50 Family Day Out Ideas in the UK for 2026

Finding a family day out that works for everyone — different ages, different weather, different budgets — is harder than it sounds. This is a curated list of 50 ideas across the UK, ranging from completely free to paid attractions that genuinely deliver, organised so you can find what you need quickly.

Free outdoor days out

1. A coastal walk on the South West Coast Path — the world's longest coastal footpath, 630 miles of free walking with no entry fee at any point
2. Lyme Regis fossil hunting — one of the world's richest fossil beaches, free to access, best after storms
3. Dartmoor wild camping or walking — access land with no entry fee and genuinely wild landscape
4. The Brecon Beacons — open access mountain land in Wales, free to explore
5. Hadrian's Wall Path — walk a section of the national trail; the wall itself at Walltown Crags is free to access
6. The Jurassic Coast — 95 miles of Dorset and Devon coastline, free to walk
7. Arnside and Silverdale AONB — smaller than the national parks but equally beautiful, almost entirely free
8. Snowdonia walk to Llyn Idwal — a short, dramatic walk to a glacial lake, free to access (car park fee applies)
9. Yorkshire coastline — Robin Hood's Bay — free beach, excellent fossil hunting, dramatic scenery
10. The Chilterns beech woods — some of England's most beautiful woodland, extensively free to walk

Free indoor days out

11. Natural History Museum, London — the dinosaur galleries remain among the best free family experiences in the UK
12. Science Museum, London — extensive interactive galleries for children, entirely free
13. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh — free, with outstanding collections across science, history, and Scottish culture
14. Manchester Museum — free, with strong natural history and Egypt collections that children love
15. Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum — Birmingham's science museum has some paid sections but free areas including outdoor science garden
16. National Railway Museum, York — free entry, one of the best family museums in the UK
17. Tate Modern, London — free permanent collection, extraordinary building on the Thames
18. National Museum Cardiff — free, excellent natural history section and art collection
19. Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow — free, vast and impressive, with Spitfire hanging from the ceiling
20. Museum of London Docklands — free, excellent for understanding the history of the Thames and trade

Paid attractions worth the price

21. Eden Project, Cornwall — the biomes are genuinely extraordinary, especially in winter. Book in advance.
22. Chester Zoo — consistently rated among the UK's best zoos. Allow a full day.
23. Go Ape — tree-top adventure courses across the UK, minimum age 6 for most courses
24. WWT Slimbridge — the world-class wetland reserve where Peter Scott founded the wildfowl charity. Outstanding for families interested in birds.
25. Kew Gardens — particularly good for families in spring (blossom) and winter (Christmas trail). Annual membership works out very affordable if you visit multiple times.
26. Beamish Open Air Museum, County Durham — a recreated 1900s town with working tram, mine, and farm. Exceptional for children of all ages.
27. Cadbury World, Birmingham — solidly crowd-pleasing, particularly for under-12s
28. SS Great Britain, Bristol — Brunel's ship in dry dock. Genuinely impressive engineering history made accessible for children.
29. The Deep, Hull — the UK's most spectacular aquarium, in a dramatic building. Worth the drive.
30. Jorvik Viking Centre, York — immersive recreated Viking-age York. Queue times can be long; book in advance.

National Trust days out worth visiting

31. Studland Bay, Dorset — one of England's finest beaches, with sand dunes, heathland, and a nature reserve behind it
32. Formby, Lancashire — red squirrel reserve with remarkable sand dunes and a pine woodland above the beach
33. Trelissick Garden, Cornwall — extraordinary subtropical garden above the Fal estuary
34. Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire — medieval abbey where Fox Talbot invented photography, used in many period dramas
35. Hidcote Garden, Gloucestershire — one of England's great Arts and Crafts gardens
36. Calke Abbey, Derbyshire — the 'house that time forgot', fascinatingly eccentric
37. White Cliffs of Dover — the walk from Dover to the South Foreland Lighthouse is extraordinary on a clear day
38. Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Wales — Roman gold mines with guided tours, unique in the UK
39. Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland — UNESCO World Heritage Site, the basalt columns are as remarkable as photographs suggest
40. Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire — the most extensive monastic ruins in the UK, set in a beautiful water garden

Adventure and active days out

41. Canoeing on the River Wye — one of the UK's best canoe rivers, hire available at Hay-on-Wye and Symonds Yat
42. Zip World, Snowdonia — the world's fastest zip line (adults), plus multiple family-friendly zip and underground adventure options
43. Surf lesson at a UK surf school — Newquay, Croyde, Freshwater West, and Thurso all have good surf schools. Children aged 7+ can learn in a morning.
44. Sea kayaking in a sea cave — available from operators in Pembrokeshire, Cornwall, and the west coast of Scotland
45. Pony trekking in Wales or the Scottish Borders — widely available, usually suitable from age 5–6
46. High ropes course at a PGL adventure centre — most offer day visitor options as well as residential
47. Cycling the Camel Trail, Cornwall — flat, traffic-free, 17 miles from Padstow to Bodmin Moor and back
48. Mountain biking at Glentress, Scottish Borders — excellent family trails as well as technical routes, bike hire on site
49. Rock climbing introduction with a guide — available in most UK climbing areas; a half day with a Mountain Leader guide is an excellent family introduction
50. Wild swim at a supervised outdoor pool — Pells Pool in Lewes, Tooting Bec Lido, Jubilee Pool in Penzance, and Parliament Hill Lido are among the best