1
Rosekill’s farm, St. Caverne, Cornwall
Get your hands dirty on this working farm in the southern part of the mainland UK, where you can see how Roskilly’s famous organic ice cream is made from the farm’s Jersey cows. Walk the wildlife, feed the ducks and try one or two angles.
2
Averybury Stone Circle, Wiltshire
A 30-minute drive away, Stonehenge’s tourist circus runs wild through a prehistoric wonder. Most of the villages fall within the largest stone circle in the UK – basically about 100 stones – which in turn surrounds two small circles.
3
Strawberry Fair, Cambridge
The popular festival returns with a Covid-implemented break with a new theme: Love the Planet. Attractions include band competitions, a Portland ballroom, a family area with crafts and bubbles, a solar-powered Scarecrow Corner, and live music from samba to drum ‘n’ bass to jazz.
Midsummer Common, Cambridge, 11 June
4
Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh
You will find it much harder to find a diverse collection of microbiome than on these 70 acres of land: there are rock gardens, Chinese hillside, alpine, arboretum and native plants such as the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden, Bog Myrtle. The glasshouses are closed, but visitors can still enjoy the magnificent views of the city skyline at Edinburgh Castle. Recent free exhibitions include Yan Wang Preston’s audiovisual installation with Love. From an invader, in which the artist conducts a study of wild rhododendrons in the context of Brexit and epidemic-induced xenophobia and an increase in racism. There is also a weekly opportunity to meet and question the gardener.
5
Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
Go hunting for fossils on the many trails passing Walton-on-the-Naz, advertising itself as “England’s Friendly Resort” and the sunniest place in the country. Shark teeth are a particularly impressive find on the beach.
6
Salt mill, Saltair, West Yorkshire
Visit the Grade II-listed former textile mill to see a year of David Hawkney in Normandy, which takes you four seasons to a fridge longer than the inspired Bayeux tapestry. This artwork has never been shown before in the UK. If you have time on your hands later, Salts Mill has an eclectic selection of stores, including stores that sell early musical instruments: ideal for just working hours.
A new, larger museum for older children and adults opened in March in East London. There is a permanent exhibition on gynecological anatomy, a temporary period exhibition, as well as a community gallery, event program and cafe.
8
Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Six years later, reopened after a m 68m renovation, the collection contains 9,000 items acquired by shipping magnet William Burrell, including armor, paintings, Chinese porcelain and Roman and Egyptian antiques. Highlights of the world’s largest private collection include Maiping vases of the Ming Dynasty, as well as paintings of Manet, Cजेzanne and Degas.
Built on the site of a mining complex, Heartlands combines social history with adventure sports – as well as a caf राखिएको housed in a Grade II-listed former carpenter’s shed. It occupies 19 acres of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and has many exhibits celebrating the region’s mining heritage, giving a sense of what it was like to fall into a ditch. There are also landscape botanical gardens, adventure playgrounds and arts and crafts studios.
10
Formby Beach, Mercyside
See past umbrellas and lollipops, and go for a walk along Formby Beach, home to some of Europe’s best mobile sand dunes; You can also see some red squirrels in the National Trust-maintained woodland in Formby, along with 15 species of orchids.
11
National Wool Museum, Carmarthenshire
Wool was once a big business in the Taffy Valley, West Wales, and these restored mill buildings near Newcastle Emlin tell the story. Learn about the journey from wool to fabric on the A Woolly Tail Trail, see performances on historic looms, then use your hands on carding, spinning and sewing.
12
Coed y Brenin Forest Park, Near Dolgellau
It can be hard for kids to pop their hiking shoes and go to the mountains. One answer is to make it a huge outdoor game to hide and seek using geocaching. This park in the heart of Snowdonia has hidden caches, or treasures, with two trails that you can find using maps and Global Positioning System-enabled devices (if your phone isn’t working, hire a Visitors. Center). Roundabouts run along forest roads and cross unused gold mines, moving Helen Roman roads, and medieval iron works. For more adventure there are mountain bike trails; For a more relaxing tour, visit the play area and cafe.
13
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Kids love to run around the museum’s giant hamster wheels to generate energy, take selfies with Dolly the sheep, and say hello to Lifesize T Rex (a skeleton cast found in Montana in 1988). They can run a Formula One simulator and even drop a hot-air balloon.
14
Morecambe Bay, Lancashire
There is a definite buzz around Morecambe, hoping the ground for the Eden Project North will be cleared soon. The northern siblings of the Cornish site will focus on the marine environment and will be built on huge, transparent domes in Promenade. Before the crowds descend, why not go to the beach resort and stroll down the prom, stop to play on the Tupeni slot machine and some sticky pink candy flush before taking a family snap next to the statue of Eric Morecambe. Beach and dinner cake at the glamorous Art Deco Midland Hotel.
Become an Art Detective at the Out of Crate Exhibition, where the public can look behind the scenes at Manchester’s publicly owned sculpture collection. About 60 are on display; Previously kept in storage, they have only been unboxed and left for public inspection, without any information about their historical significance.
16
Donkey sanctuary, Devon
Since its humble origins as a philanthropist in 1969, the donkey sanctuary has grown to be an international animal welfare advocate and now has approximately 200 donkeys along the walkway, educational area, play area and cafe on its site on the Jurassic coast near Sidmouth. Admission is free but tickets must be booked.
17
Promenade Garden, St. Anne, Lancashire
If the Irish Sea looks a bit chilly, three- to 12-year-olds love to soak in this colorful splash park. There are spray loops (which wet you from all angles), bucket drops (which slowly fill up and soak you when you least expect it) and seats for spectators (which, hopefully, will stay dry). Admission is free but booking is required.
18
Great Eastern Pingo Trail, Norfolk
A fascinating eight-mile trek through the water and woodland landscapes created during the last ice age. Pingo ponds were created when the ground water froze and slowly pushed the earth up. As the area warmed and the ice melted, the ground collapsed, leaving small circular craters, many of which were filled with water.
19
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
Transferred from the Nevada Desert to a park outside a magnificent house in England, Radical Horizons: Chatsworth’s Art of Burning Man will present 12 key pieces that showcase the festival’s creative spirit, with teams of volunteers assembling to build in the desert. New artworks. Three statues will be made in Parkland throughout the year with the help of tourists and the local community.
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, October 1
20
South Marine Park, South Shields
This seaside park includes a small steam train, pedal on the boat lake and two soft play areas. It also has an unusual inhabitant: Herma Merma Dragora, an idol that is part dragon, part human, part fish, part horse. It was created by sculptor Richard Broderick with the help of local school children and forms part of a trail presenting 10 works reflecting the area’s heritage and landscape. Friends from North and South Marine Parks run regular events, many are at Victorian bandstands, and there is free live music from local bands on Saturdays.