Family holidays
Walk among dinosaurs on a fossil hunting tour or put nerves to the test at a thrilling theme park. Get close to nature and camp in protected woodland or stay aboard a lighthouse or a barge on your family holidays. Bike rides and picnics in a national park, long afternoons at the beach exploring rockpools, baffling mazes and hide and seek in the grounds of a stately home: England is packed with inspiring child friendly holidays and activities. If you think learning is for stuffy school rooms, think again. Discover the secrets of the Tudors and Victorians, marvel at Roman remains and re-live bloody battles and beheadings on days out with the kids.
Experience steam-age travel on the Nene Valley Railway
Visit one of England’s leading steam engine and locomotive attractions, based in Northamptonshire's Nene Valley.
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Full steam ahead on the Kent and East Sussex Railway
Bring out your inner Casey Jones by stepping onto the footplate and heading out across the stunning Kent countryside.
Location: Tenterden, Kent
All aboard heritage steam trains at the Epping Ongar Railway
Pay a visit to Epping Ongar Railway, and ride on running steam and diesel engines between period stations, through countryside and forest.
Location: Chipping Ongar, Essex
Travel across Hampshire’s countryside on the Watercress Line
Witness the sights, sounds, smells and magic of steam travel from a bygone age and journey through Hampshire’s countryside on a restored steam train.
Location: Alresford, Hampshire
Rainy Day Activities: Be an engine driver for the day at STEAM
Try your hand at changing the signals, drive a model steam engine and walk under an 80 ton train at STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway.
Location: Swindon, Wiltshire
Ride on down to the Didcot Railway Centre
Enjoy a trip to Didcot Railway Centre, whose magnificent restored engines will take you steaming through most of the Oxfordshire countryside.
Location: Didcot, Oxfordshire
Take a guided tour through a Cumbrian mine
Explore the relationship between the geology of the Lake District area and the quarrying of local limestone, sandstone, granite and slate in Cumbria.
Location: Threlkeld, Cumbria
Full steam ahead on a loco driven by you
Many would love the chance to drive a steam engine, well now's your chance: become a train driver for the day at Telford Steam Railway.
Location: Telford, Shropshire
Watch history come to life at Morwellham Quay in Devon
Take a living history lesson from the team at Morwellham Quay, a beautifully preserved Victorian village in the Devon countryside.
Location: Morwellham Quay, Devon
Explore Cornwall’s mining heritage
Sandy beaches, cream teas, ancient woodlands and innovative architecture make for a fascinating family day out in Camborne and Redruth.
Location: Cornwall
Step on board HMS M.33, a small ship with a big history
Visit Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard this summer and you'll find a new addition to its amazing maritime collection.
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire
Climb aboard a classic steam railway at Bolton Abbey
Puffing through the Yorkshire Dales is the Embsay & Bolton Abbey steam railway where special events take place throughout the year.
Location: Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales