Enjoying the Half Term Break
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Planning is the key to happy half-term holidays for parents and children alike. With pupils barely back to school after their summer holidays the half-term break looms during mid to late October.
As parents know, the summer holidays are fairly easy to handle as invariably two weeks can be accounted for in a family holiday away in the European sunspots such as Spain, Portugal Cyprus and Greece or to Turkey and Florida. Even when back home the weather is kind enough generally for kids to get out and about.
There are no such guarantees for half term when late October can mean rain, sleet and chilly winds with frustrated and bored kids stuck indoors.
For those who can be separated from their games consoles or unglued from their bedroom PCs that is no problem but for the more-active children frustration at bad weather can cause sparks to fly.
This is where some planning can pay dividends and keep everyone happy by finding some UK-based entertainment – and there is an awful lot to choose within half a day’s drive of most people.
A search of the internet and local leisure guides will reveal thousands of options for making half-term holidays not only fun but also interesting, active and – dare we say it – educational?
Things to Do this Half Term
Day trip to the Seaside
Seaside resorts – the coast of the British mainland is littered with resorts large and small with high enjoyment factors for the modern child. These are the places with promenades lined with games arcades, fast-food restaurants and fun parks with rides for all ages. Southend-on-Sea in Essex has all of this but probably the best known resort for this type of day out is Blackpool where highlights are the Tower, a Golden Mile of amusement centres and the Pleasure Beach with 40 acres of thrill rides, shows and excitement. Other popular resorts with plenty for kids to do include:
East coast – Scarborough, Skegness, Bridlington, Clacton and Great Yarmouth
South Coast – Hastings Brighton and Bournemouth.
Wales – Llandudno, Barry Island and Rhyl.
A day with the wildlife
Going back to nature is not every child or family’s idea of a good day out. But most kids can be persuaded out on their mountain bikes to test the terrain. Either biking or hiking, a day out in Britain – October weather permitting – can reveal a great deal of what the countryside has to offer. Wildlife can be spotted in the New Forest of Hampshire; on the wild moors of Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall; the Pennine Hills of northern England; the mountainous Highlands of Scotland; or the north Norfolk coast. Seabird colonies can be found at Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire; Minsmere in Suffolk; and the Farne Islands of Northumberland. Otters in Suffolk; deer and wild ponies; and seals in Norfolk and Teesside are just part of the country’s rich outdoor tapestry. Exotic animals are also a big draw and there is probably a zoo or safari park nearby for everyone in the country. The most popular zoos include London, Chester, Bristol and Chessington while one of the world’s most-famous safari parks for wildlife on the hoof is at Longleat in Wiltshire.
A day in the past
History – Britain is packed with it in the form of ancient structures – ships, country houses and castles. London’s Tower needs no introduction while on the south coast maritime history lies in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard or the Mary Rose. Prehistory’s mysteries remain unsolved at Stonehenge and the Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire. Throughout the whole of the UK there are literally thousands of historic options. Some are ruined castles such as Corfe in Dorset or Hadleigh in Essex but there are many intact castles and country houses that can be visited for an entrance fee such as Windsor and Arundel. Scotland is also a land with castles almost at every turn. History comes in many forms and there are museums around the country to celebrate every era and subject. Railways are remembered at Bressingham in Norfolk, the East Anglian Rail Museum in Wakes Colne, Essex and the giant National Museum at York.
Adrenalin days
Adventure playgrounds are proving a popular new innovation to keep children amused and there are more being developed. Rope bridges, assault courses, chutes and aerial walkways can be found all over the country. They include the expanding Go Ape Centres of which there is one in Sherwood Forest and Cumbria; Bowood House in Wiltshire; the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, London; and Harewood House near Leeds. The spectacular thrill rides children have experienced on holiday in Florida are rarely matched here but we have a few such as Blackpool’s Pepsi Max Big One and Thorpe Park’s new Stealth, with its 0-128 kmph thrust in 2.3 seconds.
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