As the summer holidays tick away, you may be stuck for ideas for places to take your children on days out. Here are five quick and easy places around the UK that may have escaped your attention.
1. Go Ape! - Grizedale Forest, Lake District
With 28 locations dotted around various forests in the UK, Go Ape is one of the most fun and action packed ways to spend a glorious summer day. This tree-top adventure sees you channelling your inner Tarzan to tackle various obstacles in mid-air and swing from challenge to challenge, ending in a grin inducing zip-wire descent. Go Ape is for people aged 10 and up and costs between £20-£30, with the course generally lasting 2-3 hours. It's advisable that you book ahead to avoid disappointment.
2. Blue Planet Aquarium - Cheshire
The Blue Planet Aquarium has the distinction of being home to Europe's largest collection of sharks... which is impressive enough, but when you add in the fact you can dive with them it makes it the ideal day out for awing and maybe even scaring your kids! On top of this, the Blue Planet Aquarium has several themed areas featuring clown fish, piranhas, caiman crocodiles, otters and even a 33ft octopus! Located near the Cheshire Oaks retail park - making it an ideal stop off pre or post shopping spree - this is one that has something for all the family. Tickets are priced from £11.25 for children to £15.50 for adults and the aquarium is open all year round.
3. London Film Museum - Covent Garden
If you and your kids are film nerds obsessed with Stars Wars, Harry Potter or Batman, then the London Film Museum is the place for you. The museum also has an in-depth look at the history of British studios such as Pinewood and Shepperton, a gallery dedicated to animation as well as various special exhibitions that will satisfy cinephiles of all ages. The museum is free to enter but for £5 you can also gain access to a variety of interactive film sets.
4. Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre - Buckinghamshire
The Roald Dahl Museum is aimed at children between the ages of six and 12 but, well, everyone loves Roald Dahl's stories so there's something for all ages! Although it is a small visitor attraction, the wealth of history and material on show is astounding - all of Dahl's manuscripts, letters and his famous 'Ideas Book' are on show as well as his famous garden shed where he would go to write, and there is an amazing interactive story centre that is sure to keep your kids entertained. The price is a bit on the steep side for what is only a small museum, with adult tickets costing £6 for adults and £4 for children, but it's loads of fun and the store is great too!
5. Beamish The Living Museum - County Durham
The Beamish Living Museum is something really unique for you and your kids to experience - a true 'stepping back in history' experience - and tells the story of the North East of England throughout 100 years of history from the Georgian to the Edwardian and finally Victorian times. The museum is spread out across 300 acres of the beautiful County Durham countryside and lets you experience what life was like down a mine, travel by vintage trams and buses around the area, and taste food from the resident farm. Due to the fact it is a living museum, no two visits are the same as things are constantly changing and it is an engaging and fun day out for you and your family. Entry to Beamish is £17.50 for adults and from free to £10 for children and the tickets are valid for 12 months - meaning you can visit as many times as you wish.
