The kids moan about going to school but isn’t it always the way that two days in to the half term holiday they’re bored! Luckily there are plenty of places to take them to keep them amused and they don’t all have to cost a fortune. Let’s have a look at some ideas of places to go.
Warwick Castle*
Warwick castle is a great family day out, there is plenty to see and do. With a history stretching back nearly 1,100 years, the day is educational and fun. History is bought to life with displays through the castle and you can go down and experience being in the dungeon. You are able to walk all round the castle walls and go up the towers and even witness a live jousting display!
A family ticket is about £50 but you can save £10 by booking online.
Sea Life Centre*
There are sea life centres situated all over the world so have a look on the website to find your nearest one. It s predominantly an indoors experience and so a great idea for a rainy cold day in February. They promise that you will see everything “from shrimps to sharks”. It is fun but also an educational day out as there is so much to learn about all put forward in a really interesting way!
I have been to the Birmingham centre and most recently the new one that has opened up at Alton Towers. Some areas have curved windows looking into the tank where you walk in and feel like you’re actually in there looking face to face at a shark! It provides an interactive and enjoyable experience for all the family.
*There is currently an offer allowing you to save up to £10 per person if you jointly buy a ticket online for Warwick Castle and the Sea Life Centre. See the website for more information.
Forest of Dean
This is a lot to do in this area, interesting towns and villages, museums, caves, historic buildings and steam train rides. You can take part in a wide range of leisure activities such as cycling, zip wiring, golf and fishing. Since I was little, I have particularly enjoyed going on the sculpture trail, a walk through the forest where you come across different sculptures and things to discover in the forest, the ones that stick out the most in my mind are the giants chair at the beginning of the trail and also the stained glass window that you discover amongst the trees on your way round.
This can be a daytrip or there are plenty of places to stay nearby if you want to make a few days of it.
Center Parcs
If it’s a short break away that you’re looking for then I can highly recommend a trip to CenterParcs. There are four to choose from – Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, Elveden Forest in Suffolk and Longleat Forest in Wiltshire. You can stay for a weekend or a Monday to Friday break.
I have just come back from Sherwood Forest and can highly recommend it – my boyfriend and I stayed Monday to Friday and had a brilliant time! There are a huge range of activities to choose from, some of these can be expensive but you have the option to do as much or as little as you want. You can play golf, badminton, tennis, do climbing, go on the zip wire, a huge amount of choice! I think it is a must to hire a bike; it’s a good way to get around the park and is fun and good exercise at the same time! Within the park we found that you couldn’t cycle that far in what I would call a proper area of forest so were pleased to find out that if we went slightly out of the site, we could get into the depths of Sherwood Forest, where you can choose from trails differing in difficulty or even choose your own trail.
The ‘subtropical swimming paradise’ is free to use and has a pool with a wave machine that comes on every so often, water slides in the style of rapids and warm Jacuzzi sections which I can highly recommend! There is a lane pool for more serious swimmers and a section for smaller children so there really is something for everyone. We particularly liked the fact that there is a heated outdoor area where you can swim under the stars! Out here as well is an icy cold plunge pool, which my boyfriend braved, but I decided to stay in the warm section!
I was really impressed with the accommodation; it was like our own forest hideaway! Staying in one of the executive lodges, it had all mod cons even a dishwasher and coffee machine. It was clean, extremely comfortable and a nice aspect was that one wall was a huge forest scene so that was a bit different.
Overall, Center Parcs was a brilliant fun holiday and I would strongly recommend it for all the family!
