School’s out for summer!
This is great news for the kids, but for parents and grandparents, finding ways to keep children entertained for six weeks can prove problematic.
If you’re among those frantically trying to maintain some semblance of sanity while also plotting how to keep the kids entertained throughout, keep reading for a few fun family-friendly days out in the UK.
First, a note on affordability help from the government.
Entertain them for less thanks to the government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme
From now until 1 September 2026, the government is slashing VAT on a wide range of family activities.
To help families through the ongoing cost of living crisis and support businesses that depend on summer custom, these cuts to VAT will enable you to save on:
- Restaurant meals
- Theatre and cinema tickets
- Soft play and adventure centres
- Admission to theme parks, museums, zoos, and wildlife parks
Plus, children aged between 5 and 15 will also be able to travel free on local bus services in England throughout August.
Big family days out
With popular theme parks benefiting from the summer VAT savings, here are a few suggestions for big-ticket days out for the whole family.
Alton Towers
It’s a relatively scenic one-hour drive from the local area to the massive car park at Alton Towers.
Depending on your budget, you may wish to stay a while and make a booking at the hotel, or alternative accommodation listed on the site. A quick search for a family of four for a midweek two-night stay costs between £393 (for a Stargazing Pod on the resort) and £643 (staying in the Alton Towers Hotel).
With thrills and spills for all ages, plan the optimum route to make sure you pack in every ride and attraction.
Top tip: For the best price, buy tickets online before you visit. Plus, right now, tickets also grant you free entry to several different venues or a return visit to Alton Towers.
Legoland
It may be a longer drive, but Legoland Windsor Resort is equally fabulous for a memorable day out.
The park boasts more than 50 rides and loads of different shows and attractions.
One of our favourite things is the Ferrari Build and Race experience! With three interactive zones, you get the chance to create your own Ferrari race car and then fine-tune it as you give it a test drive around the three different tracks.
Meanwhile, younger drivers can enjoy a DUPLO® zone, where they can design their own Ferrari using bigger bricks.
Top tip: As with Alton Towers, buying tickets in advance will save you £££. Plus, pack reusable bottles in your knapsack and save on drinks by filling up at the numerous drink stations located throughout the Resort.
Peppa Pig World
For those of you with younger grandchildren, you can’t go wrong with a visit to meet Peppa Pig and her friends at Peppa Pig World, on the edge of the New Forest National Park in Hampshire.
And it’s not only for the littlies – for adults and older siblings there are stacks of family rides, like the Lost Kingdom, Tornado Springs, and bigger adventures still with Valgard: Realm of the Vikings.
Meanwhile, the rides designed for young adventurers are delightful. For example:
- Peppa’s Big Balloon Ride
- Grandpa Pig’s Little Train
- Grandpa Pig’s Boat Trip
- The Queen’s Flying Coach Ride
Top tip: If you’re staying in the area, Peppa Pig World offers official short breaks which grant you a free day in the park, plus free parking.
Go wild on safari
Summer holidays are all about enjoying the great outdoors, so pry their screens from their hands and take them on a wild adventure.
Knowsley Safari Park
Within easy driving distance, Knowsley offers loads of hands-on experiences for children and adults alike.
Get up close and personal with your favourite animals, brave the longest Safari Drive in the UK, and hope the cheeky baboons don’t make a plaything of your car!
Top tip: If your family can’t get enough of Knowsley Safari Park, visit time and time again with a Great British Summer Savings Pass, and enjoy unlimited visits from now until the end of August.
Knepp
A safari with the emphasis on wild, Knepp is a 3,500-acre rewilding project in Sussex.
After taking over the farm from his grandparents in 1983, Charlie Burrell struggled to make a profit from the working farm, which is now perhaps among the largest rewilding projects in the UK. To clear the estate’s “mountainous” debts, he sold the dairy herds and farm machinery, and put the arable out to contract.
Never looking back, he has spent the following years building an incredible business, with flourishing landscapes and thriving natural wildlife.
There’s far more to the story than we can share here, so visit the Knepp website to learn more.
Knepp safaris are suitable for children over the age of 12. In the summer months, expect to spot beetles, reptiles, a huge variety of birds, bats, moths, butterflies, and large numbers of other pollinating insects.
For younger children, there’s loads going on to rewild them and show them what nature’s truly about. Stand by and delight in their sense of wonder.
Top tip: Extend your trip over several days with glamping, camping, and treehouses. And if you love a barbecue, plan your visit for a Friday and stay for the popular Friday Night BBQs where you can enjoy live music as you dine on seasonal food cooked over charcoal, as the sun sinks below the horizon.
Fun with an educational twist
Just because it’s the holidays, doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. Here are a couple of suggestions for indoor ventures to inspire and delight.
The Storybarn
The Storybarn is a magical family space just waiting to be discovered.
In the heart of Calderstones Park, there are events every week, and during the summer months, there’s a Holiday Club for children aged between 5 and 10. It’s popular so you’ll need to book ahead, but it could be just the thing for book-loving adventurers.
Past activities have included:
- Knitting workshops inspired by the book Extra Yarn by John Klassen
- A gardening workshop inspired by the picture book The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham
- Creating and decorating our own robot characters after reading No-Bot, the Robot with No Bottom by Sue Hendra.
Top tip: Don’t forget to pause for an ice cream, because right next door is the Ice Cream Parlour, serving real-dairy Cheshire Farm Ice Cream.🍦
Science and Industry Museum
Open from 10 am until 5 pm every day, admission to the museum is free, and there’s something to captivate the whole family all summer long.
This summer, transport yourself out of this world and discover surprising space science, hands-on challenges, and rocket loads of family fun, with the museum’s blockbuster space exhibition: Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos.
Top tip: Go all in on Wednesday 12 August when there’ll be a special programme of events to celebrate the solar eclipse.
Wishing you a sunny, fun-filled holiday
Whatever you get up to during the summer, we’d love to hear your recommendations for a great family outing.
Email contactme@kbafinancial.com or call us on 0161 260 2002 – we’ll keep a log of your suggestions and turn them into a future article.