When George Gershwin wrote the lyrics “summertime and the living is easy” he probably wasn’t thinking of the average British school child, now facing the luxuriant prospect of six long and languorous weeks of maths-free, fun-packed freedom. One thing, however, is sure. He definitely wasn’t channelling the life experience of the average British parent, gearing up to keep those children entertained all day, every day, on a dwindling budget.
For adults, in fact, there are certain parallels between the school summer holidays and childbirth. In both cases, you are prone to forget what it was like last time, and so approach the event with enthusiasm and the most wholesome of intentions. There will be lots of organic snacks. No screaming at all. Maybe even some mindfulness. By the halfway point, however, you should not feel alone if at least one of you has strayed into slightly shouty territory, and is now necking sugary processed drinks (if not something stronger) while wishing that someone else would take over, just for a little bit.
According to research conducted by a life insurance broker called (ironically) Reassured, parents spend an extra £1,000 a week during the summer holidays. Little wonder, then, that our wallets, inspiration and energy reserves soon hollow out. So maybe we are going about it wrong. Perhaps the secret to a great summer break is not to plan big bonanzas at theme parks, theatres or festivals.
Perhaps, the key is to pepper the days with affordable, low-key micro-treats. Some can happen on your doorstep, others a little further afield. Some might be wholesome, others luxuriously sugar-laden. The odd one adrenaline-fuelled, the next gentle. They needn’t cost a fortune. In fact, some of the best shows are laid on by nature, entirely for free. As Gershwin rightly noted: “Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.” So hush, don’t cry. Follow our guide to a summer of small adventures.
1. Take to the trees
One for the junior adrenaline junkies... Go Ape! has 37 sites across the UK, stretching from the Scottish Highlands to bustling London. At each, you can harness up, clip on, and ascend to the treetops to walk on high wires, bounce on nets 30ft above the forest floor, and launch off platforms. There are courses to suit everyone from the smallest daredevils (ages 4-8) to the tallest (10 and over). No remedy is available, however, for cowardly parents.
Find your nearest site at Go Ape.
2. Conquer a castle
English Heritage cares for 66 castles across the country, plus 27 further forts and defences. This holiday period, a Summer Explorer Quest is taking place at more than 20 of the charity’s sites. Join Noble the dog on his quest to find his missing shadow, before it disappears forever. Explore the grounds for hidden clues, and complete puzzles in a quest booklet. It’s the best kind of shaggy dog story.
Find out more at English Heritage.
3. Gaze at the stars
First you need a cloudless night, with as little light pollution as possible. Then there are two ways of going about things. Either you take it seriously, identifying constellations, locating the North Star, and so forth. Or, you use it as an opportunity to lie on your backs with hot chocolate and marshmallows and make up stories. Both are excellent ideas.
Download the SkyView app and read our guide on Where to find Britain’s darkest skies for Britain’s best stargazing locations.
4. Make a grass whistle
You’ve heard of brass bands, but what about grass ones? On a lawn, field or bank, scout about for the widest blade you can find. Secure it between your two thumbs, press together, then raise them to your mouth and blow into the little gap that remains between the two. Adjust fractionally till you produce a haunting screech. Then continue till you have worn through the nerves of all adults in your company.
Find more tips for your outdoor orchestra.
5. Play Poohsticks
Poohsticks was born, of course, in East Sussex’s Ashdown Forest but can be played on any bridge over a river or stream. Each player must choose a twig or stick that looks, to them, like a particularly speedy swimmer. On the count of three, all then drop their choice into the water before racing to the other side of the bridge to see which emerges first. Fastest stick is the winner (ideally of a pot of honey).
See Visit England’s pick of the best Poohsticks bridges.
6. Smell the roses
The Royal Horticultural Society’s five showpiece gardens are dotted across England, from RHS Rosemoor in North Devon to RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate.
For this year’s summer holidays, the UK’s leading gardening charity has collaborated with the nation’s best animation studio – Aardman – to create The Great Garden Adventure. Help Shaun the Sheep learn how to grow the best fruit and veg on the farm. Activities include Hay-bale Mazes, “O’Lamb’pics” games and clay station drop-in sessions.
Find out more on the RHS website.
7. Go down to the woods
The Woodland Trust cares for more than 1,000 woods, all fascinating (and free) places to burn off energy, out of the glare of the sun. The Trust is keen to get young people involved in the protection and restoration of the country’s ancient woodlands, so its sites are especially welcoming for families.
This summer, many visitor centres will be hives of holiday activities. Some have permanent attractions like sculpture trails (such as Heartwood Forest and Hainault Forest) or First World War memorials (like Langley Vale Wood). All are home to a host of creatures, which children can identify using the Trusts’ brilliant swatch books.
Find your nearest wood at Woodland Trust.
8. Spot a swallow
The summer holidays are a perfect time to see swallows, explains Martin Fowlie from the RSPB: “These long-distance migrants spend winter in southern Africa and begin to arrive here during March, with some staying into October.”
Though numbers have been declining since 2010, you can find them right across the UK, if you know what you’re looking for. “Swallows can be spotted flying low over the ground or rivers and lakes catching the insects that ensure the next generation are well fed,” says Fowlie. “With a long, forked tail, red throat and white belly, their twittering call is the sound of summer.”
Share your sightings at RSPB.
9. Build a bug hotel
“We love bug hotels!” says Autumn Barlow of The Wildlife Trusts, who recommends them not only as a fun summer activity but as a way of encouraging kids to think about the wildlife in their garden. “You can start very simply, with a pile of logs and sticks tucked away in a corner, and you’ll soon find it filled with beetles, spiders, and ladybirds,” she says. “But if you can vary the nooks and crannies, adding some hollow canes and crumpled leaves, you could even tempt solitary bees, lacewings and earwigs too.”
Find out more about building a bug hotel.
10. Spend the day at an old-fashioned seaside town
According to the Office for National Statistics, England alone has 99 seaside towns (the perfect number, given their association with ice cream). Britain, meanwhile, has 50 piers. Head to any one of them to find a fantastic, nostalgic day out. Don’t forget coins for the arcades.
11. Marvel at a wildflower meadow
Summer is showtime for the UK’s wildflower meadows, when they put on psychedelic displays of yellow buttercups and vetchling, or dazzling white oxeye daisies. As the Wildlife Trusts point out, hay meadows are best in June and July before they are cut, and when they are also abuzz with bumblebees and butterflies. If you can’t find one, they have an excellent guide to making your own one in the backyard.
Locate your nearest wildflower meadow at Wildlife Trusts.
12. Press the flowers you find
With herbarium sheets dating all the way back to the late 1600s in its collection, the Natural History Museum is something of an expert in flower pressing. Here’s the technique they recommend:
- Pick your flower from somewhere you have permission to forage
- Lay newspaper between two pages of a book, place your flower flat inside, then close the book and place heavy books on top to weight it down
- Keep this tower somewhere warm and dry, where you can check on it daily
- When you find your flowers have dried, remove them carefully
Find more flower pressing practices.
13. Construct a den
A man’s house may be his castle, but over the course of a summer a child’s den can be a fort, a palace, a burrow, a hide and countless other possibilities. First, head into your local woodland. You are looking for a tree with the perfect, horizontal branch protruding. Not too high, not too low, and thick enough to bear some weight without damage. Then, set about collecting sturdy sticks, long enough that one end can sit on the ground, the other propped against that branch. Collect enough, and you will have created the perfect tipi-shaped den.
Read more den-building tips.
14. Fill a bucket with crabs
To net or not to net, that is the question that divides serious crabbers. Those who think them unsporting drop a weighted line (baited with streaky bacon) from a quay, and wait till they feel a tug. The crab is then hauled slowly in and placed gently into a bucket (pre-filled with sea-water). Others argue that nets are gentler but, either way, three rules apply: watch out for pincers; make sure your crabs are only out of the water for a few seconds; and release them, carefully, back into the water at the end.
The Camping and Caravanning Club has a guide to the best locations for crabbing in Britain.
15. Explore a rock pool
As Sebastian the crab sang: “Under the sea! Darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter, take it from me.” Rock pooling down at the beach is a great way to get close to some of his friends, like brown shrimp, barnacles and mermaids (alright, mermaid’s purses). Just approach quietly and try to avoid casting a shadow over the pool (or else its residents might take fright and hide). Look under stones, lower a bucket in and pull it out to examine the contents. Study and record your finds. Then put them gently back.
See The Telegraph’s guide to rock pooling
16. Pick blackberries
August marks the start of the blackberry season. So find a hedgerow and fill a bucket. Wear long sleeves and trousers to avoid scratches. Look high and low for firm, plump fruit. Try to leave some blackberries for the next picker, and some in your bucket too (though it is tempting to eat them all on site, it is a good idea to wash them first). You can freeze any you do not eat for pudding that evening, or...
See the National Trust’s blackberry-picking tips.
17. Get on track
National Rail’s Days Out Guide offers dramatically discounted entry to over 350 activities and attractions across Britain when you travel by train. New this summer, for instance, are cut-price tickets to the Crystal Palace FC stadium tour and Open Bus Tours of London.
18. Flog your old toys at a car-boot sale
Declutter, earn some pocket money and try your hand at bartering. There is no better (or, arguably, more British) summer holiday activity than taking part in a car-boot sale. Get the kids to pick out their outgrown toys, books and clothes. Price them up, pack them in the boot and head off (painfully early on a Sunday morning) to a nearby field. Unpack the lot onto a trestle table or blanket and then watch the cash (or, at least, the coins) roll in.
Locate your nearest car-boot sale at findcarboot.co.uk.
19. When life gives you lemons…
The original “first job”, a lemonade stall is a summer holiday rite of passage for kids across the world. First, you have to make your lemonade (lemons, water, sugar). Gather paper cups, make a sign advertising your wares and their price, and then set up in a front garden, to rob (sorry, rehydrate) unsuspecting passers-by. Ideally, the money should go to charity. Sorry kids...
See The Telegraph’s best lemonade recipes.
20. Learn to skim a stone
Skimming a stone is a skill that never ages. Learn it at six, and you will still be impressing friends at 60. Here’s how, according to stone-skimming expert and Isle of Wight ranger with the National Trust, Ian Ridett:
21. Fly a kite (up to the highest height)
In the words of Mary Poppins (the queen of wholesome, holiday entertainment): “Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring!” To do so successfully, you will need a steady wind, a clear open space (like a park or beach) and, of course, a kite. With your back to the wind, hold your kite by the bridle point and let the line out a little. Let your kite lift in the wind, then pull on the line till it soars high.
The American Kitefliers Association has more tips.
22. Eat a picnic
Sometimes, the sun starts shining and you simply have to drop everything, pack a picnic, and head out to your nearest patch of green. It might be a balcony, a garden, a city park or a rural field. Either way, the recipe for happiness is simple. All you need is a blanket, some snacks, and a lazy afternoon.
See The Telegraph’s best picnic recipes and picnic locations.
23. Try brass or bark rubbing
Churches are protective of their original brass plates as repeated rubbings can damage them. Some, however, now have replicas for the purpose and either hold special events or have the materials handy for curious children. Just ask. All you need for an amateurish attempt is some white paper and crayons with the labels removed, so that you can hold the paper to the brass and roll the crayon up and down it to reveal the picture or pattern beneath.
Can’t find a suitable church? Bark rubbings are brilliant fun too. Hold the materials against the trunk of a tree to reveal its unique pattern.
See more bark-rubbing ideas.
24. Unearth a fossil
Mary Anning was only 12 when, in 1811, she discovered and uncovered a 5.2-metre-long skeleton of an Ichthyosaurus in Lyme Regis. Imagine going back to school in September with a story like that. All you need is a notebook, pencil and perhaps a camera to document your discovery. Then scour your nearest coastline.
See The Telegraph’s guide to Britain’s best fossil-hunting locations.
25. Climb a hill
Great for getting the heart pounding, the legs moving and – once you get to the top and take in the sweeping views – the imagination soaring. There might be some groaning at the start, and some squabbling halfway up, but it will be absolutely worth it in the end. Just remember snacks and water.
See The Telegraph’s pick of Britain’s most invigorating hill walks.
26. Then roll down it
Okay, maybe not if you’ve just scaled Ben Nevis. But if your walk was more molehill than mountain, and the descent is smooth and soft, you will never regret rolling down it. Do a recce for nettles, rocks and dog poo. Then pin your arms to your sides for speed and propel yourself down. Grown-ups too. Extra points for keeping your eyes open all the way.
The National Trust has more hill-rolling tips.
27. Spend the night under canvas
The Camping and Caravanning Club lists over 2,500 campsites, ranging from simple, old-fashioned affairs to pre-erected tipis complete with hair straighteners and phone chargers. Otherwise, simply pop up a tent in your own back garden.
All of the above can be booked via hipcamp.com.
28. Check out the pond life
In the summer, dragonflies and damselflies dance over the surfaces of ponds, while young newts shelter under logs and rocks nearby. Look carefully, and you will spot water-beetles and boatmen too. Take a small net to gently sweep the shallows of its residents, and a tray to fill with pond water, and transfer your finds for gentle examination. Do not forget to return them to their home.
Read more pond-dipping tips.
29. Get green fingered
August 12-18 is National Allotments Week, when sites across the country (of which there were 330,000 at last count) throw open their gates to the public. They make a great day out for green-fingered families.
There are also an estimated 2,300 garden centres in the UK. And – as any frazzled father or mother will know – these are almost as good as a soft-play centre. Buy some seeds, look at the rabbits and coy carp and grab a coffee. It’s a budget form of bliss.
Or else track down your nearest pick-your-own farm and return home with a bumper crop.
Find out more about National Allotments Week at thenas.org.uk or find a PYO farm at Pick your own farms.
30. Visit a city farm
Can’t get out into the countryside? There are more than 50 city farms across the UK where you can see and, yes, smell, rural life without leaving a metropolis. The largest is Woodlands Farm, Greenwich, which spans 89 acres. But even at the smallest you will find chickens, pigs and rare breeds of sheep. In the summer holidays, many run special activities for kids.
See The Telegraph’s pick of the best city farms.
31. Read a map
The summer holidays are all about stealth learning – that’s teaching your children without them realising it. Map reading is great for developing spatial awareness, maths and more. Draw a map of the garden, and ask small children to navigate their way to a hidden prize. Let older children follow a map around the neighbourhood (as you follow, at a distance, behind). Or, as Ordnance Survey suggest, harness their love of Minecraft to build a map online. Whatever you do, do not let on that it’s educational.
Ordnance Survey has more map-reading resources for families.
32. Hunt down a hidden treasure
A treasure-hunt for the online era, geocaching involves hunting down “caches”, or waterproof boxes that have been hidden outdoors, their coordinates plotted online to enable others to track them down. There are currently three million waiting to be found across the world, over 300,000 of which are in the UK. All you need is a smartphone, and the Geocaching app. Choose a cache online, and navigate your way to it in real life. Once found, open the box and record your triumph in the logbook it holds.
Download the Geocaching app.
33. Sow a seed
Inspired by your visit to the garden centre or allotment? Plant a seed at home, water it, make sure it gets sunlight, and watch it grow. Sunflowers bloom in August and can reach a height of 2m or more in just three months. So you will really see progress across the length of a summer holiday.
Garden centre chain Dobbies has other summertime activity ideas for young children at dobbies.com/little-seedlings-activities.
34. Put your head in the clouds
The summer holiday lasts at least six weeks, so it’s no spoiler to say that skies won’t always be blue. So teach your kids about the different types of clouds, or simply have some finding animal shapes and other patterns.
The Cloud Appreciation Society has everything you could ever want.
35. Send postcards
In May, a gift shop owner in Bridlington called postcards “a thing of the past”, since he sells just one every couple of months. So let’s bring them back from the brink! Craft a homemade one, or head to your nearest seaside town (see #4). Send it, and spread the joy.
Alternatively, head to Oxfam’s online library of vintage postcards.
36. Watch a play, al-fresco
From Thorington Theatre in Suffolk (cradled by a wartime, woodland bomb crater) to The Minack Theatre in Cornwall (carved out of the cliff-face), via Wales’ Willow Globe (a mini-version of the famous London venue, weaved from living branches) Britain’s outdoor theatres are some of the most atmospheric spots in which to spend a summer evening. Just don’t forget your jumper.
See The Telegraph’s pick of the best outdoor theatres.
37. Or catch an outdoor film
Adventure Cinema is putting on over 300 outdoor shows this summer across England, Scotland and Wales in the grounds of National Trust properties, medieval castles and country estates. Buy your tickets, pack a picnic, a couple of camping chairs and all your blankets, and sing along to The Greatest Showman.
38. Clean up your local beach
During National Marine Week (July 27–August 11), The Wildlife Trusts will be organising sea-themed, family-friendly activities and events across their coastal sites. If your budding marine biologist cannot wait, however, the Marine Conservation Society has a diary of community beach cleans, planned right across Britain. Find an event near you, roll up your sleeves and do your bit for sea life by picking up the plastic that threatens it. It can be fun to keep a tally of the different kinds of rubbish you find (The Marine Society’s Teach on the Beach materials include one you can download).
See mcsuk.org.
39. Or tidy up your town
Nowhere near the coast? You can do your bit for the environment on your doorstep instead by joining a litter-pick. Whether you are joining a group, or setting out on your own, you can log your pick on the Keep Britain Tidy website.
Find out more at keepbritaintidy.org.
40. Inspire the next Mark Cavendish
Pedal-powered adventures are fun, keep you fit, and cost nothing (spare inner tubes notwithstanding). British Cycling is running a Summer of Cycling programme across the nation, including club taster sessions, traffic-free group rides and even entry-level racing. All bikes and abilities are welcome.
Find out what events are happening near you at britishcycling.org.uk/summerofcycling.
41. Start a water fight
The Scouts have invented the ultimate game for mischievous kids: water dodgeball. Two teams must face each other, with water balloons or wet sponges in the middle. Players run to the middle line, pick up a weapon and return to their team’s zone. It can only be thrown from there, with the aim of hitting an opposing team member. If a water balloon hits a player, they’re out. The game ends when one team is entirely without players.
See scouts.org.uk/activities/play-water-dodgeball.
42. Chase butterflies
According to CPRE, The Countryside Charity, July and August are an amazing time to spot and identify butterflies. Head to the woods to see orange and brown Commas or yellow Large Skippers, or stalk your vegetable patch to catch sight of a Large White or two (they have an impressive wingspan of up to 7cm, a black smudge on their forewings and love a nibble on your cabbages). Marble Whites, on the other hand, are particularly drawn to purple flowers.
See cpre.org.uk and the nationaltrust.org.uk for butterfly-spotting tips.
43. Freeze your own ice lollies
Who’s got time to churn ice cream? Lollies are so much easier, more refreshing and – whisper it – you can even make them healthy. Ish. They are the perfect way to use up all those blackberries (see #16).
Read The Telegraph’s guide to making ice lollies.
44. Hold a paper aeroplane race
Another great idea from the Scouts (who know better than anyone how to keep rambunctious rabbles entertained). Get a group to make paper aeroplanes (each to their own design). Then line everyone up and, on three, allow them to hurl their craft as far as they can. Once landed, everyone must run to their landing site, pick up their plane, and throw it again. You’ll soon see which designs are fastest and most effective, and why.
Read more instructions for a paper aeroplane race.
45. Eat out for free
During the summer holidays, a huge number of supermarkets, garden centres, and high-street restaurants run “kids eat free” deals. At others, kids eat for a dramatically reduced rate, such as just £1. Seek one out, dress up, and eat out (without wearing your bank balance out too).
Find restaurants offering deals at moneysavingcentral.co.uk/kids-eat-free.
46. Turn them into jam
Nothing tastes nicer than your own, homemade blackberry jam. Everybody has their own recipe but essentially you will need blackberries, sugar and lemon juice. If time is on your side, coat the blackberries in sugar the night before. Then tip the mixture into a wide-based pan, add lemon juice, and boil till a spoonful wrinkles when dropped onto a chilled saucer. Cool, then ladle into sterilised jars to eat with toast all summer.
See The Telegraph’s best jam recipes.
47. Join the Summer of Play
No-one does summer holiday nostalgia quite like the National Trust and this year its Summer of Play is taking place across 184 sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Expect pop-up sports days, including croquet, cricket, tug of war and egg-and-spoon races, den building and hay-bale mazes, along with performances, storytelling and music-making.
Find out more at nationaltrust.org.uk.
48. Step inside a free museum
Hundreds of museums across the UK have no entry free to view their permanent collections. According to the Museum Association, that includes all national museums, the vast majority of university museums and a large number of local authority museums too. It estimates that 100 million visits will be made to museums this year, so hop on a bus and be counted among them.
49. Channel the Olympic spirit at a junior parkrun
Every Sunday morning, in 441 public parks and open spaces across the UK, free, inclusive exercise programmes for families are being held. Over 643,000 young people are now registered for junior parkrun in the UK, with races taking place on two-kilometre courses. You only have to be four-years-old to join and you do as much or as little of the course as you want, walking, jogging, hopping... Whatever you fancy. What better way to celebrate an Olympic summer?
Find your local junior parkrun at parkrun.org.uk.
50. Mess about on boats
Whether on a local river, a reservoir or a Royal Park, as Ratty said to Mole: “There’s nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.”
Search for your local firm, such as Hobbs of Henley for those near the Thames. The Royal Parks even have pedalos.