Landmark · 10:15–12:45 (2h30m)
Southend Pier and Train
Train out, walk back - or the reverse if little legs are fresh. Lunch on the seafront.
An indoor and outdoor landmark in Southend On Sea.
Check pricesIndoors & out
- Café on site
Ride or walk the world's longest pleasure pier out into the estuary, then head up the hill to Hadleigh's ruined castle, which is free to explore, for big views back over the water.
One dayAges 3–7Sunny dayCost £10:15–15:152 stops
The plan
- 10:151
- 13:452
Castle · 13:45–15:15 (1h30m)
Hadleigh Castle
Free; paths are steep and muddy after rain, so wellies help.
An outdoor castle in Hadleigh, aimed at ages 4 and up.
Check pricesOutdoors- Accessibility
- Parking
Photo: Edward Clack
More days out in East of England
East of EnglandRoman St Albans for a few pounds
St Albans
Hands-on Roman life in the museum, with dressing up at weekends and in holidays, then out into the park built over the old Roman city for a picnic by the lake.
Verulamium Museum → Verulamium Park
Half dayAges 3–7Cost £
East of EnglandMarshes and a pier of peculiar machines
Lowestoft
A free wetland reserve with a play area and marsh-view cafe in the morning, then down the coast to Southwold, where the pier's Under the Pier Show is full of odd home-made coin machines. Walking the pier itself costs nothing.
Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve → Southwold Pier
One dayAll agesCost £
East of EnglandWhales, mummies and polar explorers: a free rainy day in Cambridge
Cambridge city centre
Three free university museums sit within a ten-minute walk of each other in central Cambridge, so a wet day costs nothing but lunch. Start under the giant whale skeleton, eat at the Fitzwilliam's courtyard cafe, then finish with sledges and snow goggles at the Polar Museum.
University Museum of Zoology → The Fitzwilliam Museum → The Polar Museum
One dayAges 3–7Rainy dayFree