Latest news with #fossilhunting
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Huge cliff crack prompts warning at Charmouth fossil beach
Visitors to a beach popular with fossil hunters are being urged to stay away from a cliff where a huge crack has section at Charmouth, on Dorset's Jurassic Coast, appears on the brink of collapse with the large vertical crack stretching from the top all the way to the Heritage Coast Centre urged people to stay away from the cliffs at all times, adding: "If fossil hunting, people should look amongst the shingle in the tideline at the low tide and should check the tides before going onto the beaches."This particular chunk of cliff isn't likely to have anything in it, and certainly not anything worth going up to the cliffs for." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Woman finds massive tooth from this prehistoric creature on a Florida beach
A woman discovered a rare shark tooth in Florida, offering a glimpse into prehistoric times. Nicole Mercuri, 26, was walking along a Florida beach when she spotted a giant tooth that once belonged to a Megalodon, a massive prehistoric shark that roamed the ocean millions of years ago. She was absolutely "ecstatic" about the rare find. "There is no way I just found this," Mercuri said in a video she posted to Instagram. Mercuri, who lives on the west coast of Florida, immediately pulled out her phone and began recording herself when she spotted the tooth and dug it out of the sand. "I was like so shocked and I just freaked out over it," Mercuri told USA TODAY. "I was just like 'Oh my God, Oh my God!'" The tooth is 3 inches wide and nearly 5 inches long. While Mercuri did find the tooth in Florida, she did not specify which beach it was found on. Second Megalodon tooth discovery Mercuri found her first Megalodon tooth in 2024, but couldn't record her reaction because she didn't have her phone with her. "It's in the glass case right now," she said. "I still have it with the other one that I found recently." Mercuri has been hunting for shark teeth for six years. She started off looking for teeth, and then became interested in hunting for shells as well. "I go to the beach a lot, do a lot of shark tooth hunting in the area, shell hunting," said Mercuri. "I have a lot of fun with that, so that's kind of like my main hobby that I do around in this area." Her room now looks like the beach because of how many shells she's found, she said. What were Megalodons? How big were they? The oldest Megalodon fossils date back to 23 million years ago, according to the Museum of Natural History. The prehistoric shark ruled the seas before it went extinct around 3.6 million years ago. The sharks don't have skeletons similar to those of other prehistoric creatures, such as a T. rex. Since its "bones" were made of cartilage, its body couldn't preserve itself as well as its teeth. And, while rare, those teeth are massive. The extinct predator could have been 50 to 60 feet long, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. And, just like its body, its teeth were massive, too. The shark's teeth, which look like serrated knives shaped like triangles, can be up to 7 inches long, according to the museum. More discoveries: Archeologists find 1880 shipwreck while searching for a different one Advice for beginner fossil hunters Mercuri advises anyone who wants to start hunting for shark teeth and fossils to begin by joining a Facebook group for fossil hunters. "Talk to people about maybe they can give you like advice for it," Mercuri said. "You know there are beaches, there are places in Florida you can find fossils or any cool shells. You just got to trust in yourself." Fossil hunters should also plan to travel on their own. They can't just wait for the opportunity to come. "You've got to do it yourself. That way you can find what you're looking for." The shark tooth hunter also recommends that people not reveal the locations where they found their fossils. Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn,X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rare Megalodon tooth is found by woman on Florida beach Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
17-07-2025
- The Sun
Travel influencers reveal their best UK holidays – cheap caravan parks, secret beaches… and overhyped places to avoid
When the sun comes out, there is no better place to cool off than on a stripy deckchair with a Mr Whippy and a sea breeze. However, chances are, half the country will think so, too. So how do you avoid being packed cheek-to-jowl on heaving beaches? 9 To find out, we asked seven top family travel influencers for their favourite off-the-beaten-track beach or the place they go to handle the heat, combat the crowds, and avoid the rush... Swap Lime Regis for Charmouth Lifestyle Influencer Chantelle Champs loves popular Lyme Regis in Dorset, but she takes her three girls to nearby Charmouth to go fossil hunting. She says: "We love finding new places to explore and a few years ago we booked a last minute break to Lyme Regis in Dorset. We had never been before but the trip was a hit and everyone loved it. We've ended up going back every year since. Dorset has a great coastline and there are so many different beaches to explore, you are not restricted to one area. This is great because in the school holidays, Lyme Regis is really popular, so you can easily go a bit further along the coast and find a quieter spot. Our favourite place is Charmouth Beach. It's beautiful and looks so much more natural and undiscovered than Lyme Regis itself. I love the beach, but I am not much of a sunbather and with three girls under 12, we like interesting places that keep us all occupied. Our favourite activity as a family is searching for fossils, which is really fun and costs absolutely nothing. It kept us all entertained all day. We usually find a few different pieces which we collect and take home as souvenirs. In between Lyme Regis and Charmouth is also the area of East Cliff. This is an old Victorian dump site. You can still find fossils here, but we also found the base of a ceramic pot from the Ritz London, which we all got very excited about. You can also see a statue of Mary Anning, who was one of the first female palaeontologists in the UK. She found her first fossils at the age of 12, so my girls know her story well. It's the most easy-going, laid back place to go in summer and we hardly spend any money. You can rent a little cottage close to the beach for less than £100 a night. It's one of our favourite UK holidays." 9 'Pay what you can' attractions Howey Ejegi, a digital creator at @howeydon and and dad from Dundee in Scotland, saves the beach for cooler days and heads to the Scottish Deer Centre with son, Jaivon (both pictured above) instead. He says: "Living on the Fife coast, we have some of the most beautiful beaches in Scotland a short drive from us. However, in summer, everyone has the same idea and they get really packed, with traffic jams and car parks all full. Aberdour Silver Sands is probably the most popular beach but we prefer to go in spring or autumn. It's not as hot, but sometimes we get the place almost to ourselves, so it feels like a secret beach. When it starts to get busy with locals and tourists, Jaivon and I prefer to head inland to the Scottish Deer Centre near Cupar. This wildlife park spans 55 acres and has 12 species of deer, wolves, otters, elk and bears. What's great about this place is that they have a 'pay as you please' admission, so guests pay what they can afford. It's a great incentive to encourage visitors from lower-income areas to experience the park without worrying about the admittance price. We love it. It's really educational and you can easily spend the whole day there, staying for lunch or bringing your own picnic. I know people head to the beach for a cheap day out in the school holidays, but this is our favourite local spot when the coast gets too crowded." 9 Quiet Cornwall in peak summer Lifestyle vlogger Kerry Whelpdale and her two energetic sons love to surf, but instead of hauling their boards to Newquay's busy Fistral Beach, they ride waves a bit further along the coast . She says: "We love surfing and there is no better place to do that than in Cornwall. However, everyone knows that Newquay is far too busy, especially in summer. Even if you are able to find a decent place to stay, it likely won't be cheap. We found a solution to this and not only is it a bargain, but we also often get the beach to ourselves first thing in the morning - and it never gets overcrowded. We stay at the Park Dean Newquay Holiday P a rk. It's just up the coast from the busy town of Newquay and ideally located to explore the whole area. Better still, Watergate Bay beach is walking distance from your accommodation - extra handy when you are carrying your own surf board! We booked a Glamping Pod for £100 a night for all four of us in the school holidays. The pods are so cute and we had our own kitchen to make lunch and dinner, which was so nice after an active day surfing. The resort itself has evening entertainment for families but we didn't even indulge last time. Everyone was so tired, we had pizza on the deck and chilled out in our pod until the next morning. If you have younger kids, it's absolutely ideal. There are three outdoor pools and a splash park with waterslides. For those who want to surf, the beach closest to the park is really quiet if you get up early to catch the first waves and I highly recommend it. It's definitely busier after lunch, but nowhere near the crowds that fill up the main beach in Newquay. It's a family favourite for us, but get in quick as the pods get booked up fast in the Easter and summer holidays." 9 Swap Brighton for Portsmouth Vicky Philpott from avoids busy Brighton and heads to the island city of Portsmouth with her family. She says: "When it's sunny, people flock to Brighton in East Sussex for a beach day, and I am always baffled why they don't think a little bit outside the box. We skip the crowds of Brighton Beach on a sunny day and head to Southsea Beach instead. It's just 1 hour and 30 minutes from London on the fast train and has such a chilled vibe. There's plenty of cool coffee shops and the charming Albert Road has lots of independent shops, too. It's just like Brighton, but quite a bit cheaper, you can get a coffee there for £2, whereas the going rate in Brighton is double that! On the beach there's always enough space to spread out without hordes of day-trippers. My toddler, Reggie, loves playing with stones on the big pebbly stretch and there's a little splash park on the seafront, as well as a park, zip line, golf and pedalo boats at Canoe Lake boating pond just over the road. The pier has rides and arcades and,, of course a great fish and chip shop too - although you'll pay a bit more to eat here (£13 for haddock and chips), considering the prime location. If you want to stretch out the afternoon, get an alfresco bistro table at Greek Cuisine Tony and you can enjoy £7.50 gyros on the pier - easily enough for two to share - while watching the paddleboarders and swimmers do their thing." 9 Secret beaches in picture-perfect nature reserves She says: "We live just outside of Reading, but rather than battle the crowds on the south coast during the summer months, we head to Norfolk instead. This is a very underrated coastline and home to some wonderful, endless beaches. Our best-kept secret is the Holme Dunes Nature Reserve. This stunning stretch is a little bit further off the beaten track than busy seaside towns like Sheringham and Cromer but it's perfectly unspoilt and a paradise for nature lovers. As well as thick fluffy sand, you can watch out for rare sightings of black-tailed godwit and ring ouzel. You won't have to battle for a place to pop down a towel, but do bring a cooler and snacks for everyone as there are no facilities on the beach. However, there is a fascinating visitor centre and cafe near the entrance, so if you have little ones, you're not too far from the real world. Parking is cheap and easy, too. Whilst not exactly a secret, we usually end the day at Wells-next-the-Sea. It's less busy at teatime and you can walk along the beach past the colourful beach huts. The beachfront cafe serves a big sourdough pizza for £12 and a tub of ice cream for £4.50. Enjoy both with your legs dangling over the sea wall." 9 Private paradise in hidden sandy coves Victoria Watts Kennedy from travel blog is known for exploring lesser-known places around the world. Here in the UK is no exception. She says: "Devon is beautiful but in the summer, the beaches and villages along the coast are some of the busiest in the UK. Instead of heading to popular Salcombe, we have a secret spot that we go to every year. Soar Mill Cove is a beautiful, isolated little bay, hidden along the rugged coast, just 15 minutes from Salcombe. It's the effort to get there that makes Soar Mill Cove so special. It's beautiful when viewed from the cliff, but take the mile-long path that winds down the headland and you'll find a golden, sandy beach. The tiny, sandy inlet, backed by magnificent cliffs, feels like your own personal paradise – and the journey to get there is all part of the fun, especially with kids. It's easy to park the car at the Soar Mill Cove Hotel at the top of the hill. Parking is only £5 for the day. If you want to splash the cash, the hotel is in a top location, but rooms start at £180. For a budget option, you can stay three nights at the Challaborough Bay Holiday Park for only £249. It's a 35-minute drive from Soar Mill Cove." 9 Ditch the busy south coast for the wild North East Macca Sherifi, from travel blog An Adventurous World, says the south coast gets all the hype but when he wants to escape with wife, Chloe, and two-year-old Cooper, they head north. He says: "When it comes to beach destinations, people always flock to the south coast, but the north of England has beautiful beaches too. I am firmly flying the flag for Durham and Northumberland in the north east. Take Seaham Beach, which on a bright and sunny day is absolutely gorgeous, with mile after mile of golden sands and craggy rock pools just waiting to be explored. My two-year-old loves searching for colourful sea glass, as well as the odd pebble. Seaham Beach is known for being one of the most colourful beaches in the UK for these colourful gems. It's an activity that is great for any age and I must admit, I enjoy the challenge too! We can be there for hours and spend next to nothing all day. If you venture a bit further down the coast, you can also see the Seaham Beach caves, which is ideal for teenagers or older kids. It really is a beautiful spot, and very close to Durham, which has very affordable hotels to base yourself in, meaning it's really good for anyone on a budget too."
Times
22-05-2025
- Times
31 of the best family days out in the UK
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. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue 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; Nearby, the family-friendy Hotel Alexandra has gorgeous gardens and direct access to the beach. 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; 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. 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; 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; 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 ( 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; 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; 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. • Great hotels in Belfast• Best things to do in Belfast 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; 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; 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). 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; 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; 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 • Where to stay in Windsor• Best things to do in Windsor It's all about Gangsta Granny at the Alton Towers theme park, near Stoke-on-Trent (adults £29, children £29; 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; 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. • Great family hotels in London• Best things to do in London with children 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; 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 • Best hotels in Hampshire 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; 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; 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. • Best hotels in the Highlands• What to do in the Highlands 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; 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. • Best Airbnbs in Bristol• Best things to do in Bristol 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; 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; 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. • Best hotels in Surrey 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; 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. • Best hotels in Oxfordshire 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; 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; 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; Premier Inn Merthyr Tydfil is a short cycle away, as is the town's railway station. • Best things to do in Wales 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; 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; 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; 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; 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; 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 • More great hotels in Cambridge• Best things to do in Cambridge 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 ( 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. • Best affordable hotels in London• Top things to do in London when it rains 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; 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. • Best hotels in Yorkshire 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; Roomzzz Aparthotel is a 15-minute walk away with a choice of serviced apartments, the best with balconies and views of the River Ouse. • Best Airbnbs in York 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; Add a trip to the Dean Heritage Centre, a museum holding the history of local crafts (adults £10, children £8; and the ancient iron ore mines of Clearwell Caves (adults £12.50, children £10; 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; 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. • Discover our full guide to the UK• The best of England
