If you’re looking for a great day out, but feel as though you’ve exhausted all the possibilities, never fear – we’re here to help!
Sometimes, the traditional days out can get a bit dull; you’ve probably had your fill of the theme parks, the natural history museums, the play areas, the beaches, the botanical gardens, the… okay, so the list drags on a bit.
Basically, we are all in the same boat. Especially if you’ve got kids to keep entertained, finding new places to take them can be difficult – even more so if you want them to actually enjoy it!
So with that in mind, why don’t you have a glance through this list? We’ve got a few ideas, and some of them are certainly… unique, but if you want something else you can always rent a holiday cottage in Hampshire. Enjoy!
The City of Caves, Nottingham
We imagine that, upon hearing the word Nottingham, your mind will probably conjure up images up Robin Hood (whether that’s Russell Crowe, Cary Elwes or Disney’s cartoon fox) in the forest, or perhaps the similarly named football team.
However, we say you should go beyond that. In fact, you should go beyond the surface entirely – head underground for the real fun!
Your first stop is the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre. This may seem a rather unusual place to start, but if you head to the upper level you’ll soon see signs for the City of Caves.
These sandstone caves make the biggest network in Britain. They date back to the Dark Ages, and have been used as houses, air raid shelters and even dungeons!
The Cambridgeshire Fens, Burwell
The Fens are gorgeous, and don’t get nearly as much coverage as they deserve. They once made a large wetland area, but were drained to use as arable land. Thankfully, their natural value has been noticed once more, and some of the area has been re-flooded.
There’s so much to do here – lovers of the country’s past will enjoy Flag Fen, a Bronze Age settlement, as well as the Pinchbeck Engine Museum. Anyone who likes to cook up a storm in the kitchen will love the exotic wares of the farmers’ market, and the whole family will be able to get on board with a narrowboat voyage around the waterways!
Portmeirion Village, North Wales
Portmeirion Village, a small town in Gwynedd, is frankly bizarre. With the architecture purportedly based on the Italian town of Portofino, the whole place looks like it would be more at home in the Med!
At first glance, you may just think it’s a fairly normal town, beautifully coloured buildings and European flair aside. However, you need to look a little closer to see why we’ve put this place on the list.
The first unusual thing you’ll spot is likely the statues of the Greek gods. Sure, that’s not so strange, but you’ll notice that they’re hanging out with gilded dancers, near some bungalows which, bizarrely, have balconies.
There’s a lot of visual trickery going on with the various buildings, but our favourite is Unicorn Cottage – this huge stately home is in fact just a little bungalow! Various tricks – such as a miniature gate and stretched windows – make it appear to be much larger than it really is. Fascinating stuff.
