From jousting to treasure trails and summer pantos, 10 top bank holiday family days out and short breaks on a budget
We've got ten ideas of how to have a Bank Holiday bonanza on a budget before the kids go back to school...
IT’S turning out to be a long, hot summer, so don’t let the family fun end without one last fling over the Bank Holiday weekend before the kids go back to school.
As your holiday spends may have almost run out, we’ve come up with days out and short breaks from August 25 that don’t cost a fortune.
TRISHA HARBORD has ten ideas of how to have a Bank Holiday bonanza on a budget . . .
Jousting
CHEER on the toughest knights in the country at some of the final jousts and battles of the summer at English Heritage properties.
The Medieval Knights Season is in full swing again this year after being launched by Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton, who took a two-day training course in jousting at Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire, last month.
Hooves will thunder and lances will rise as the 1266 siege of Kenilworth is re-enacted on August 26 and 27, family ticket costs £33.48.
On the same days, watch the skill and horsemanship of a joust at Old Sarum in Wiltshire and Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire. Family tickets £18.59 and £34.65.
You’ll see falcons in flight and be entertained by the court jester and merry musicians.
Belsay Hall in Northumberland is holding a Knight’s Tournament on Bank Holiday Saturday, Sunday and Monday with a medieval camp, kids’ battle drills and fire-cooked food. Family ticket £23.76.
See .
Dinosaurs
MORE than 30 life-sized dinos are on the loose at Cardiff’s Bute Park for Jurassic Kingdom: Where Dinosaurs Come to Life.
As well as the beasts roaming the park and even hiding in trees, a half-hour film explaining how dinosaurs lived 200million years ago is also shown in a marquee.
The show runs until the end of the August bank holiday. A family ticket costs £38, see jurassic kingdom.uk/Cardiff/.
If you want to stay for the weekend, there’s a campsite, Pontcanna Fields, within walking distance, with pitches from £27. See cardiffcaravanpark.co.uk.
Meanwhile, the Welsh capital will also play host to the Extreme Sailing Series on Cardiff Bay, running all weekend, from the free-to-enter Race Village.
See .
Music on the water
FAMILY festivals are taking place across the nation’s canal network over the bank holiday weekend.
In Liverpool, enjoy free daytime music at Folk On The Dock – celebrating the role Liverpool’s waterways have played in exporting and importing music.
Hundreds of artists will play on stages at Albert Docks, on boats and in the Maritime Museum.
Close by, the Bootle Music Festival on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on Saturday and Sunday, welcomes acts including 80s pop duo Hue and Cry, as well as craft, food and beer stalls. It costs £10 for the whole weekend, under tens are free.
And at the free Burnley Canal Festival, see the decorated boats and take try a canoe taster session.
See .
Treasure trail
IF you’ve got any budding detectives or spies in your family, then spending £6.99 on a Treasure Trail will be well worth it.
There are more than 1,200 across the UK – murder mysteries, treasure hunts and spy missions.
You solve sets of clues in the booklet, and learn about the local history along the way.
Don’t worry about getting stuck on a clue – there is a helpline so have a mobile phone handy.
The trails, accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, are normally no more than a couple of miles, so can be done at your own time and pace.
Stop off for lunch at a restaurant or café en route, or take a picnic.
A trail, costing £6.99, can be downloaded, or pay postage for a booklet. See .
Bawdsey Manor
LET the kids use up some energy on a cut-price family PGL adventure at Bawdsey Manor in Suffolk.
Activities include abseiling, climbing, orienteering, canoeing – and even a zipwire and a trapeze.
The offer for the weekend from August 25-27 includes two nights full-board accommodation in the grounds of the manor.
This is a new PGL centre set in 144 acres with a lake and private beach, near Woodbridge on the Suffolk Heritage Coast.
There is also an indoor sports hall, games room and evening entertainment. Meals, using local produce, are served in the historic clock tower.
Normally £179 for adults and £159 for children aged five to 18, the bank holiday offer £119pp for everyone. Under fives are free. See .
Youth Urban Games
EXPECT a lot of flying through the air as Glasgow showcases Scotland’s first Youth Urban Games.
More than 5,000 people are expected to watch the free event on Saturday August 25.
A derelict site on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal is being transformed so youngsters can show their BMX, skateboarding and acrobatic skills. If you want to take part, go to YUG2018.co.uk.
A canal festival is being held on the same day with live music, street food, craft markets and workshops and wildlife and heritage tours. See scottishcanals.co.uk.
For families in Edinburgh, catch the last weekend of the book festival in Charlotte Square Gardens. There are free pop-in events for adults and children. See .
Summer pantomime
X-FACTOR band Union J’s Jaymi Hensley appears as the genie in screen technology backing at the Haven’s live Aladdin show.
Families can see Aladdin Goes Pop! at Haggerston Castle, Northumberland.
You can be as active or chilled as you like from skimming the treetops on the Aerial Adventure to enjoying a pampering session in the spa.
There’s a pool with slides, a golf course, boating lake and play areas.
Explore the area and its coastline or drive 30 minutes to Alnwick Castle, from the Harry Potter films and TV’s Downton Abbey. Family ticket £39.60.
Three nights’ self-catering in accommodation sleeping up to eight people at Haggerston Castle from August 24, is from £419. See .
Zoo superheroes
ANIMALS at London Zoo are making room for some new superheroes.
Kids can enrol at the Superhero Academy to learn about the super powers of animals and help protect them from the planet’s greatest villains.
After picking up a mission pack and mask, they will learn night vision skills from an owl and race against the cheetah, the world’s fastest animal.
Then they can master the leafcutter ant’s super strength by lifting a three-ton taxi and defy gravity like a gecko by crawling across a ceiling. After a graduation photo, the new recruits tackle a maze packed with obstacles.
The zoo is open from 10am to 6pm and the academy, running until September 2, is included in the entry price, family ticket £75.80. See .
Bury St Edmunds Food and Drink Festival
CELEBRITY chefs are sharing recipes with fans at Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival.
James Tanner, who features on ITV’s Lorraine, is showcasing his talents on Sunday, August 26.
Ready Steady Cook’s Paul Rankin takes to the stage on the Monday.
The free family event also has a farmers’ market, rides and a beach. Head to ourburystedmunds.com.
If you want to stay, the Angel Hotel has rooms from £137, including breakfast, with two under 14s free. See the angel.co.uk.
AND The Great British Food Festival is back at Bowood House, Bath, from August 25-27. It features chef demos and you can enter the Cake Off.
Buy tickets now to get a discounted family ticket for £21. See greatbritishfoodfestival.com.
Legoland Beach Bash
IF you have younger children, a theme park without white-knuckle rollercoasters is perfect for a short break.
Legoland Windsor’s Summer of Fun includes a pop-up beach party, water ride challenge and a sand sculpture. The park has more than 55 rides and attractions for under 12s.
A night’s B&B at the themed-room Legoland Castle Hotel for a family of four, including park tickets, costs from £577, when booked by midnight tonight. See .
Meanwhile Gulliver’s World in Warrington, Cheshire has a Lost World of the Living Dinosaurs.
Two nights’ room only from August 26 and park entry for two adults and two children costs from £402. For details, see .