Love nostalgia as much as you love trains? Try the Severn Valley Railway and disappear in a cloud of steam into another age. Stay back in time in the Drakelow Tunnels and the George Marshall Medical Museum, to find out what 19th-century surgery looked like. Clue: you don’t want to know.
Find your favourite flavour of ice cream, and some you won’t believe, at Churchfield’s Farmhouse. Swim al-fresco at Droitwich Lido. Discover the country’s only 36-degree ocean tunnel at National Sea Life Birmingham. And check out the current family events at Malvern’s Three Counties Showground.
Scale the walls at Redpoint Climbing Centre. Set a lap record at JDR Karting. Bowl ‘em over at Tenpin Worcester and enjoy truly crazy golf at Mr Mulligan’s. Go Ape at Mallard’s Pike. And head to the Cotswold Water Park to have a go at golf, shooting, archery and watersports, or just lolling around on the beach.
Find elephants, lions, tigers and penguins at the West Midlands Safari Park and then ride the rollercoasters and dodgems. Go tamer at Little Owl Farm Park, petting goats and meeting meerkats. Say hi to pigs, sheep and horses at the Cotswold Farm Park, then let off steam on the bouncy pillows, aerial play and quarry play.
No need to leave the grounds to enjoy country pursuits such as clay-pigeon shooting and fishing in the lakes. Quad-biking and pampering can also be arranged. And if you’ve worked up an appetite, call up our pro chefs from A to Zest and pick from menus that include Classic Herefordshire, Modern Classics and Classic Continental.
Explore the River Wye with Hereford Canoe Hire, and don’t forget to pack a picnic. Head to Kingfisher Lake to fly-fish for trout. Test your balance on stand-up paddleboards with Avon River Activities. Walk the Teme Valley or North Hill. Or explore the hills or quiet lanes on two wheels with Phil Prothero Cycles.
Choose from a bunch of madcap themes at Top Escape Rooms. Take in far-reaching views of the Shropshire Hills at Herefordshire Golf Club. Ride through peaceful farmland and woodlands with Tipton Hall Riding School. Or book a massage, pedicure or manicure at Malvern Spa, Elan Spa or Tewkesbury Park Hotel.
Grab a dose of culture at Malvern Theatre. Discover a whole lot of history at Gloucester Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey and Hanbury Hall. Pop south to wend your way around the rolling hills, tea rooms, galleries and antique shops of The Cotswolds. And finish up your day with a Frizzle in the tap room at The Hop Shed Brewery.
