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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Unique country park with submerged playground and over-water high ropes course – and it costs £15 for a 7-day ticket
EVER wondered what it would be like if a playground was submerged in water? Us neither, but thank goodness someone at a country park in Devon did, as it's awesome. River Dart Country Park near Dartmoor in Devon isn't your ordinary park with woodland trails; instead, it is home to a whole range of activities, including a Go Ape-like water attraction. 5 5 Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here The lake in the park boasts a partially sunken pirate ship that visitors can swim or paddle out to and then climb aboard to investigate. Also in the middle of the lake is a desert island with sand and a faux palm tree. And at the edge of the lake, there is an obstacle course with different things to climb and cross - all suspended above the water. If that all sounds a bit too much like hard work, the lake has a small beach to relax on as well. One visitor said: "[I]t's great fun, especially for the kids in the Pirate Lagoon, which is reasonably shallow (waist-deep for adults at most)." Another added: " It never felt too busy even in peak season." As the water comes directly from the River Dart it is recommended that visitors wear wetsuits and water shoes when in the water. Visitors can use inflatables such as dinghies and pool inflatables on the lake as well. The rest of the park has lots of other activities too, such as an adventure playground, agility trails, an anaconda slide, and bike trails. Claire Byrne enjoys festival Other water-based activities include a dam pool, canoe lake and kayaking available for an additional fee. For those who prefer to stay on dry land, there is a high ropes course with 21 elements that crosses the River Dart, so you can still see the water. In total, the course takes around 45 minutes and children must be aged eight or over to go on the course - it costs £24 per go. Or visitors could whizz on a zip wire, 15 metres above the ground and for 150 metres over the lake. Children need to be aged eight or over and it costs £12 per go. 5 For keen climbers, there is also the Climb and Cave Zone ,with a 5.5 metre climbing wall. There are two routes to take and once complete, visitors can head to the Bouldering Box for more climbing fun. To experience the climbing area, children must be five years old or over, and it costs £10 per person or £8 per person for the Bouldering Room. Tennis courts are free on site too, but you must book and you might want to bring your own rackets. After all the playing, families can head to The Old Sawmill for a range of light bites and drinks. And if you want to extend your stay, you can camp at the park as well, with prices varying depending on season, but usually starting from £30 per pitch, for two people, per night. 5 If you prefer four walls and an actual bed, Holne Park House is located in the park as well, and offers bed and breakfast from £110. Both accommodation options include entry to the park for the duration of your stay. Admission to just the park though costs £14.50 per person, including children over the age of five. Tickets for children between two and four-years-old cost £8 and four-legged furry friends are allowed as well for £5.50. But for the summer holidays (until September 7) each admission ticket allows unlimited free returns within seven days. Stunning campsites in Britain from £10 a night HERE are some of the most stunning campsites in the UK, including a posh estate with a brewery next to woodland theme park The Farm Camping, Norfolk: This pop-up campsite is on a working farm with an on-site microbrewery. It's close to the BeWILDerwood adventure park and has toilets, showers, and Wi-Fi. Pitches start at £15. Greystones Nawab, Derbyshire: Located near the Peak District National Park, this campsite is home to peacocks and rare-breed chickens. It's also next to a donkey sanctuary and a short drive from Go Ape Buxton. Pitches start at £10. Pepper Hall Campsite, Yorkshire: Only accessible by foot, this unique campsite is surrounded by Swaledale sheep and cattle. You have to cross a shallow stream on stepping stones to get to it, and the nearest pub is in Langthwaite village. Pitches start from £18. The Crown Inn and Campsite, North Wales: This family-run pub site is by the river Alwen, offering fishing and forest trails. It has an on-site pub with great food, and you can book an alpaca walking experience with the private alpaca paddock on-site. Pitches start at £12.50. The Green Dragon Inn, Buttington, Wales: Another pub campsite, this spot is near Offa's Dyke, the Shropshire Hills, and Snowdonia National Park. The pub serves home-cooked food and has a large garden. Pitches start at £15, with camping pods available from £60. There is also a stunning UK 'lake theme park' that costs £5 to enter – perfect for families in heatwave school holidays. Plus, a Sun reporter spent the night in the UK's biggest National Park with both stargazing and Northern Light spotting. 5
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Best UK swimming lakes for families who want to skip the beach – with turquoise waters, aquaparks and cabana boats
It's set to be another scorcher this week with temperatures on the rise, but you don't have go to the beach to make the most of it, . Around the UK, there are some incredible lake spots for wild swimming, water sports and some even have mega inflatables. 12 12 Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here Cliff Lakes, Staffordshire For water fun, can you go wrong with the UK's biggest Aqua Park? That's what you'll find at Cliff Lakes in Tamworth. The inflatable course has slides, plenty of tricky obstacles and even climbing walls on water. It's not just for kids either, anyone over the age of six can have a go. Tickets for Aqualand start at £24 per person for an 80-minute session. At Cliff Lakes there's the option to try open water swimming, wakeboarding and water skiing. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "Great day out! So much fun with all the different courses, quite a workout but so worth it. "Would recommend to anyone, best time to go is in summer as you do jump into the lake." Afterwards, instead of searching for fish and chips along the beach front, you can stop in at the food and drink outlet. There's lots to enjoy from burgers to hot dogs - it also serves spirits, beers, ciders and ice cream. The 'incredible' secret wild swimming spot you can have all to yourself - with stunning views and crystal clear water 12 12 Coniston Water, Lake District Coniston Water is the third biggest lake in the Lake District so it's a popular spot during the summer months. From taking out small boats, to paddleboarding, kayaking and swimming, there's something for everyone. The best place for a paddle is at the northern end of the lake where it's sheltered, there's easy access into the water and its gentler too. One mum wrote on Triapdvisor: "Amazing place to enjoy with kids for paddle boarding, swimming or just chilling on the shore with a book. "We were lucky to be visiting during the August heatwave and never wanted to leave the water." Another wrote: "People were sitting at the waterside like it was a beach, could have sat there myself for a good while, very peaceful." You can swim and paddleboard without a reservation, but if you plan to hire boats you will need to book in advance. Like most wild swimming spots, the lake is not monitored by lifeguards. Afterwards, it's easy to take a gander into Coniston village where there's a range of shops, pubs and places to eat. Hampsted Heath Ponds, London The Hampstead Heath ponds have a choice of three ponds to dip in, costing £4.80 for adults and £2.90 for kids (who must be 8 and over). There's the mixed pool, as well as Kenwood Ladies' and Highgate Men's pond. The natural bathing ponds are always popular and have been called one of "London's fantastic green gems" by visitors. With no facilities, you'll have to change at home - but it's a small price to pay for such a beautiful swimming location. During the summer it's usually very busy so to get in you'll have to book a slot before heading down to the ponds. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Bookable slots are between the hours of 12pm and 6pm with each being for a 50 minute swim session. Tickets are released through Eventbrite on Mondays at 12pm for the following seven days (Tuesday to Monday). The morning sessions between the hours of 7am-11.30am and the evening sessions between 6.30pm-8.30pm are on a first come first served basis. 12 Oxford Wet n Wild, Wallingford For more inflatable fun, add Oxford Wet n Wild to the list. It has a huge inflatable obstacle course, paddleboarding sessions and kayaking. The course has everything from trampolines to giant slides and balance beams. Visitors can have a go at 'open-water Wild Swimming' too, which is open until September 14, 2025. There are three courses for wild swimming which depend on swim levels. Throughout the summer, the Aqua Park even offers a late night session every Tuesday between 5pm and 7pm. Booking online costs £20 per person or a walk-in ticket price is £25. One visitor wrote: "The aquapark is great fun, there are paddleboards and kayaks for hire and a nice cafe/restaurant too. "When the sun is shining it has a lovely relaxed holiday vibe." 12 12 Pool Bridge Farm, York For anyone looking to relax, go for a swim at Pool Bridge Farm in York. It has four lakes where you can do lots of water activities like swimming, or even paddleboarding. The Q Lake is the family lake, and the largest where kids can paddleboard and kayak. Visitors will need to bring their own equipment and pre-book a time slot. The other three lakes are adult-only so they will be much quieter, some have amenities like wood-fired saunas and outdoor showers. A child swim ticket costs £5 and an adult swim ticket costs £8. There's also offers for families and even an on-site campsite for anyone wanting to stay overnight with pitches from £20. Whitmore Lakes, Staffordshire Described as a "peaceful retreat" Whitmore Lakes offers a feeling of tranquillity, so its perfect for hot days. You'll find the lake just outside of Stoke-on-Trent on the Whitmore Estate and it's one of the most beautiful spots for time in the water. Swimming at Swan Lake is £10 per adult and £8 for children for a half day session. Sessions at the Lakeside Sauna start at £24 for a 55 minutes - and this includes a morning or afternoon on Swan Lake. At the Kingfisher Lake, visitors can paddleboard - either bring your own and take a paddle for £10, or hire one out for £15. To paddleboard, children must be aged 8 and over with children aged 8-12 being accompanied on the water with a full paying adult. After all the splashing about, or before, check out the Cake Shack with homemade treats, breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and burgers. Willen Lake, Milton Keynes Willen Lake in Milton Keynes has it all with a huge lake where you can paddleboard, take out a boat and kayak. There's even sailing and power boating, as well as a huge Aqua Parc course which is 300 metres long. Another fun activity for adults is hopping onboard a Cabana Boat where you can cruise and outdoor dine. The self-drive boats that seats up to ten people mean you can sit back and use the built-in barbecue grill. A Breeze package, which is an hour's sailing time with an ice bucket for bringing your own drinks and food, for 10 people, starts from £100. To have a go on the Aqua Parc inflatable is from £22 per person. The price for open water swimming starts at £7.50, 90 minutes of paddleboarding starts from £32.50. There's so much more to keep families entertained there too from the adventure golf course to the splash park, archery and cycling. For more water attractions, check out this map with the 10 best spots to take a dip this summer with 1930s art-deco lido topping list – some are even free. Plus, all the new lidos set to open across the UK from seafront pools to city swimming spots.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
The incredible train journey that'll ‘ruin every other railway trip you take'
WHAT is your idea of a great rail journey? Perhaps managing to bag a seat in rush hour... or even that it turns up on time. Well, there's once fancy train that is so posh, it even has its own spa and an open-air 'sightseeing carriage'. 4 4 Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train with five routes in Malaysia and Singapore, with views of jungles, ancient temples and mountains - think Agatha Christie's Orient Express, without the murder. The experience is so mind-blowing that travel blog Hand Luggage Only said: "It's easily one of the best train journeys in the whole world! "[It] might just ruin every other train experience you'll take." The outside views are stunning but so are the interiors, with carriages featuring wood panelling, silk furniture and velvet walls. One of the best-looking cars is the Piano Bar Car, which has a jazz club atmosphere and features with vibrant yellows and luxury fabrics that are inspired by the exotic Tiger Orchid flower. Lunch and evening meals are served up two different dining carriages, with Michelin-starred chef Andre Chiang offering dishes with typical Malaysian flavours, like beef salad, duck curry and spicy 'tom yam cappuccinos'. Meanwhile, breakfast and afternoon tea is served to guests in their cabins each day. European sleeper train with private cabins Away from the dining, there is also a Wellness Car with a "moving spa", with a choice of five different treatments that passengers can enjoy whilst on the move. For those looking to really soak up the sights, the rear carriage of the train offers an open-air observation deck, where guests can take in the views while enjoying a cocktail. There are five different three-night experiences travellers can book, on the Eastern & Oriental Express. The first journey allows passengers to join Chef André Chiang for amazing food experiences, alongside Michelin-starred Vicky Cheng, Jason Liu, Jungsik Yim and expert mixologist Shelley Tai. Alternatively, the Wild Malaysia journey takes guests through the Taman Negara National Park and into Penang. Then the Essence of Malaysia route goes to Southeast Asia. And there is a Malaysia Celebration which departs from Singapore for a festive voyage. 4 All of the journeys last three nights in total. Passengers can also choose from three different accommodation types including the Presidential Suite, then there is also the State Cabin and the Pullman Cabin. In the Presidential Suite, guests can enjoy free-flowing champagne, caviar, a fruit basket and flowers upon boarding, a complimentary spa treatment and 24-hour service. Depending on what journey you choose, there are different stopping locations and points of interest, but some include Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. However, all of this luxury doesn't come cheap. Prices start from $4,650 (£3,455.51) per person. Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences. Davos to Geneva, Switzerland "After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass." - Caroline McGuire Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen "Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you're whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too - as you'll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way." Kara Godfrey London to Paris by Eurostar "Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what's so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won't have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord." - Sophie Swietochowski Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail "From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond." - Hope Brotherton Beijing to Ulaanbatar "The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city's high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I've witnessed anywhere." - Ryan Gray Looking for something a bit cheaper? One man who travelled 4,000 miles across the UK by rail says the country's most beautiful train journey takes just 10 minutes and costs £3. Plus, the UK train line 'that time forgot' is crowned one of the best in the world by National Geographic.
