Weekends and school holidays are expensive times and entertaining children isn't always fun. Britain offers a great many places where kids and adults can go free, generally countryside, wildlife and nature reserves, lakelands etc. The majority of public sector museums are also free. Be mindful though that despite free entry, car parking can up to £5.00 per car in some car parks, not taking into account those in major cities.

To add to the fun, consider leaving the car at home and look into buses, coaches, trains, river boats and canal boats. As an example a one and a half hour return trip on a narrowboat from Little Venice, Maida Vale to Camden Town market is only £22 for the whole family, it even travels through Regents Park Zoo and includes a tour guide full of interesting information about the canal history and life on a house boat.

There's no need to dine in expensive restaurants and cafes, take a picnic. They are a fraction of the cost, you can enjoy your favourite food and even take your pet! Keep checking here for freebies, free products, sample packs, puzzles and competitions.

South-east of England offers a wide range of visitor attractions to suit everyone. Major attractions in historic towns,cities, counties and regions include; London, Brighton, Cotswolds, Hastings, Oxford, Portsmouth, Tunbridge Wells etc.

www.itstheweekend.org
It's The Weekend is a guide of things to do and places top go. Cinema, Theatre, Shopping, Pampering. Treats, even places where kids and families can go for free!

Cornwall Free Days Out

Carn Euny Ancient Village

The remains of an Iron Age settlement, with foundations of stone huts and an intriguing curved underground passage, or fogou.
Access - Any reasonable time, no admission charge.
Location - 1.5 miles SW of Sancreed off A30: extremely narrow single-track lane. Park and walk a short distance uphill.

Saltash Heritage

SALTASH HERITAGE - was formed in 1986 by the late Cornelius 'Corny' Hearl and a group of like minded local people who wanted to see the formation of a permanent museum for Saltash. After many years' hard work and fund raising by the committee and members of Saltash Heritage, in 2000 one of the original aims of Saltash Heritage was met - the founding of a permanent museum in Saltash. Saltash Heritage finally achieved one of its original aims, when, in 2000, it opened the Saltash Museum and Local History Centre at 17 Lower Fore Street, Saltash. There is a small permanent display about the history and well-known 'characters' of Saltash, and a temporary display is mounted during the summer months (April to November). The 2001 exhibition was 'World War 2 - The Home Front' (with over 2000 people visiting in the 8 month period it was open), & the 2002 exhibition was about 'Our Rural Past' (see below). In 2003 the exhibition was 'The Festive Fifties & A Century Of Royal Events'. The 2004 exhibition covered 'Times And Tide-Lines' - Employment, recreation, training ships & wildlife on our estuaries.

Saltash Museum, 17 Lower Fore Street, Saltash, Cornwall. PL12 6JQ 01752 848466

Stuart House Trust

Stuart House, a 16th century town house in the centre of Liskeard, has been restored by Stuart House Trust as an arts and heritage centre. The house is used for exhibitions and sales of arts and crafts, for charity sales, meetings/seminars and other, heritage, community and cultural events.

The house has twelve rooms and a coffee room, six of which are available for use by events organisers.

Stuart House, Barras St, Liskeard, Cornwall. PL14 6AB

Tel: 01579 347347

Devon Free Days Out

Buckfast Abbey

... which is the home of a Roman Catholic Community of Benedictine monks in Devon, England. The first monastery was founded in 1018, but was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1539. It was refounded in 1882. The Abbey Church was rebuilt by the monks themselves. Buckfast now welcomes almost half a million visitors each year.

Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon TQ11 0EE United Kingdom

01364 645506

Bayard's Cove

BAYARDS COVE is the earliest surviving quay in Dartmouth. Dates set in the cobbles confirm its antiquity. The houses at the southern end and the circular Bayards Cove Fort are Tudor, the buildings at the northern end 18th century. A plaque here commemorates the visit of the PilgrimFathers.

Guildhall Exeter
Exeter's Historic Guildhall was built in 1330 and is one of the oldest municpal buildings still in use.
Opening Hours Vary - Visit the Guildhall Opening Times page for further information. The Guildhall is at the South/North Street end of the High Street. There is no parking at the Visitor Centre, so visitors are advised to use city centre parking and approach on foot. The Guildhall offers disability access on the ground floor only and disabled toilets.
Tel:01392 665500

Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Opened in 1865. The building is in a Venetian Gothic style of architecture contains a wonderful collection of ancient artefacts. 16 galleries of exhibits to see, including fine art, clocks, silverware, archaeology, ceramics and World-wide cultures. The museum is full of fascinating objects. Many areas of the collection are of national and international importance - the World Cultures Collection achieved Designated Collection status to mark its outstanding importance. Entry free of charge Opening times 10-5, Mon.-Sat.
The museum is in Queen Street, opposite Habitat. Central train station is 100 metres away on Queen Street. St David's train station is a 10 minute walk or a short bus/taxi ride away. Most city buses stop in the High Street or Queen Street.

Lydford Castle
Lydford Castle is one of two castles that have existed in Lydford. That existing visible castle is still impressive and dominant despite now having no roof, and the other, older one, is now totally destroyed above ground, but with its earth-covered foundations and impressive defensive ditch still clearly visible and climbable. The sites of these castles are on the two sides of St Petrock's Church, located at the south-west corner of the original Saxon town of Lydford, which is the centre of the present village of Lydford.
Visiting the Castle

Lydford Castle is now administered by English Heritage, and can be visited free of charge at any time. Considerable care and caution should, however, be taken, since there are deep drops and steep stone staircases within the walls of the castle.

Otterton Mill
Set beside the river otter in one of devon's most beautiful valleys and just a mile or so from East Devon's magnificent world heritage coast, ottertonmill is an altogether different kind of experience. A centuries old working water mill, a famous bakery and shop brim full of superb local produce, a fabulous restaurant serving food to die for and a gallery selling work from a selection of the best artists from Devon, Dorset and Somerset. You can now buy artworks and bakery goods through this site as part of our online mail order service.

But that's not all...at ottertonmill we have worked hard to create an overall atmosphere designed to revive the soul and satisfy the senses. It is a place to relax, to unwind, to explore, to escape to and most of all to enjoy.
We're just fifteen minutes from Exeter between Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth

From M5 / Exeter:
Turn off onto the A376 at Junction 30
At the Clyst St Mary roundabout take the A3052 towards Sidmouth / Newton Poppleford
At Newton Poppleford turn right (B3178) at the mini-roundabout towards Budleigh Salterton and Bicton
Follow the road for approximately two miles and turn left at the sign for Otterton (by the memorial)
We are the first building on the right hand side just over the bridge
Do call us on 01395 568521 if you have any queries or questions…we look forward to your visit.

Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery
The Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery is the heart of the museum service. It houses a wide variety of collections covering the fine and decorative arts, natural history and human history.

The main building presents an exciting programme of changing exhibitions and displays. These may be generated through partnerships with other organisations, loaned in from other institutions, or be based around the permanent collections. There is also a dynamic programme of associated events and workshops, along with a series of lunchtime lectures and concerts.
Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery,
Drake Circus,
Plymouth
PL4 8AJ
01752 304 774

Yelverton Paperweight Centre

This Centre, which is situated in the UK Dartmoor National Park, is home to “The Broughton Collection”. This is an exhibition of hundreds of antique and modern glass paperweights, collected by Bernard Broughton over many years.
Yelverton Paperweight Centre
Leg O' Mutton
Yelverton
Devon
England
United Kingdom
PL20 6AD
01822 854250

South West of England. Children go free.

Denham Country Park - Uxbridge
Rivers, woodlands and meadows.
www.buckscc.gov.uk/countryside/countryparks

Hanningfield Reservoir Visitor Centre - Billericay, Essex
100 acre nature reserve on the shores of Hanningfield Reservoir
www.essexwt.org.uk

High Woods Country Park - Colchester, Essex
woodland, wetland, grassland, farmland - fishing and horse-riding trail.
www.visitweb.com/hwcp

Lee Valley Park - Waltham Abbey, Essex
Bird-watching, fishing and Walking.
www.leevalleypark.com

Weald Country Park - Brentwood
Deer Paddock, two lakes, walks and nature trails.
Tel: 01277 216297

The Bear Museum- Petersfield, Hampshire.
Antique teddy bears in Edwardian setting.
www.bearmuseum.co.uk

Fort Nelson - The Royal Armouries - Fareham, Hampshire
Victorian fort fully restored set in 19 acres. Live firing daily.
www.armouries.org.uk

Southampton Maritime Museum - Southampton
Medieval stone warehouse with exhibitions including Titanic and interactive displays.
www.southampton.gov.uk/leisure/heritage

The Needles Park, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight
Park with rides and attractions, chairlift to beach.
www.theneedles.co.uk

Capstone Farm Country Park, Gillinham, Kent
280 acres of meadows and woodlands with childrens' play areas.
01634 812196

Bank of England Museum, Threadneedle Street, London EC2
Museum within the Bank of England charting the history of money.
www.bankofengland.co.uk

Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1
Interactive, sights and smells of wartime in London.
www.iwm.org.uk

Livesey Museum for Children, Old Kent Road, London SE1
Interactive exhibitions for children up to 12
www.Liveseymuseum.org.uk

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7
Interactive exhibitions from dinosaurs onwards. Some exhibitions have entrance fees.
www.nhm.ac.uk

Ragged School Museum, Copperfield Road, London E3
On the site of the original Dr. Barnardo's Ragged School. Dedicated to East End.
www.raggedschool.museum.org.uk

Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon London NW9
Museum of aviation, interactive areas. Flying through the ages.
www.rafmuseum.com

Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7
Interactive exhibits from yesteryear to tomorrow's world.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

Stepping Stones Farm, Stepney High Street, London E1
Working farm, farming demonstrations, farm trail and play area.
www.stepneynews.com

Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1
National gallery of British art from 16th century to today.
www.tate.org.uk

Box Hill, Tadworth, Surrey KT20
Woodland and downs with marked trails and strolls.
01306 885502

CherryTree Farm, Lingfield, Surrey RH7
Stabling for rescue horses, donkeys, and ponies - guided tours.
www.ilph.org.uk

Harbour Park Family Amusement Park - Littlehampton, West Sussex
Traditional family amusement park and fairground - individual fees for rides.
01903 721200

Shpwreck Heritage Centre, Hastings, East Sussex TN34
Collection of historic treasures salvaged from shipwrecks.
01424 437452

Tilgate Park & Nature Reserve, Crawley, West Sussex RH10
Endangered species and breeds, wild and domestic animals.
www.crawley.gov.uk

[ kids go free - South West England ]