Britain's Best 50 Days Out
| Published: 21st July 2007 23:18 |
The best pub gardens, moonlit walks, ice cream, boat rides, festivals, beaches, picnics, cottages in Britain (and a couple in Ireland)
If you're just about to book that last-minute break in the Med, a word of advice. Don't. The best place to be in high summer is right here in Britain. Is that a murmur of dissent we hear at the back? Okay, we'll prove it to you - 50 times over.
Moonlit romance? It's here. Chic rooftop bars? Here. Fantastic beaches? Here. Thrill rides, secret gardens, wildlife-watching, great wine, street theatre, high drama, adventure sports? Flying octopuses, nudity and 600 knights in full charge? Or just a damn fine riverside pub? All here.
The point is, the British Isles are at their best in summer, and it's plain daft to clear off just when the party's in full swing. We've chosen 50 of our summer favourites: we may be wilfully subjective and wildly opinionated, but we reckon they're the best of their kind - and each is another reason why the best holiday in Europe is right on your doorstep.
1 VILLAGE CRICKET Hambledon, Hampshire.
A decent pint and the thwack of farm labourers hitting commuting accountants for six: village cricket is thriving. We all have our own favourites, but for sheer pedigree, it's got to be Hambledon, in Hampshire, where the modern game was born in the 1760s. The original ground at Broadhalfpenny Down is still in use, with local side the Brigands playing on most Sunday afternoons. Afterwards, players and spectators still repair to the original Bat & Ball pub, where many of the rules were formulated. Visit www.broadhalfpennydown.com for directions and fixtures.
2 ANIMAL ENCOUNTER Monkey Forest, Staffordshire.
A wildlife park you can visit without beating your breast about animal welfare. Almost 150 captive-bred Barbary macaque apes have lived semi-wild in a bosky dell at Trentham Gardens, just south of Stoke-on-Trent, since July 2005, and they seem happy enough with the arrangement. They pose for snaps, bungee-jump off branches and shake their rather striking red booties at all-comers. Go soon if you want to see the new babies. £5.50 (under15s £4); 01782 659845, www.monkey-forest.com
3 DEGUSTATION Valley Farm Vineyards, Suffolk.
Janet and Jonathan Craft aren't content with making toothsome Alsace-style wine at their Suffolk vineyard. They want the place to feel like France, too. Valley Farm has a sweeping gravel drive between ranks of vines, a 400-year-old farmhouse with timbers and pantiles, pétanque on the lawn and home-grown dinner on the table. The couple offer vineyard tours and tutored tastings daily. We suggest you stay with them - their Noah's Flood white goes beautifully with Janet's seafood and salads. Open most days, 10am-6pm; doubles £80, B&B; three-course dinner £25pp; 01986 785535, www.valleyfarmvineyards.co.uk
4 BUTTERFLY MEADOW Martin Down, Hampshire.
The Bronze Age bastion of Bokerley Dyke surges along the border between Hampshire and Dorset, a remnant of mighty tribal conflicts. Now it is the sleepiest place imaginable, and a summer stronghold for orchids and butterflies. Park up on the A354, just north of Woodyates, and ramble south across the grassy escarpment. All is aflutter in July, with marbled whites and chalkhill blues among the 36 species. Martin Down national nature reserve; 01980 620485.
5 ROCKPOOLING Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset.
Kimmeridge is made for rockpooling: a rare "double" low tide means you get four hours of uninterrupted scrabbling along the seashore. That's partly why the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve is based here. Its visitor centre is teeming with stuff to do - rockpool aquariums, a subaqua "snorkelling trail" and lots of summer events (ecofriendly crabbing, guided rambles, beginner's snorkel sessions). Open most days until September 30; 01929 481044, www.coastlink.org/kimmeridge
6 WOODIE Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire.
That's woodie as in wooden rollercoaster - agreed by aficionados to be that little bit scarier than anything 21st-century science can devise. Oakwood's Megafobia is the most twisted of them all. Thing is, it rattles. And it looks as if it's been made out of toothpicks. Oh, and this being Wales, there are sheep living under it. Oakwood has an armoury of other thrill rides and plans late-night firework shows throughout August. 10am-5pm daily until September 30; £14.75 (ages 3-9 £13.50); 01834 891376, www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk
7 MOONLIT WALK Seven Sisters, East Sussex.
A stroll on the Seven Sisters after sunset is a romantic's dream - the perfect setting for popping the question. You need a full moon this summer (choose between June 30, July 30 and August 28), clear skies and a stiff scotch at the Tiger Inn, in East Dean, before setting off. You'll be amazed how quickly your eyes acclimatise, and your reward is one of England's iconic landscapes all to yourselves. The white cliffs are dipped in silver; the moon hangs mirage-like over the ocean. Unforgettable. Follow the South Downs Way from Birling Gap - double back when you've had your fill of moonlight. Take OS Explorer map OL123.
8 WILD SWIM Angle Tarn, Cumbria.
By the time you've climbed from Patterdale village to Angle Tarn, you'll be sunkissed and sweaty enough to take the plunge in the most beautiful mountaintop lake in Cumbria - and possibly the coldest. Skinny-dip if you dare, then skip back down the mountain, with gorgeous views of Ullswater below. Two miles east of Patterdale; OS Explorer OL5.
9 SWORDS AND SORCERY King Arthur's Last Battle, Cornwall.
Who cares whether Tintagel was really Arthur's stronghold? It looks fantastic, especially with 600 costumed warriors in full cry, recreating the battle of Camlann, where the king and his bastard son, Mordred, fought hand to hand to the (mutual) death. The participants enjoy it so much, they clash not once but five times over the weekend of August 3-5, amid a general ferment of fancy dress, falconry and have-a-go archery. The Dark Ages were never so dazzling. £5.50 each day (children £3.50); 01840 779084, www.visitboscastleandtintagel.com
10 SEASIDE PIER Southwold, Suffolk.
All you expect from a pier: you can walk on it (past poignant plaques dedicated to lost dogs), fish on it (permits from the Promenade cafe) and eat fish on it (at the smart Clockhouse brasserie). But there are also a few things you don't expect, including a magic carpet that whisks you to the Caribbean and a mechanical dog that dribbles all over you. These contraptions (and more) are the invention of Tim Hunkin, whose Under the Pier Show brings together all sorts, including the most eccentric slot machines. Hunkin also built the pier's new Quantum Tunnelling Telescope, through which you can gaze out on oil slicks, mermaids, shark attacks . . . Open daily; free; www.southwoldpier.co.uk
11 MIDSUMMER MADNESS World Worm Charming Championships, Cheshire.
For the 28th year, champion charmers will gather at Willaston primary school, near Nantwich, to coax worms out of a 10ft-square bit of ground using "vibrations" alone. Tom-tom drumming, fiddle-playing, garden fork-twanging . . . everything but digging is allowed - and the world record is 511 worms in the allotted 30 minutes (by a chap called Shufflebotham). Everyone is welcome, but if you want one of the 144 competition plots, better get a wiggle on. Charming begins at about 2pm (early birds not welcome); June 30; 01270 610983.
12 PUNCH AND JUDY MAN Codman's, Llandudno.
"Professor" Jason Millband continues a 150-year tradition on Britain's loveliest Victorian promenade, at Llandudno - he's the great-great-grandson of the town's original prof, Richard Codman, who started the show in 1860. Jason promises a proper politically incorrect show: Punch on the gallows, baby out the window and plenty of sausage-hiding. That's the way to do it. Daily throughout the summer; collection taken.
13 BREEZY HILLTOP Great Hetha, Northumberland.
Maximum views for minimum effort? Step forward Great Hetha. It's a 20-minute scramble to the top from the bridleway beside the College Burn, south of Hethpool, and for that you get a million-mile panorama of the Cheviot hills - flaming heather, bottle-brush pines, Iron Age hill forts spiking every summit. And breezes so brisk, they'll blow the bags out from under your eyes. For a map of the Great Hetha route, visit www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/ hethas_hike.pdf
14 SECRET GARDEN Hawkstone Park Follies, Shropshire.
"Striking scenes and terrifick grandeur": that's how Samuel Johnson described Hawkstone Park when he visited in 1774. The gardens remain striking and terrific today, a Dungeons & Dragons fantasia of crags and caves, soaked in woodland and adorned with dark labyrinths, precipitous bridges and creepy tunnels. Mystery and adventure for kids ancient and modern - it's what people did for kicks before joysticks. 10am-4pm daily in summer; £6 (children £4); 01939 200611, www.hawkstone.co.uk
15 RIVERSIDE PUB The King's Head, Northamptonshire.
Gliding watercraft, clinking glasses, tables under the aspens in the riverside meadow - the King's Head, at Wadenhoe, should be on the front of every Visit Britain brochure going. And the idyllic setting beside the River Nene is only half of it. Indoors, the felicitously named Dan Beer cooks up consummate English classics such as butcher's sausages and beer-battered haddock; there is even Oakham Ales' JHB on handpump. Free mooring available; 01832 720024, www.kingsheadwadenhoe.co.uk
16 NEW DAY OUT Bewilderwood, Norfolk.
Once upon a time, there was an enchanted forest where cheeky marsh boggles lived, chasing each other through trees while keeping an eye out for the fierce crocklebog who lurked in the dismal dyke. The forest is just north of Norwich, opened last month, and is this summer's most intriguing new family attraction.
Bewilderwood has 50 ecofriendly acres of treehouses, mazes and zip wires, and its creator, Tom Blofeld, calls it "a reality adventure for bold and daring children". Adults go wild about it, too. £10 (underfives free); 01603 783900, www.bewilderwood.co.uk
17 SOLAR-POWERED STAY Mesmear, Cornwall.
Here's the latest in eco-boutique seaside sybaritism ? a converted mill in trendy Rock. It has its own borehole, enough solar and geothermal power to save 12 tonnes of carbon emissions a year ? oh, and interiors designed by the decor queen Emma Oldham, of Space Boudoir. The main building sleeps 10 and comes with a cook and a driver at your beck and call; the adjacent barn sleeps four and is for self-caterers ? but still has bathrobes, an honesty bar and an iPod docking station. As close as you'll come to your own private boutique hotel. Main house from £3,200 per week, full-board; barn from £1,353, self-catering; 01208 869731.
18 CAMP SITE Budemeadows Holiday Park, Cornwall.
If your holiday accommodation comes in a bag with a rubber mallet, this place is bang on. A mile from the surf-strafed strand at Widemouth Bay, and a Camel Trail bike ride from Padstow, Budemeadows combines immaculate facilities ? heated outdoor pool, playground, bar ? with a proper bucolic sense of getting away from it all. Not big, not crowded, even in high season ? but book fast if you want to pitch up here in August. Tent pitches £9.90pp in high season (children £4.95); 01288 361646, www.budemeadows.com
19 ALFRESCO BATH The Samling, Cumbria.
With views over Windermere, the Samling is the best country-house hotel in the Lake District. A double room costs at least £200 ? and it's almost worth the money just to simmer in the outdoor hot tub after a yomp on the fells, and watch the setting sun dunk itself in the lake. From £200, B&B; 015394 31922, www.thesamling.com
20 MAIZE MAZE aMaizin! Adventure Park, Jersey.
In 2006 it was a silverback gorilla, in 2005 it was King Neptune. This year's maze at Carlton and Kristina Le Feuvre's family farm in St Peter will be shaped like Jersey itself, with scavenger-hunt clues on the theme of the island's history and surprises round every corner? watch out for the staff springing out on you. The corny fun continues with go-karts, crazy golf, tractor rides and a toboggan run. Maze open from July 1; £7 (£6 for 3-14s); 01534 482116, www.jerseyleisure.com
21 CREAM TEA Southern Cross tearoom, Devon.
It's got to be Devon? clotted-cream teas were born in Tavistock in 997, when the locals helped monks rebuild the Benedictine abbey and were repaid with bread, clotted cream and strawberry preserves. And it's got to be Newton Poppleford, near Sidmouth, where Southern Cross tearoom serves up 4oz dollops of Dartmoor-grazed Guernsey-cow clotted cream that would fur the arteries of the friskiest gym junkie. The setting is ideal, with teas served either in the 500-year-old thatched longhouse or in the walled garden surrounded by magnolias and laburnum. Good cod (23): no way to treat a newspaper £4.25; 01395 568439, www.southerncrossguesthouse.co.uk
22 BANDSTAND Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
As summery as a 99 Flake . . . nothing says lazy British afternoons like a bandstand. One of the best is in Birmingham, tucked away in the 15-acre Botanical Gardens: it's a slice of perfect Victoriana at the end of a long, sweeping lawn that cries out to be covered in a picnic blanket. There'll be concerts every Sunday and bank holiday this summer (2pm-4pm), from swing and jazz to brass and country ? and for kids, the great play park and discovery garden should be ample compensation. £6.50 (5-15s £4); 0121 454 1860, www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk
23 FISH AND CHIPS Mhorfish, Callander, Stirling.
Mhorfish, at the Ben Ledi Cafe, gets a daily delivery from Scrabster and Mallaig, cooking it up as classic, staggeringly fresh fish and chips, as well as gorgeous sauces (haddock and leek or salmon and pea) with fettucine or penne. And, sitting at the foot of Ben Ledi (2,884ft), it has a foreverness of Trossachs hilltops on the doorstep ? in case you want to work up an appetite before your feast. Fish suppers £5.75; 01877 330213, www.benledicafe.co.uk
24 SHAKESPEARE Minack Theatre, Cornwall.
Seventy-five years after it raised the curtain on the Minack Theatre, The Tempest is staged this August on Rowena Cade's spectacular outdoor stage just outside Porthcurno. With the theatre carved from granite cliffs 200ft above the crashing Cornish surf, you couldn't wish for a more dramatic setting. The highlight of a season of theatre and opera running throughout the summer, The Tempest is on from August 13 to 17. Terrace seats £7, main auditorium £8.50; 01736 810181, www.minack.com
25 CLIFFTOP COTTAGE Whitby lighthouse, Yorkshire.
Parents with small children might want to steer clear, but for everyone else, the wave-crashing, cliff-hugging romance of a 19th-century lighthouse keeper's cottage is hard to beat. With views over Robin Hood's bay, the three-bedroom Vanguard (sleeps five) is still available in July; its sister cottage, Galatea, is available in August. No internet access, no traffic, just gulls and guillemots, the coastal Cleveland Way and miles of footpaths on the North York Moors. From £946 for seven nights in summer; 01386 701177, www.ruralretreats.co.uk
26 COASTAL WALK Giant's Causeway, County Antrim.
Sandy bays, turquoise inlets, castle ruins, a geological wonder and a journey's-end Guinness or single malt at the Bushmills Inn . . . the 12 miles from Ballintoy to the Giant's Causeway is oceanic perfection. Park at Giant's Causeway visitor centre (www.giantscausewaycentre.com). Buses from there to Ballintoy (about 15 minutes) depart 9.07, 10.37 and 11.07 weekdays; 10.37 and 11.07 Sat; 11.07 Sun; £2.30; OSNI Discoverer map 5
27 ADRENALINE RUSH Dalby Forest biking trails, Yorkshire.
Opened on May 22 ? and completing the largest network of mountain-biking trails in England ? the new red route at Dalby Forest is 23 miles of single-track heaven, with bomb holes, berns, drop-offs and gonzo bends. (If you don't know what we're talking about, best stick to the two green routes for beginners.) Also at Dalby Forest is a Go Ape adventure course, with rope bridges, zip wires and Tarzan swings (£25, £20 for 10-17s; www.goape.co.uk). Trails free, entry to forest £7 per car. Bike hire from Purple Mountain, in Low Dalby, £15 for three hours or £20 per day; 01751 460011, www.purplemountain.co.uk
28 SEA-VIEW ROOM Mullion Cove Hotel, Cornwall Rooms.
11 and 33 are the ones to ask for, with vistas northwest as far as St Michael's Mount and south as far as Predannack Head, but any room facing south or west in this AA three-star hotel, high above Mullion Cove, has staggering sea views, interrupted only by the odd passing mackerel trawler. The South West Coast Path passes through its back garden, with the classic Cornish golden beaches at Polurrian, Poldhu, Church Cove and Kynance nearby. Rooms 11 and 33 £120pp, half-board, in summer; sea-view rooms £99pp; 01326 240328, www.mullioncove.com
29 SOLITUDE Sandwood Bay, Sutherland.
Sutherland isn't short of abandoned beaches and turquoise shallows, but none guarantees solitude and spiritual rebirth like Sandwood Bay. Four miles from the nearest road head, it's a good hour's walk from Blairmore car park, at the end of the B801, a moorland trudge that keeps out all but the most determined. But what a reward: to the south, Am Buachaille, a sea stack rising sheer from the surf; to the north, the cliffs of Cape Wrath; in between, a mile of soft, pink, dune-backed sand just begging to welcome your tent. OS Landranger map 9.
30 FAMILY CYCLE Loch Katrine, Trossachs.
In the heart of Rob Roy's old stamping ground, Loch Katrine has a private-access road running along its northern shore that makes for some fabulously relaxed, virtually car-free pedalling. Throw in a 1900 steamer to transfer you and your bikes from Trossachs Pier to Stronachlachar, and the 13-mile cycle back past Rob Roy's birthplace and the MacGregor clan cemetery is fresh-air family gold. Bike-hire £14 per day (£10 for 10-16s, £8 for under10s; steamer £6 single, £4.50 under16s, bikes free); 01877 376316, www.lochkatrine.com
31 SEA BREEZE
Yachting on the Solent Sir Francis Drake must be spinning in his grave: our once seafaring nation can't muster an entry to this year's America's Cup, and the closest most of us get to sailing is the cross-Channel ferry. But it's easy to reverse the lubberly trend ? get six pals and take a skippered yacht out on the Solent for the weekend. No experience necessary, though you'll muck in: the reward is sun glinting on billows, a stiff breeze and the prospect of a riotous yachtie night dancing on tables at the Folly Inn. Sunsail (0870 427 0103, www.sunsail.co.uk) has six-berth yachts, with skipper, for £1,150 for a weekend from its base at Port Solent; or take a day-long taster sail for £140pp.
32 STREET FESTIVAL Winchester Hat Fair.
A weekend of wit and wizardry. Sixty acts will put on 250 performances, from street-corner comedy and magic to drama and dance ? with a hip-hop circus, children's theatre and a huge picnic on Sunday. And it's all free: just chuck what you can afford into the titular hats. June 29-July 1; www.hatfair.co.uk
33 SEAKAYAKING Beara Peninsula, Co Cork.
With arches and sea caves, beaches and uninhabited islands, the west Cork coastline has a tonne of seakayaking operators, but none like Jim Kennedy. A former Irish and British sprint kayaking champion, now Ireland's most qualified coach, Jim has half-day (£33) and full-day (£64) options, but also offers night canoeing (£30), when phosphorescence lights up the sea, and a whale-watching trip (£100), on which kayaks are launched off a catamaran in open sea so you can paddle among humpbacks and minkes. Atlantic Seakayaking, 00 353 28 21058, www.atlanticseakayaking.com
34 LAKESIDE PICNIC Buttermere, Cumbria.
Awesome views, safe paddling, homemade ice creams ? it's the perfect picnic. Park up at the Fish Hotel, in Buttermere, pootle down to the lake and feast on Fleetwith Pike views as you work through your hamper. That said, an easy three-hour circuit of the lake won't half help the sauvignon go down. Park at Gatesgarth Farm car park, at the eastern end of the lake, then head clockwise round the shore path, spreading your blanket in the woods beneath High Stile. Buy homemade ice creams from Sykes Farm (01768 770277).
35 SAFARI Cairngorms, Highlands.
With ancient woodland sheltering capercaillie, black grouse and Britain's only endemic bird, the Scottish crossbill, the Cairngorms national park has some of the best wildlife-watching this side of Kenya: red and roe deer, badgers, pine martens, wild cats and golden eagles. All-day guided safaris £175 (flat rate, party size from one to six). Speyside Wildlife, 01479 812498, www.speysidewildlife.co.uk
36 STRIP Morfa Dyffryn beach, Snowdonia.
We're all nudists underneath, and summer's the time to show it ? at one of Britain's official naturist beaches (visit www.british-naturism.org.uk for one near you). The prettiest is Morfa Dyffryn, near Harlech: a vast expanse of golden sand and clean, clear water (there's a good chance of seeing dolphins), surrounded by stunning Snowdonia scenery. If you fancy staying naked overnight, the pretty Benar Beach camp site (01341 247571), a mile from Morfa Dyffryn, has a nudist area ? family tent pitches from £12. Take the A496 from Barmouth, then turn left at Talybont; the nudist section of the beach is a mile's walk north from the car park.
37 DRIFT DOWNSTREAM River Wye.
From the bookworms of Hay-on-Wye to the horse-traders of Chepstow, this 100-mile stretch of the Wye is a slow, cool and spectacular sightseeing trip? taking in the precipitous slopes of the Welsh borders, the rolling woodland of the Forest of Dean, and Symonds Yat, CS Lewis's inspiration for the landscape of Narnia. It's ideal for novice canoeists: take a refreshing day trip from Hay-on-Wye, or do the whole lot in a week or so. There are plenty of simple camp sites along the way. Paddles & Pedals (01497 820604, www.paddlesandpedals.co.uk) has two-seater canoes from £35 per day, including lifejackets and pickup from journey's end; alternatively, try Wye Valley Canoes (01497 847213, www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk )
38 FLYING International Kite Festival, Portsmouth.
If your last try at kiteflying left you with tangled strings and a short temper, come and see how the experts do it. Dozens of odd flying objects will stud the sky over Southsea Common from August 25 to 27 ? last year, 50,000 people saw lobsters, monkeys, jesters, biplanes, octopuses, 30ft champagne bottles and spinning spider webs. Britain's top fliers will give stunt-kite demonstrations (especially impressive when they "dance" to a Beatles soundtrack). Free; for information, visit www.thekitesociety.org.uk
39 BOATING The Thames at Richmond.
There is no summer pursuit more English than a leisurely scull under the weeping willows of a shady river, and few stretches are prettier than the Thames between Richmond Bridge and Teddington Lock. Winding under the looming woods of Richmond Hill and past the cow-strewn pastures of Petersham Meadows, you'd never guess you were in greater London ? or the 21st century. Hire a rowing boat from Francis Spencer at Hammerton's Ferry, by Twickenham's lovely Marble Hill House, and moor up for your picnic by Glover's Island; or, if you're feeling lazy, enjoy a top pint and good grub at the 300-year-old White Swan, near Eel Pie Island. Boats £3 per hour (children £1.50); Hammerton's Ferry, 020 8892 9620.
40 PADDLE British Open Crabbing Championship, Suffolk.
Show your children how much fun a bit of bacon-baited twine can give. Last year, more than 700 people flung their lines along the reedy inlets of seaside Walberswick, and the contest is a tremendously jolly affair: no constraints on bait (many competitors paddle in and use their own toes), weightiest crab wins, and (according to Captain Crab, Robin Buncombe) "no person over 16 allowed on the champions' rostrum due to European legislation for people with crabs". This summer's staging is on August 5. £1; 01502 725204, www.walberswick.ws/crabbing
41 ROOF TERRACE The Trafalgar, Trafalgar Square.
July can get pretty sticky at city street level, but rise above it all and an urban summer suddenly makes sense: cool breeze, a dazzling evening light show below, viewed from an outdoor terrace bar with cocktail in hand. One of the best is in the heart of London ? the roof garden of the Trafalgar hotel. Pull up a stool by the parapet, nod to Nelson (you're almost on the same level) and look down on the teeming hordes of people, pigeons, buskers and bedlam below. It's not cheap ? a bellini costs £12.50 ? but for that you've got the capital at your feet. Trafalgar roof garden, 2 Spring Gardens (by Trafalgar Square), open to nonresidents 5pm to 11pm: www.thetrafalgar.com
42 ICE CREAM Morelli's, Broadstairs, Kent.
Jaffa cake, pumpkin, truffle, bubble gum . . . or just chocolate? Broadstairs people have been piling on the pounds at Morelli's for decades. It's so successful, there is an outpost at Harrods, but the knickerbocker glories taste best surrounded by the gleaming chrome and Bakelite of the original 1950s parlour. Morelli's, 14 Victoria Parade; 01843 862500; knickerbocker glories £4.35.
43 PICNIC CONCERT Battle Abbey, East Sussex.
A hamper, a bottle or three, a full symphony orchestra, an aerobatic Spitfire, Pomp and Circumstance, fireworks and Lesley Garrett. Sounds like an evening ? and that little do, on August 26 at Battle Abbey, is just one of a dozen organized by English Heritage at stately buildings this summer, with artists including Bryan Ferry, Jools Holland and Buena Vista Social Club. It's like a festival, but without the mud. For full programme details, prices and booking, visit www.picnicconcerts.com
44 SEAL BOAT TRIP Searles, Hunstanton.
The Wash has one of the biggest colonies of common seals, our most common (and cutest) marine mammal, in the world ? 3,000 at the last count. The mums haul out onto the sandbanks to pup in June and July, and the grown-ups mate in September. Searles Sea Tours steers to within five yards of the baskers. "They're relaxed about the boat," says captain Willie Searle. "We've been doing this since 1929, so they've had a while to get used to us." Two-hour trips every day, weather permitting; £12 (children £6); 07831 321799, www.seatours.co.uk
45 TOPLESS DRIVE A686, Penrith to Haydon Bridge.
No road in England can provide a challenge like the A686: tight hairpins, steep inclines and broad sweeps. But a convertible is needed to appreciate the terrific variety of scenery along its 40-odd miles, from Long Meg and Her Daughters, a stone circle in the gentle Eden valley to the high, bleak fells of the Pennines, the panoramic view up to the Solway Firth from Hartside Height and the cute cobbled streets of Alston. Top down, pulse up: the perfect summer drive. Europcar (www.europcar.co.uk) in Carlisle, 20 miles from Penrith, has a convertible Renault Mégane from around £120 for three days' hire .
46 BEACH FOR KIDS Crantock, Cornwall.
Crantock keeps it simple: no candyfloss or fairground rides, just a vast expanse of soft, smooth sand for toddlers and their buckets and spades; a treasure trove of spooky caves in the low cliffs on the east side, for older kids with pirate fantasies; plenty of rock pools; and a gently shelving beach that's made for paddling. (Mum and dad might be grateful for the car park, little cafe and toilets.) The only sensory overload comes from nature and their own imaginations. Trust us, it's all they need. Crantock is four miles west of Newquay, off the A3075.
47 BEACH CAFE East Beach Café, Littlehampton.
Okay, it hasn't opened yet (that'll happen on June 20), but it looks like a cracker. Well, actually, it looks like a big steel pebble . . . or a rusty piece of driftwood. The new architect-designed structure, bang on the beach, defies description. But the menu ? from bacon sarnies to potted crab and dover sole ? is reassuringly familiar, and the service, from the experienced mother-and-daughter team of Jane Wood and Sophie Murray, should be spot-on. www.eastbeachcafe.co.uk ; snacks from £2.50, mains from £8.
48 DONKEY RIDE Maggie's beach donkeys, Weymouth.
Last year, Stumpy, Sparky, Sooty, Jasmine, Beejay and Peejay were crowned best beach donkeys in Britain by the Donkey Sanctuary, in a contest judged on animal welfare and enjoyment of their work ? that work being taking gleeful kids for five-minute strolls up and down Weymouth's sandy beach. Weymouth beach, near the pavilion, every day except Monday, weather permitting; rides £2.50.
49 FAMILY HOTEL Fowey Hall, Cornwall.
Inspiration for Kenneth Grahame's Toad Hall, this spa hotel sits within a hide-and-seek heaven of a walled garden. It's a short walk from the sandy beach at Readymoney Cove, and a short drive from the Eden Project, Newquay Aquarium and the National Seal Sanctuary, so the reasons for children to be cheerful are legion, but first you've got to prise them away from the hotel itself. With a kids' club for under8s (10am-4.45pm daily), computer games, table football, and table tennis, as well as supervised beach activities (7pm to 9pm), evening movies, an indoor pool and a giant trampoline, you'll have a job. From £280, half-board, for a room sleeping two adults and two children; 01726 833866, www.foweyhallhotel.co.uk
50 FESTIVAL Secret Garden Party, Cambridgeshire.
Nuns, bunny girls, Zimmer frames and toddlers. Alabama 3, Echo and the Bunnymen, Prince Buster and Indigo Moss. Seminaked fig-leaf camps, kissing workshops, kids' clubs, sock-wrestling, art installations, seven stages, scores of acts, creativity, friendliness and cutting-edge stupidity. Everyone has their favourite festival: this is ours. They will even give you a sick note for the boss on the Monday morning. July 26-29, £110; www.secretgardenparty.com
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