IT is boom time for tourism at home as families put off overseas adventuring for holidays in the UK.
Amid continuing concerns over Covid testing and travel restrictions, there have been reports of inflated prices and a shortage of affordable breaks.
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But if you haven’t booked yet, don’t panic. There are plenty of school holiday offers out there for stays at parks, campsites, hotels and on cruise ships.
Trisha Harbord brings you a great selection of late deals and fun days out.
ACTION STATIONS
KIDS got lots of energy to burn? Take them on holiday with activities galore from dawn until dusk.
PGL is offering 20 per cent off if you book by Thursday for a day trip or break lasting up to seven nights at any of its seven centres around the country. There is a huge choice of supervised sports, from abseiling and archery to canoeing and climbing.
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Two nights for two adults and two children, including accommodation and food, at Caythorpe Court, Lincs, costs from £604 until August 28. See pgl.co.uk/families and use the code TWENTY to get the saving.
Kids will be worn out after a day at one of English Heritage’s summer events.
They can learn Viking battle skills and Roman marching moves at jousting events and knights’ tournaments held at stately homes, castles, palaces and abbeys, including Dover Castle in Kent and Bolsover Castle, Derbys.
For dates and prices, head to english-heritage.org.uk.
MAGIC CRUISE
YOU’VE still a chance to board one of the cruise ships sailing around the UK.
Fabulous restaurants, bars, shows, pools and kids’ clubs are among facilities keeping families entertained.
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Disney Magic is a highlight, with Mickey and Co leading the fun. Two nights’ full-board in a deluxe ocean-view stateroom, based on two adults and two children (3-12) sharing, from Southampton on August 16, costs from £382pp. Phone bookings only – call 0800 16 90 742.
Southampton departures also include P&O Iona’s seven-night maiden voyage to Scotland on August 7. Full-board in a balcony cabin sleeping two adults and two children costs from £1,199 per person.
Or three nights’ full-board on Britannia on August 5, cruising past Dorset and Cornwall, is from £299pp. See pocruises.com.
Cruise.co.uk is offering seven nights’ all-inclusive on Celebrity Silhouette, on August 28, calling at Liverpool and Belfast, from £3,885 for two adults and two children.
PITCHING IN
HAVE a budget break under canvas at campsites around the country.
At high-wire adventure park Via Ferrata Cornwall, you can pitch a tent for two adults and two children from £24 a night. Your dog is welcome and barbies and camp fires are allowed.
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The 60-acre site between Helston and Falmouth has a climbing and high-ropes course around a disused quarry, as well as ziplines, watersports and archery. Activities are from £10. See viaferratacornwall.co.uk.
Embers Camping has shops, modern facilities and a fire basket on every pitch.
There are seven sites including in the South Downs and New Forest – and you can currently get 20 per cent off two-night midweek stays. Prices for a family of four start from £96 on selected dates this summer. See emberscamping.co.uk.
Pitchup.com has availability too, offering an extra 30,000 pitches this summer after adding new sites. Pitch from £30pn.
CAPITAL STAYS
NOT all city breaks cost a fortune. Z Hotels, which runs 14 properties around the country, has family rooms from under £100 and you can tuck into breakfast for just a fiver.
A room at Z Holborn in central London costs from £95 and Z City, near St Paul’s Cathedral, from £100. See thezhotels.com.
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Do something different in the capital, such as taking the first regular steam service from Victoria Station in more than 50 years.
The Royal Windsor Express departs for Windsor twice every Tuesday with return tickets from £39 for adults and £25 for children. More details at royalwindsorsteamexpress.co.uk.
Or sail the river with a “hop on, hop off” rover ticket with Thames Clippers, above. It costs £36.70 for two adults and up to three children.
Its Uber Boat stops at 23 piers, including Waterloo for the London Eye or Sea Life aquarium and North Greenwich for the O2’s trampoline park. See thamesclippers.com.
DINO DELIGHT
TAKE the kids on a day trip to the Isle of Wight for free – and enjoy fantastic dinosaur experiences on this island famed for its prehistoric beasts.
Under-fives never pay to travel on Wightlink ferries, but during the school holidays, every adult buying a return ticket from £14.40 gets free tickets for up to two children aged five to 15. See wightlink.co.uk.
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See life-size models and more than 1,000 fossils at Britain’s first dinosaur museum, Dinosaur Isle. Family tickets cost £17.50. See dinosaurisle.com.
You can also play 18 holes of golf on a prehistoric journey surrounded by massive beasts, fiery volcanoes and tumbling waterfalls at nearby Dino Islands. Adults £7, kids £5.50. See sandhamgardens.com.
Brave visitors to Blackgang Chine theme park can enter the new Restricted Area 5, with moving dinosaurs, above, including an Argentinosaurus – bigger than a double-decker bus.
Tickets £20, under-fours free. See blackgangchine.com.
LAKE BREAK
HAVE the best of both worlds – city attractions and chilling out in a countryside lodge.
Landal Woodland Lakes with wooden lodges scattered around a beautiful fishing lake, is just an hour from historical York.
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City favourites include the Jorvik Viking Centre, where you meet “residents” from 1,000 years ago, the superb National Railway Museum, the Castle Museum with its interactive galleries, and York Minster, one of the world’s most beautiful gothic cathedrals. See visityork.org.
The lodges are between the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
Ride the steam heritage railway from nearby Pickering to the seaside town of Whitby, travelling through 24 miles of stunning scenery.
Landal, which has nine UK resorts, is offering three nights’ self-catering in a two-bedroom lodge for four people at Woodland Lakes, over every weekend until August 23, from £799. See landal.co.uk.
BEACH BARGAINS
SEASIDE bookings are soaring but there’s still availability at holiday parks.
Great Yarmouth in Norfolk has 15 miles of sandy beaches and attractions including a new 164ft big wheel pleasure beach and the Hippodrome Circus summer spectacular. For details, head to great-yarmouth.co.uk.
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Haven Seashore offers four nights’ self-catering in a two-bedroom caravan for four people starting on August 23 from £975. See haven.com.
Or enjoy four nights at Richardson’s Holiday Park at nearby Hemsby Beach. Visit the new mega-maze at Hirsty’s family fun park or rare animals at Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens.
Three nights’ self-catering in a two-bedroom chalet for a family of four, from July 30, costs from £559. See richardsonsholidayparks.co.uk.
Sun Haven Holiday Park at Mawgan Porth, near Newquay in Cornwall, is offering a week in a three-bedroom caravan, sleeping six, from August 28, from £1,281. See lovatparks.com.
X FACTOR FUN
BUTLIN’S is making up for the nation’s recent lack of live entertainment in a big way.
Holiday headliners include X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent stars such as Fleur East, Max & Harvey, Twist & Pulse and Ben Haenow.
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EastEnder Shane Richie and dance troupe Diversity will also appear on selected dates in Bognor Regis, Skegness and Minehead.
Youngsters can watch Peppa Pig and Thomas & Friends shows, while fans of PJ Masks can practise their superhero moves during an action-packed adventure.
The resorts have splash pools, fairgrounds, a circus, sports, rest-aurants and bars too, with breaks lasting three, four and seven nights. Three nights’ self-catering in a two-bedroom Silver Room, sleeping four, at Skegness from August 13 – including a Shane Richie show – costs from £510.
Daily dining packages start from £20.75 per adult and £10.50 per child. See butlins.com.
ABBEY DAYS
GO on fun days out in Cheshire while enjoying a cottage break at luxurious Combermere Abbey.
The 12th Century estate on the border with Shropshire has cottages in the grounds and is perfect for walking, biking, fishing or wild swimming in the lake.
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It is just 20 minutes away from the new Bewilderwood tree adventure, based on Tom Blofeld’s books, with zip wires, mazes, slides and wonky wooden play structures. Tickets are from £12.50. See cheshire.bewilderwood.co.uk.
Less than an hour away is Chester Zoo, which has 20,000 animals and 128 acres of superb gardens. Entry for a family of four is from £95. See chesterzoo.org.
The Combermere Abbey cottages sleep up to ten. You can take your dog and every pet gets a special welcome pack. Three nights staying in a cottage for four, arriving on July 31, costs from £540. See combermereabbey.co.uk.
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