 Buckingham Palace
The Changing of the Guard is always a kid’s favourite, but be warned the crowds can be large. The guard changes daily at 11:30am from 3 April to 3 August, and from August to April it’s on alternate days.
Kew Gardens
Escape the crowds and take a picnic to these beautiful gardens. There are extensive lawns and interesting greenhouses to explore. A nice way to get there is on a ferry from Westminster pier, which travels up the Thames every 30 minutes from 10:15am to 2:30pm from Easter to the end of September. The trip takes one and a half hours. Tube: Kew Gardens.
Madame Tussaud’s
A great family outing. The Chamber of Horrors is sure to keep the kids amused. Arrive early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the horrendous queues, especially in summer. Tube: Baker Street.
Natural History Museum
The best museum in London for kids has a large collection of stuffed animals and birds, butterflies, rocks and interactive stuff. Tube: South Kensington.
The London Eye
Thirty-two high-tech capsules carry some 15,000 visitors a day 135 metres up into the sky on this giant ferris wheel besides the Thames. The views across London are really amazing. Under 5’s get on for free.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Visitors to London can watch a play at one of the capital’s most historic theatres just as they did in 1599. There are 700 ‘groundling’ tickets for every performance at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the South Bank. The only drawback is that you have to stand throughout the performance, but you are just a short distance from the stage. Full price, seated tickets are also available.
The Globe has been reconstructed ‘in the round’ using the same wood and thatch materials as the original theatre that William Shakespeare knew. There are regular tours of the auditorium – often when rehearsals are taking place. Below ground is the ‘Underglobe’, the world’s largest exhibition devoted to the playwright, with interactive displays and demonstrations of sword-fighting and special effects.
The theatre also has a café-bar and restaurant, both boasting superb views over the River Thames towards the Millennium Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Shakespeare’s Globe is open daily all year.
 Free attraction guide
A new guide book lists more than 1,000 attractions, activities and events in Britain and Ireland which have free admission. The FreeToDo Travel Guide costs £8.49 and is available from British bookshops or on-line through www.visitbritaindirect.com. The guide includes castles, museums, crafts, gardens, food and wine tastings and festivals.
Fright nights in Yorkshire
A balding monk, an elegant Georgian lady and a tall man with a knotted leather cord between his hands are among the 14 ghosts reported at one of York’s most haunted buildings – The Otherworld – and now visitors can have a chance to see them for themselves with a range of Ghost Suppers and overnight Ghost Hunts run by a company called Fright Nights. The building was formerly the Psychic Museum and is situated on one of the original roman roads leading into the medieval city of York, known as Stonegate. Fright Nights’ experienced guides, experts and mediums will take guests round the three storey house searching for activity via a spiral staircase, through passages and rooms such as the Séance Room where there have reputedly been six accounts of poltergeist activity. The latest ghost hunting equipment will be used including heat sensors and an ‘aura camera’. The events cost from £35 and take place at weekends throughout the year.
TOP TEN things to do outside London
- The Norman castles, Wales. Soon after the Norman Invasion of Britain in 1066 the fight was on against the Welsh. To secure their advance and defend their territories, the Normans built plenty of castles over the years. Many of them are huge and, though mostly ruins these days, you can still get a good taste of what they were like in their heyday. Some of the best include Chepstow Castle, just over the border with England in the south; Raglan Castle near Monmouth; Pembroke Castle, the strongest in the chain of castles aimed at subjugating the Welsh; Conwy Castle in the north west, where you can still walk around the battlements; and Caernarfon Castle, where Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales.
- The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland. This weird rock construction on the Antrim coast is made up of around 40,000 natural hexagonal basalt columns which you can walk across. The causeway is widely known as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.
- Snowdon, Wales. The highest mountain in Wales is very atmospheric with blue-grey rocks and stubbly heather everywhere. You can walk up, but it will take you around three hours, or you can take the Snowdon Mountain Railway from the little town of Llanberis. A steam train with very old carriages chugs up the mountain and down again in around two and a half hours. You have half an hour on top. The train runs from mid-March to mid-October.
- Land’s End, Cornwall, England. The coast around the most westerly point in Britain is dramatic and spectacular. Expect cliffs, waves, seagulls and pebbly coves. It’s what children’s stories are made of.
- Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. The changing of the (kilted) guard takes place on the Esplanade as you enter this magnificent castle and, on summer evenings, a bagpiper plays here too. The views over the old city are glorious.
- Southend-on-Sea, Kent, England. An easy train trip from London brings you to this east coast beach getaway where sticks of rock, deck chairs, pickled whelks, and kiss-me-quick hats dominate. It’s a strange cultural experience. When the tide is out it’s a long way to the water and the beach looks far from inviting.
- York, North Yorkshire, England. This medieval town is famous for York Minster, Europe’s largest medieval cathedral. You could spend all day exploring it, but leave some time to wander the streets and visit the National Railway Museum, one of the largest of its type in the world.
- Loch Ness, Scotland. Poor old Nessie the monster has been ruthlessly exploited. Nevertheless, it’s quite a thrill for children on the one-hour Nessie Hunter boat that cruises the cold, dark lake. A museum adds a few insights and there are lots of plastic Nessies and cardboard cut-outs if you don’t spot the real thing.
- Portsmouth, England. While Portsmouth isn’t that interesting in itself – most of it was bombed during World War Two – a real highlight is a visit to the Naval Heritage Area, where you can tour Lord Nelson’s famous flagship, HMS Victory, and see the ruins of the salvaged Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s favourite warship.
- Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England. Not only can you find cheese around here but the caves are magnificent with lots of impressive stalactites and stalagmites.
 Events
The British celebrate several festivals and holidays throughout the year. Christmas and New Years are among the most important celebrations. Some events are especially delightful for kids, including:
Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, is celebrated everywhere on 5 November. There are organised firework displays, but most people buy and light their own (fireworks are legal in the UK). Fireworks almost always come with a bonfire, usually with an effigy of Guy Fawkes on top. The celebration stems from The Gunpowder Plot in 1605, when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators tried to blow up the English parliament along with the ruling monarch, King James I.
Hogmanay, or New Years Eve, is a major celebration all over Scotland. The biggest is in Edinburgh where there are fireworks, torchlight processions, street parties, music and dance.
St Patrick’s Day, on 17 March, is celebrated in Northern Ireland as well as in Ireland itself. In Belfast, celebrations include carnival parades and cross-community festivals. www.discovernorthernireland.com
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is held every year in the first week of August. The colours, singing, dance and general atmosphere is great for kids. The event can be traced back to 1176 when a certain Lord Rhys held a grand gathering of poets and musician from all over Wales in his castle in Cardigan. A chair at the Lord's table was awarded to the best poet and musician, a tradition that prevails in the modern day National Eisteddfod. The 2005 Eisteddfod is in Caernarfon, and the 2006 event in Swansea.
Glasgow piping event
Some 8,000 pipers from around the world will join the best of Scotland’s home-grown talent for Piping Live! in Glasgow (August 6-12). Many will descend on Glasgow Green (August 11) to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships which has been held annually since 1948. www.seeglasgow.com/piping
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