Places to Visit

page last updated 10 November, 2005

Places To Visit

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A list of the Home Pages of places to visit in the UK
&
a map to help you find them
If you would like to write a review please send one to me here Please include the month and year of your last visit

Museums in the UK English Heritage Sites

New Lanarkshire Trust

The Youth Hostel Association The Scottish Youth Hostel Association

The National Trust The National Trust is not my favourite organisation, I have not found them particularly child friendly and feel it is mostly a result of bad or non existent training for their rather middle-class elderly volunteers. However some of their properties are stunning particularly the ruined ones. Membership for the NT is expensive and there are no reductions for those on benefits (at the time of writing). However it is possible to register yourself as an educational group for around £14 (2001). You may have to book to visit a site but this represents a substantial reduction from their family membership. To do this you need to contact them in advance at a national level, see their web site.

Science Museum
As ever, brilliant. Recent modifications are well done and there are more hands on exhibits than ever. This is a must see for a visit to London. The staff are more friendly and helpful than earlier visits and facilities, now including lifts, are better designed. The self service cafe is good but a little expensive. You need cash to buy from the small snack bars dotted around. You may now eat your own food anywhere in the building where there is no carpeting. You can store your coats and bags for free but we were advised that during the hols this proves difficult. We managed to gain free entry by being Home Educators. The launch pad was a particular favourite. (Feb. 2000 Mike F-W ).

National Maritime Museum
Has recently undergone a complete refit (1999) for the millennium. It's a good, pleasing space with well thought out exhibits. However there are not enough hands on exhibits to hold the interest for younger children and there seems to be a lot of empty space. There is a cafe and the staff are extremely child friendly. We gained free access by being Home Educators. The ticket also gains access to the Royal Observatory. To turn the day into a real treat I would recommend lunch at the noodle bar near the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich. Children can (and are encouraged by the waiter) to share a main course or soup (which are huge, do not attempt to eat both). The main course and one fruit drink or wine/beer will cost around £5.00. Alternatively Greenwich park is nearby with swings and boating lake etc. in which you can picnic. There are some good bakers especially, around the indoor market. Free parking is available at the top of the park near to the Royal Observatory. A very good day out for all. (Feb. 2000 Mike F-W )

Royal Observatory
A small but attractive museum which is visited with a dual ticket for the Maritime Museum. (see Maritime Museum entry) It is better for older children. There are few hands on exhibits and many of the visitors are adults who, in the cramped conditions sometimes lack the patience for younger children, though the staff were friendly. You can get onto the roof of one building and see fantastic views of the city and Millennium Dome.

The Tower of London
No free entry can be gained here. I would not attempt to go here at any time other than winter. Queues are huge particularly during the "high" season. The Tower is really a collection of museums based in the tower. The main collections being the Armoury and the Crown Jewels. The Armoury is amazing. Henry VIII^th's Armour suggests his great size (in every sense of the word) and some of the early firearms are well worth seeing. The Crown Jewels collection is the most stunning display of national wealth possible. Diamonds the size of hens eggs have been the norm for the average British monarch throughout the ages. There is very little in the tower which could be described as "hands on" except the tower itself which you can climb around and scramble through. There are free guided tours (which we did not take). We relied upon our own knowledge of history, relating things to events they did know (i.e. Edward I^st's fireplace to the "Brave Heart" film) My criticism's of the tower are the depth of Pro-Royal propaganda and the lack of information of how normal people lived in the tower. There are practically no food outlets in the Tower (though that apparently is changing). "Pret a Manger" has two outlets on the Tower Wharf including a cafe under tower bridge. While their fair is delicious you need a second mortgage to eat at any of them (sandwiches and drinks for 3 adults and 4 children came to £36.00 boosting the total cost for the day to over £100.00) so take your own. It is possible to re-enter the tower providing you ask for a re-entry pass at the main gate before you leave. (Feb. 2000 Mike F-W )

Westonbirt Arboretum Gloucester
This is an internationally important collection of trees and shrubs from around the world. It is particularly beautiful during Spring and Autumn. It takes a couple of days to see the bulk of the collection. Children tend to love going as the size and wildness of the place gives plenty of room to run about and play hide and seek. There is a cafe (a little expensive but good) and there are picnic areas even allowing a barbecue. You are not supposed to picnic in the grounds themselves. There is a shop and large car park. Being between Cirencester and Bath its an interesting place to visit enroute from one to the other. (Summer 1998 Mike F-W )

Iron Bridge Shropshire
It takes a half dozen or so visits to see all of this collection of museums around Iron Bridge for which there is a single ticket. The main site is at Blist's Hill; a reconstruction of a Victorian mining town, one of the best of its kind in the country. The iron bridge itself is free to see or walk across. Other parts include the Tile Museum (boring to small children unless you arrange ahead for a tile painting workshop) and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum which is about the river and canal system (small and not worth more than a few minutes of your time) and others I've not seen (please write if you have!). Food and coffee is very expensive in Blists Hill and the portions are very small!! However there is a Victorian bakers for fresh bread (not vegetarian) and a pork butchers which makes marvellous pasties and a pub with small garden as part of the museum, but generally take your own. Alternatively there are bakers close to Iron bridge two miles or so down the road alternatively Telford is a little way away. There are also pubs all over the area. (Nov 1999 Mike F-W ).

Birmingham Museum & Art Galleries
A large collection of art with a small museum area. Its crowning glory is the collection of pre-Raphaelite's, the finest in Europe. There is a small, but good interactive science gallery. In the summer there are a number of special events, some of which are very good, as are the special exhibitions in the Gas Hall (a charge is made for these). There is a good cheap, snack cafe in beautiful surroundings. This museum is free. (feb 2000 Mike F-W).

Morwellham Quay
Devon

An open air living mining village set at the beginning of the 19^thCentury. A number of occupations are covered including mining, shipping, barrel making, farming, teaching and cooking. To get the most out of this museum you must arrive early. Entry includes a trip down a drift mine and a ride on a carriage as well as sessions in the school, assayer's office and barrel making exhibits. We found this museum very expensive but good nonetheless. Food is expensive here and not that good. You may picnic in the grounds. (July 1998 Mike F-W )

Snibston science museum Coalville Leicestershire
This is an exploratory, hands on science exhibition. It has some good, fun experiments. It includes a special exhibition of weaving and fashion and one can book a mine trip. There is a large outdoor area with large scale experiments, including a canal lock system for the children to get good and wet and there is a wooded area and nature reserve made on reclaimed land ,where one can picnic. It is still being expanded. The cafe is good and not over expensive if a little limited in its range of foods. (Summer 1999 Mike F-W )

National Waterways Museum Gloucester
Based in a large warehouse among a number of other museums in the old Gloucester Docks. This is a good hands on experience. The children generally enjoyed it though it probably doesn't warrant too many return visits. There is a cafe which is a little expensive though there are other cafe's in the area. You may also book a river trip down the canal. (1998 Mike F-W )

Corinium Museum Cirencester
Cirencester Museum is a small, inexpensive but well put together museum of Roman Britain. Its main attractions are the Roman mosaics, which are some of the finest in Britain. There is no cafe but being in the centre of Cirencester this museum makes a great focus for a good day out. Cirencester also has a Roman Amphitheatre.(1996 Mike F-W)

Reading Museum
A small town museum with a surprise. It contains a full-scale hand embroidered copy of the Bayer Tapestry, worth a visit all on its own. It is in the centre of Reading so you can get lunch all over the place. However we found nothing else in Reading (except Reading gaol of "the Ballad of Reading Gaol" fame). (1996 Mike F-W ).

Avebury Wiltshire
This is not really a museum, though there is a small introduction centre and manor house gardens to look at (both national Trust but includes free entry to the museum for members of English heritage). Avebury is a large Neolithic (circa 2,500bce) stone circle. It is part of the Stone Henge complex (though 40 or so miles away). The Henge is about a halve mile across and has a village inside it. It has somehow managed to retain its own sense of place (which Stone Henge has failed to do). It is entirely free. Lunch can be had at a pub or a famously good vegetarian cafe called Stones run by a couple of ex archaeologists (expensive but *very* good). Stones also serves delicious afternoon teas and ice creams. You can often look around the church and there are other related sites nearby, such as Kennet long barrow. (1998 Mike F-W)

British Museum
The sheer size of the British Museum means that you should not attempt to "do it" in one session. There are no child friendly exhibits with things to bounce on and buttons to push. The wonderful statues and slabs of ancient buildings all have "please don't touch" signs on them.
My kids loved it. We only "did" the Roman Britain and Ancient Egypt rooms on the top floor but the 5 yr. old ran from case to case calling us over to look at the "treasure". Lots of treasure, heaps of gold coins, jewellery all the more interesting for having been dug up in a field in southern England. The Mosaics (which I wanted to see as we were "doing" them at home) were passed over quickly "oh yeah.. look more treasure" but the bog bodies did keep them a bit longer. The Egyptian Mummies were "cool" but not so cool as the mummified pets that were buried with them.
We went with 1 adult and three children (9, 7, 5) and spent about 2.5 hours there. At which point they were bored with just *looking* at things. The entrance is free / donation only into a container as you go in. The guards were very child friendly the restaurant outrageously expensive and no child friendly food at all (but great for HE kids who like poached salmon and bits of green stuff in their egg sandwiches! ). Be prepared to get carried away in the shop though - lots of great resources. (2000 Diane B)

Museums in the UK	English Heritage Sites
	New Lanarkshire Trust
The Youth Hostel Association	The Scottish Youth Hostel Association

The National Trust	The National Trust is not my favourite organisation, I have not found them particularly child friendly and feel it is mostly a result of bad or non existent training for their rather middle-class elderly volunteers. However some of their properties are stunning particularly the ruined ones. Membership for the NT is expensive and there are no reductions for those on benefits (at the time of writing). However it is possible to register yourself as an educational group for around £14 (2001). You may have to book to visit a site but this represents a substantial reduction from their family membership. To do this you need to contact them in advance at a national level, see their web site.
Science Museum	As ever, brilliant. Recent modifications are well done and there are more hands on exhibits than ever. This is a must see for a visit to London. The staff are more friendly and helpful than earlier visits and facilities, now including lifts, are better designed. The self service cafe is good but a little expensive. You need cash to buy from the small snack bars dotted around. You may now eat your own food anywhere in the building where there is no carpeting. You can store your coats and bags for free but we were advised that during the hols this proves difficult. We managed to gain free entry by being Home Educators. The launch pad was a particular favourite. (Feb. 2000 Mike F-W ).
National Maritime Museum	Has recently undergone a complete refit (1999) for the millennium. It's a good, pleasing space with well thought out exhibits. However there are not enough hands on exhibits to hold the interest for younger children and there seems to be a lot of empty space. There is a cafe and the staff are extremely child friendly. We gained free access by being Home Educators. The ticket also gains access to the Royal Observatory. To turn the day into a real treat I would recommend lunch at the noodle bar near the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich. Children can (and are encouraged by the waiter) to share a main course or soup (which are huge, do not attempt to eat both). The main course and one fruit drink or wine/beer will cost around £5.00. Alternatively Greenwich park is nearby with swings and boating lake etc. in which you can picnic. There are some good bakers especially, around the indoor market. Free parking is available at the top of the park near to the Royal Observatory. A very good day out for all. (Feb. 2000 Mike F-W )
Royal Observatory	A small but attractive museum which is visited with a dual ticket for the Maritime Museum. (see Maritime Museum entry) It is better for older children. There are few hands on exhibits and many of the visitors are adults who, in the cramped conditions sometimes lack the patience for younger children, though the staff were friendly. You can get onto the roof of one building and see fantastic views of the city and Millennium Dome.
The Tower of London	No free entry can be gained here. I would not attempt to go here at any time other than winter. Queues are huge particularly during the "high" season. The Tower is really a collection of museums based in the tower. The main collections being the Armoury and the Crown Jewels. The Armoury is amazing. Henry VIII^th's Armour suggests his great size (in every sense of the word) and some of the early firearms are well worth seeing. The Crown Jewels collection is the most stunning display of national wealth possible. Diamonds the size of hens eggs have been the norm for the average British monarch throughout the ages. There is very little in the tower which could be described as "hands on" except the tower itself which you can climb around and scramble through. There are free guided tours (which we did not take). We relied upon our own knowledge of history, relating things to events they did know (i.e. Edward I^st's fireplace to the "Brave Heart" film) My criticism's of the tower are the depth of Pro-Royal propaganda and the lack of information of how normal people lived in the tower. There are practically no food outlets in the Tower (though that apparently is changing). "Pret a Manger" has two outlets on the Tower Wharf including a cafe under tower bridge. While their fair is delicious you need a second mortgage to eat at any of them (sandwiches and drinks for 3 adults and 4 children came to £36.00 boosting the total cost for the day to over £100.00) so take your own. It is possible to re-enter the tower providing you ask for a re-entry pass at the main gate before you leave. (Feb. 2000 Mike F-W )
Westonbirt Arboretum Gloucester	This is an internationally important collection of trees and shrubs from around the world. It is particularly beautiful during Spring and Autumn. It takes a couple of days to see the bulk of the collection. Children tend to love going as the size and wildness of the place gives plenty of room to run about and play hide and seek. There is a cafe (a little expensive but good) and there are picnic areas even allowing a barbecue. You are not supposed to picnic in the grounds themselves. There is a shop and large car park. Being between Cirencester and Bath its an interesting place to visit enroute from one to the other. (Summer 1998 Mike F-W )
Iron Bridge Shropshire	It takes a half dozen or so visits to see all of this collection of museums around Iron Bridge for which there is a single ticket. The main site is at Blist's Hill; a reconstruction of a Victorian mining town, one of the best of its kind in the country. The iron bridge itself is free to see or walk across. Other parts include the Tile Museum (boring to small children unless you arrange ahead for a tile painting workshop) and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum which is about the river and canal system (small and not worth more than a few minutes of your time) and others I've not seen (please write if you have!). Food and coffee is very expensive in Blists Hill and the portions are very small!! However there is a Victorian bakers for fresh bread (not vegetarian) and a pork butchers which makes marvellous pasties and a pub with small garden as part of the museum, but generally take your own. Alternatively there are bakers close to Iron bridge two miles or so down the road alternatively Telford is a little way away. There are also pubs all over the area. (Nov 1999 Mike F-W ).
Birmingham Museum & Art Galleries	A large collection of art with a small museum area. Its crowning glory is the collection of pre-Raphaelite's, the finest in Europe. There is a small, but good interactive science gallery. In the summer there are a number of special events, some of which are very good, as are the special exhibitions in the Gas Hall (a charge is made for these). There is a good cheap, snack cafe in beautiful surroundings. This museum is free. (feb 2000 Mike F-W).
Morwellham Quay Devon	An open air living mining village set at the beginning of the 19^thCentury. A number of occupations are covered including mining, shipping, barrel making, farming, teaching and cooking. To get the most out of this museum you must arrive early. Entry includes a trip down a drift mine and a ride on a carriage as well as sessions in the school, assayer's office and barrel making exhibits. We found this museum very expensive but good nonetheless. Food is expensive here and not that good. You may picnic in the grounds. (July 1998 Mike F-W )
Snibston science museum Coalville Leicestershire	This is an exploratory, hands on science exhibition. It has some good, fun experiments. It includes a special exhibition of weaving and fashion and one can book a mine trip. There is a large outdoor area with large scale experiments, including a canal lock system for the children to get good and wet and there is a wooded area and nature reserve made on reclaimed land ,where one can picnic. It is still being expanded. The cafe is good and not over expensive if a little limited in its range of foods. (Summer 1999 Mike F-W )
National Waterways Museum Gloucester	Based in a large warehouse among a number of other museums in the old Gloucester Docks. This is a good hands on experience. The children generally enjoyed it though it probably doesn't warrant too many return visits. There is a cafe which is a little expensive though there are other cafe's in the area. You may also book a river trip down the canal. (1998 Mike F-W )
Corinium Museum Cirencester	Cirencester Museum is a small, inexpensive but well put together museum of Roman Britain. Its main attractions are the Roman mosaics, which are some of the finest in Britain. There is no cafe but being in the centre of Cirencester this museum makes a great focus for a good day out. Cirencester also has a Roman Amphitheatre.(1996 Mike F-W)
Reading Museum	A small town museum with a surprise. It contains a full-scale hand embroidered copy of the Bayer Tapestry, worth a visit all on its own. It is in the centre of Reading so you can get lunch all over the place. However we found nothing else in Reading (except Reading gaol of "the Ballad of Reading Gaol" fame). (1996 Mike F-W ).
Avebury Wiltshire	This is not really a museum, though there is a small introduction centre and manor house gardens to look at (both national Trust but includes free entry to the museum for members of English heritage). Avebury is a large Neolithic (circa 2,500bce) stone circle. It is part of the Stone Henge complex (though 40 or so miles away). The Henge is about a halve mile across and has a village inside it. It has somehow managed to retain its own sense of place (which Stone Henge has failed to do). It is entirely free. Lunch can be had at a pub or a famously good vegetarian cafe called Stones run by a couple of ex archaeologists (expensive but very good). Stones also serves delicious afternoon teas and ice creams. You can often look around the church and there are other related sites nearby, such as Kennet long barrow. (1998 Mike F-W)
British Museum	The sheer size of the British Museum means that you should not attempt to "do it" in one session. There are no child friendly exhibits with things to bounce on and buttons to push. The wonderful statues and slabs of ancient buildings all have "please don't touch" signs on them. My kids loved it. We only "did" the Roman Britain and Ancient Egypt rooms on the top floor but the 5 yr. old ran from case to case calling us over to look at the "treasure". Lots of treasure, heaps of gold coins, jewellery all the more interesting for having been dug up in a field in southern England. The Mosaics (which I wanted to see as we were "doing" them at home) were passed over quickly "oh yeah.. look more treasure" but the bog bodies did keep them a bit longer. The Egyptian Mummies were "cool" but not so cool as the mummified pets that were buried with them. We went with 1 adult and three children (9, 7, 5) and spent about 2.5 hours there. At which point they were bored with just looking at things. The entrance is free / donation only into a container as you go in. The guards were very child friendly the restaurant outrageously expensive and no child friendly food at all (but great for HE kids who like poached salmon and bits of green stuff in their egg sandwiches! ). Be prepared to get carried away in the shop though - lots of great resources. (2000 Diane B)