.com). Clean up afterwards at the Pickled Parson of Sedgefield, a cool rural pub with bedrooms in moody blues and greys.
It says something that the 40-plus mountain-bike trails here are rated like ski runs, from green for beginners up to black for experts. Children will relish the challenges on offer here, whether a total novice or competent show-off, and there's a dedicated family loop too. Minibuses take riders to the top of a 491m peak from which tracks wind and rollercoaster through woodland back to base, where there's a café to chill and swap stories (adults £105, children £90; bikeparkwales.com). Premier Inn Merthyr Tydfil is a short cycle away, as is the town's railway station.
premierinn.com
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Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, a Unesco world heritage site and home to a range of family-friendly museums and attractions, the Ironbridge Gorge can easily fill a long and fascinating day or two (adults £27, children £15.50; ironbridge.org.uk). After pottering between the different olde worlde shoppes of Blists Hill Victorian Town, which recreates the street life of that era, your clan can let off steam on the zip lines and play areas at Madeley Wood Company Outdoor Adventure then hit Enginuity, a hands-on science museum and engineering centre. Finish up in the huge pool of the Haughton Hall hotel around a 15-minute drive away and your popularity is secured.
In a former Victorian slate mine near Blaenau Ffestiniog, surrounded by Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), you'll find a vast, colourfully illuminated cavern filled with bouncy trampoline nets, tunnels and slides the height of two double-decker buses. This dizzying play space is for children over a metre tall, and one of seven activities at Zip World's Llechwedd site. So you could always move on to zip-lining across lofty caverns, quarry tours or underground golf (adults £30, children £26; zipworld.co.uk). Swap zips for zzz's at the Plas Weunydd hotel nextdoor, as it reopens in spring following an extensive refurbishment.
There's a risk your quota of homemade toilet-roll rockets will increase after a day trip to the National Space Centre, but the chance to show your budding astronaut some real ones, alongside space suits, moon rock and meteorites, is well worth it. Celeb-narrated shows in the UK's largest planetarium and brilliant interactive exhibits teach everything from satellite technology to the possibility of alien life (adults £20.95, children £18.95; spacecentre.co.uk). Make a weekend of it at the smart Georgian red-brick Winstanley House hotel, with an alfresco restaurant terrace and sleek rooms with period features.
The Royal Research Ship Discovery is the three-masted barque used by Captain Scott on his Antarctic voyage of 1901. It's now defrosted and moored in Dundee, where visitors can climb aboard to learn about its fascinating history and ongoing restoration (adults £14.40, children £9; dundeeheritagetrust.co.uk). After that first famed expedition, it was used for merchant shipping then again as a research vessel before spending decades as a training ship and hostel for Sea Scouts. Stay near Dundee's redeveloped waterfront at Staybridge Suites, whose industrial apartments and fitness centre occupy a former linen mill.
Few know there's a science museum dedicated to IT tucked away in Cambridge, which is fascinating for anyone who thinks in binary code or youngsters who can't believe the older generation ever got their kicks from an Atari. The Centre for Computing History has clunking old vintage monitors, early games consoles to play on and even giant calculators (adults £12, children £8; computinghistory.org.uk). Smarties stay at the luxurious University Arms, an Edwardian building styled in jewel tones by star interior designer Martin Brudnizki.
Read our full review of University Arms
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Parents in the capital needing to entertain their children on rainy days should make a beeline for the Science Museum — one of the city's most fascinating (and free) family-friendly attractions (sciencemuseum.org.uk). Toddlers and teens alike will stare in wonder at spaceships, early aeroplanes and robots, and children can interact with circuits and scientific tests, and watch 3D Imax films (fee applies). A short walk away are the Natural History Museum (don't miss its Evolution Garden) and the V&A, plus the Bailey's Hotel London Kensington, which features a chic wood-panelled bar with parquet floor.
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A global phenomenon with branches all over the UK and world, including this one at Ilkley, Clip 'n Climb claims to have invented the concept of 'fun climbing'. At these colourful centres, children can clip on to an auto-belay line system to scale zany walls and structures with unusually shaped handholds and challenges (adults n/a, children £10; clipnclimbilkley.co.uk). Remind them not to climb the curtains when you check in at Devonshire Fell Hotel, with smart dining and stirring views over the rolling Yorkshire Dales.
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One of the most exciting family-friendly attractions the country had ever seen when it opened in the 1980s, Jorvik was admired by children in part for its cleverly replicated 10th-century stink. Today it continues to wow with its attention to detail, including those smells. A modern ride whisks you around a time-capsule city, where you'll meet holographic ghosts and animatronic figures fluent in Old Norse. Brush up on the Viking invasion of York in AD866 and see the results of the site's original Coppergate dig around a gallery of 800 artefacts from Viking socks to fossilised poo (adults £17.50, children £12; jorvikvikingcentre.co.uk). Roomzzz Aparthotel is a 15-minute walk away with a choice of serviced apartments, the best with balconies and views of the River Ouse.
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Nooks and crannies, gulleys and gnarled roots form an ethereal arboreal wonderland at Puzzlewood, a woodland attraction in the Forest of Dean. A mile and a half of pathways encounter bridges, lookouts and animals, plus spots used as film locations for some huge productions including Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Secret Garden (adults £9.90, children £8.50; puzzlewood.net). Add a trip to the Dean Heritage Centre, a museum holding the history of local crafts (adults £10, children £8; deanheritagecentre.org), and the ancient iron ore mines of Clearwell Caves (adults £12.50, children £10; clearwellcaves.com). Puzzleworld has three self-catering cottages that give guests access to the woods outside regular opening hours, while Bells Hotel & Country Club is a good base at Coleford in the Forest of Dean.
Over a century ago, two brothers discovered this incredible cave system using only candles and a coracle to find their way across subterranean lakes (adults £21.95, children £16.95; showcaves.co.uk). Today, visitors can behold the 'Rasher of Bacon' and other curious rock formations, then resurface to visit the site's array of other attractions, from the Shire Horse Centre to Dinosaur Park with more than 250 life-size models. Let children try panning for gold and kick about in the play areas, then feast at renowned foodie hotel and pub the Felin Fach Griffin, a 30-minute drive northwest through the Brecon Beacons. For overnight stays, there's also a campsite and caravan park next to the caves, or book a cottage stay nearby and make the most of the Beacons.
felinfachgriffin.co.uk
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