During the October school half term we stayed in a lovely Cotswold cottage and visited Westonbirt, The National Arboretum. With over 17 miles of forest walks, glorious colour from 16,000 trees (2,500 different species) it is a lovely day out even on a cooler day.
Find out more about the National Arboretum.
Find a Cotswold cottage break
This has to be one of our family favourites each year, ice skating outside of the beautiful Natural History Museum building in London.
We are not born ice skaters, in fact we barely strap a skate on of any sort during the year, but come November we find ourselves heading to London for an ice skating session on the outdoor temporary
y rink. It’s great fun and what better backdrop to your efforts than one of London’s most impressive buildings.
Of course the ice skating is great fun but it also forms part of a fun winters day out. Once the skating is over there is plenty of time to take in the museum, which is absolutely free, or visit some of the other great museums near by – the interactive Science Museum is always popular with children.
Once you are exhausted there are plenty of great places to eat near by or simply travel short distance on the Underground to popular eating places around Covent Garden, Leicester Square and China Town.
The Natural History Museum Ice Rink, supported by Starbucks, opens next Friday (2nd Nov – 6 Jan) promising a season of fantastic skating.
The first ice rink to open in London
Be among the first to enjoy a magical skate on one of London’s largest ice rinks, and celebrate the launch of Starbucks’ Red Cups with a hot drink in our fabulous café bar, open to skaters and non-skaters alike.
Something for the whole family
Bring friends and family along for a fun active day out. Next to the main rink we have a smaller rink and penguin skate aids for the little ones. And, don’t miss a spin on our beautiful fairground carousel, open throughout the day.
Where is the time going, we are all ready approaching mid September? It only feels like yesterday we got back from our summer holidays and yet we are about to head into the second half of the month.
Well time is certainly running out to make the most of the mild weather and the number of major outdoor events and attractions is definitely dropping, so here are some things to look out for this weekend (15th & 16th September 2012). If you are going out for the weekend why not tell us where by adding a comment below.
This is one of the last weekends of country and county shows in the UK and Ireland so it’s one of your last chances to get out and enjoy a fun family day out. Here are some to check out:
The cycling Tour of Britain concludes this weekend with stages from Barnstaple to Dartmouth and the concluding stage in the Guildford area.
Of course many of the UK’s holiday attractions are still open, check out our attraction list. In addition, many of the lovely British and Irish Gardens are still open to the public so if you want to see the last of the summer planting before Autumn sets in and changes the colours and views make a bee line to them this weekend.
So what are you doing, what else should be on our list?
Whether you’re a cycling enthusiast or just looking for a day out in September it is worth checking out the Tour of Britain, cycling’s premier road race in Britain.
In 2012 the event has attracted Team Sky with both Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish taking part, so its a great chance to see a current cycling World Champion, Tour de France winner and an Olympic gold medalist.
The 2012 Tour kicked off from Ipswich yesterday finishing at the Royal Norfolk Showground. There were a number of crashes, one of which unfortunately accounted for Mark Cavendish, but the stage saw a British winner in the form of Luke Wroe from Team Sky.
Here is what is in store over the next few days and where you can see some of the action.
The second stage today is from Nottingham to Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside passing through Cheshire’s Peak District. So it will be taking in some wonderful British countryside and the Safari Park finishes promises some great excitement.
The third stage heads to Scotland, moving from Jedburgh to Dumfries and taking in Scotland’s stunning landscapes which provide the perfect backdrop to Britain’s biggest race and an undulating stage route.
Stage four is the half way point of the Tour of Britain and takes place in the North West of England from Carlisle and Penrith to Blackpool Promenade.
It is certainly an exciting few days in store, if you go along make sure you take some great pictures and how about posting some here or on our Facebook page.
The skies are blue, the sun is out, and so we are all set for a lovely September weekend, so what are your plans for the weekend? Going anywhere, doing something or just chilling at home?
This is one of the last big weekends of country and county shows in the UK and Ireland so it’s one of your last chances to get out and enjoy a fun family day out. Here are some to check out:
In addition, many of the lovely British and Irish Gardens are still open to the public so if you want to see the last of the summer planting before Autumn sets in and changes the colours and views make a bee line to them this weekend.
If you are going to be stuck at home this weekend then there are some major sporting events taking place this weekend. The Spanish Grand Prix qualifying is on Saturday and the race is on Sunday as well as the US Open Tennis with Andy Murray in the semi-finals on Saturday.
And, of course, the wonderful London 2012 Paralympics draw to a close with the final competitions over the weekend and the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
As we are going to have to tackle our overgrown garden this weekend due to a summer of neglect, the Paralympics will be featuring high on our activities this weekend.
So what are you doing, what else should be on our list?
August may have passed but that isn’t the end of the fun across the UK and Ireland, there are still plenty of great days out at County Shows, Country and Agricultural Shows and lots of Events throughout September 2012.
It may be tempting to see the beginning of September as the end of the Summer holidays (as schools are about to go back) but whether you are looking to make the most of the last few days of the school holidays, looking for something fun to do at the weekend or are looking to enjoy an event when there are slightly less people about then take a look at our County Show list for September 2012.
So what can you see this September? A couple of the biggest County Shows are The Royal County of Berkshire Show and the Dorset County Show. Other ones to look out for are the Kingsbridge Show (Devon), The Henley Show (Oxfordshire), Westmorland County Show (Cumbria), Yarrow Show (Selkirkshire) and the Usk Show (Monmouthshire).
Or how about the excitement of a ploughing match in Surrey – Surrey County Ploughing Match and Country Fair – or The Midlands Game and Country Fair?
You can find out more about these Shows and many others across Britain and Ireland by checking out our County Show list and clicking on the various September Shows.
If you want us to add a County Show, Agricultural Show, Country Show or event to our list simply get in touch via this blog, Facebook, twitter and we will be happy to include your event – there is no charge.
This August 2012, get ready for a summer of jaw-dropping stunts, stomach-churning rides and festival vibes at the nation’s Thrill Capital!
Join THORPE PARK in Surrey between 17th and 26th August for extreme heat as Sun SCREAM returns this summer.
Brave Europe’s tallest winged rollercoaster THE SWARM, with its 127ft head-first inverted drop and terrifying near-misses as you rip through the apocalyptic annihilation, swooping beneath the wings of plane wreckage.
Prepare for the twisted horror-coaster SAW — The Ride, or take the ‘Unholy Trinity’ challenge: Stealth’s full-throttle launch from 0-80mph in under 2 seconds, the ten-looped Colossus and the inverted hell ride on Nemesis Inferno.
Thorpe Park is one of the South East of England’s top attractions and is perfect for a short break or a visit on your holiday. You can find some excellent self catering cottages and apartments close by to make the most of your stay in Surrey.
Find out more about Thorpe Park and where to stay
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