Milton Keynes
Bletchley Park · Photo: DeFacto
A morning on the trail of the wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park, with hands-on code-cracking for children. In the afternoon, climb the viewing mound in Campbell Park's sculpture-filled grounds and finish at Willen Lake's playgrounds, splash park and Peace Pagoda.
Museum · 10:00–13:00 (3h)
Ask for a mission pack for younger children; lunch at the café in Hut 4.
An indoor and outdoor museum in Milton Keynes, aimed at ages 4 and up.
Photo: DeFacto
Park · 13:20–14:10 (50m)
Walk up to the belvedere for views and spot the public sculptures.
Milton Keynes' city-centre park beside the Grand Union Canal, with 13 pieces of public art, a viewing belvedere and an orienteering course. There are no toilets in the park itself.
Photo: John Maynard Friedman
Nature & gardens · 14:20–16:30 (2h10m)
Playgrounds and lakeside paths; walk round to the Peace Pagoda on the north side.
Milton Keynes' busiest park, a 100-acre lake with play areas, a splash park, high ropes, watersports and a lakeside café, plus the Peace Pagoda and a labyrinth on the north side. Free to walk round; you pay for parking and activities.
Photo: TripodStories- Ab
South EastLyndhurst
Morning walks under some of the tallest trees in the New Forest along Ornamental Drive, starting at Bolderwood and moving on to the redwoods of the Tall Trees Trail. The afternoon is at Beaulieu, where one ticket covers racing cars, a monorail and a stately home.
Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary → Blackwater Arboretum and Tall Trees Trail → Beaulieu National Motor Museum
South EastPortsmouth Harbour
Spend most of the day at the historic dockyard going aboard HMS Victory and HMS Warrior and seeing the raised Tudor warship Mary Rose. End by going up the Spinnaker Tower next door for a view across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard → Spinnaker Tower
South EastCanterbury city centre
Three indoor stops a few minutes apart in the walled city. Children go free at the cathedral, the underground Roman museum has a mosaic floor still in place and objects to handle, and the free Beaney finishes the day with natural history cases and family trails.
Canterbury Cathedral → Canterbury Roman Museum → The Beaney
