To refuse to go on days out in the UK anymore ?

[Heswall]

I have spent half the day mumsnetting from my phone because we have been bored rigid on a "day out" at a local national trust event.
The egg hunt clues were crap or missing, I ended up offering lunch at Frankie and Benny's if we could get the hell out of there and warm up.
I am sick of having to buy tons of layers of warm clothing that get taken off and then lost - if anyone finds an age 11-12 Joules Aire bodywarmer can I have it back please ? - I am sick of paying £60 in petrol and entrance fees for an hours entertainment at best.
For the price of Alton Towers I can fly two people to Spain, I feel I have done every farm, theme park, old house in the half of the country I live in.
AIBU to stay shove the staycation and save up for warm sunny weather and pastures new instead ?

wow busyboysmum, you lot are busy

We do the same, when we book a holiday we look to see what NT and EH places are near by, it saves a fortune.

Last year we went to Knole in Kent and shared our picnic with the deer in the garden which was a hoot for the kids. I think some NT properties are better than others in terms of kids interest.

MissGreatBritain, The English heritage sites are great, mine seem to prefer the English Heritage sites but then boys seem to love war fare, castles and ruins more than tapestries and paintings. I think they also like the idea of pacing out the the floor plans, we once had to spend two hours trying to work out where the monks slept and brewed beer at Battle abbey, in the end it was the adults that were bored.

For anyone in SW London a great and free day out with littlies is Morden Hall Garden Centre. They have the most amazing aquarium and goldfish/carp sheds and it's as good as a trip to an aquariam - lovely gardens and you can follow the Wandle trail down to Merton Abbey Mills. Another free one in the same direction is Dean City Farm.

Yorkshire has some lovely towns, well worth a day out, and in York's case, a weekend. We've taken visitors from London, Bristol and Germany to Hebden Bridge for a day and they have all absolutely loved it. Full of independent shops and not a chain in sight, loads of nice places to eat, and my favourite: Noir, a shop full of blingy loveliness that's all very reasonably priced.
Haworth is gorgeous, the Bronte Parsonage and church, loads of interesting shops and lovely food, plus steam trains and all the Railway Children locations.
Skipton has a great market, loads of shops and a fantastic castle.

We are going to Leeds for a wedding soon. I have made notes thank you (and packed a white brolly).

yabu and sound pretty defeatist but each to their own, go abroad if you want to.

Personally I love days out in this country and I feel that we have much more cheap/free stuff especially in the bigger cities.

I have friends a bit like you OP, they go to London and complain that they have spent £200+ but we maage to go for WAAAAAY less than that by taking a packed lunch, using clubcard vouchers to pay for a treat dinner out and visiting all the free places such as the science museum, parks, city farms...etc rather than waxworks museums or whatever (bleeeugh). They also buy designer clothes and complain when they get lost/stained etc....

I love days out with the kids and they do too. So what if it rains, the clues are missing or whatever - imo you get out what you put in.

I think there are lots who think like you though OP - I have seen many a parent glaring at me in horror because (shock horror) I allow my kids to keep playing in the adventure playground when the heavens open rather than running for cover like most other people...they have wellies and raincoats and mud will come out in the wash

Ah the old British spirit, get pissed on and pretend we are enjoying it, stiff upper lip and all that eh ?

Um no, actually some of us can enjoy ourselves in the rain Heswall, sorry that you are not one of them but believe me my children could not be convinced to "pretend" to enjoy themselves...

The lady doth protest too much

I'm sure they do

Sounds like your children had a lot of fun elvis

And that is my main aim of any day out

Yabu
You make your own fun
Wrap up warm and make your choices a bit more wisely
We had fun on days out in allsorts of weather when we were kids
And just had row with dh about moaning about the rain. Just dress appropriately fgs

And yes morden hall park is fab marriedinwhite
New nature playground is great, can't get DS out of there!

Does anyone know what Cliveden is like? Drove past it today, and this thread has got me wondering about NT membership.

YAB semi U
We have had the best and cheapest Easter:)
I am lucky though, living in a great part of Devon, we have had walks on the moors, been crab fishing, with our home made crab lines, spending 2ps on the pier, bird spotting, which my girls loved as they had their book and saw a nuthatch! collecting shells, scootering, Easter egg hunt up nanny and grandads, swimming, had a day out at bicton park using our clubcard vouchers, been cinema, then ate out using our vouchers again:) Always take picnics, soup and tea, my DDs have loved all of it.
I agree some things are shocking prices, like crealy, I live near it and would never go but I really think the UK is fantastic and you don't need to spend loads!

This half term I have been to;

Widnes Catalyst Museum
Wimbledon Windmill Museum
London Science Museum

Back at work today, so the delight of entertaining the dcs is all dhs today :)

BikeRunSki We parked at the Cat and Fiddle on the Macclesfield - Buxton Road then went up Shining Tor, along the ridge to Pym Chair then down the valley to Errwood. From there up to Stakeside then back down to the Cat and Fiddle. A nice walk at any time but terrific in snow.

Have just had a scan through this thread. I have done nothing so far this Easter except:

Changed all the beds
Catch up on the laundry
4-5 hours of work
Cleared out the utility room
Tried to catch up with myself generally
(DH and I have had two two hour walks)
Done a bit of shopping

Oh hols for a week and the dc are almost grown

Off to see my mother tomorrow though and then doing the 350 mile haul from there to Yorkshire on Saturday morning to see MIL.

hope your visits go ok married, try not to tear your hair out!!(seen your other posts..)

My boys love going to NT or EH properties. Last time DS1 had to do a history project for school the local NT property went out of their way to help him, e.g. letting him dress up in lots of costumes (despite the costume area technically being shut at the time) so he could get lots of photos. Our 2 local properties have loads to do for kids of all ages. And on odd occasions we do shell out 'a fortune' on cakes or icecreams in the cafe or a ride in the carriage to make it a real treat.

We are lucky to live in a rural area with lots of industrial heritage so can walk from the house to lots of free mining areas and heritage centres, all joined by long footpaths by the river. We spend many happy days in the holidays 'camped' by the river.

Have booked to go to Portsmouth in August - £20 a night for 2 travelodge rooms (so my DB, SIL, DM can come too). Bargain at £2.50 per person that is cheaper than camping!!). Going to spend the money we saved on a hotel to go and look around the Victory, go on hovercraft to Isle of Wight etc. Boys all very much looking forward to it. If it rains we have coats and wellies... (ps. it rained when I went to Spain too )

We went to Portsmouth Dockyard last year, really good value, exp to get in but much more to do than we first anticipated. The victory was fab and there is another boat, a think it was the first steel and steam Victorian war ship. There is so much to do that you need to get there early to fit everything in.

Porchester Castle, I think is near by. We are thinking of camping down nr Portsmouth in the summer holidays as there are several places we are keen to visit. Hope you all have a great time LittleMiss.

We are trying to decide if we can justify the equivalent of 70quid plus another 10 quid per day parking, for two days at Disneyland California each person....son is free as he is not quite 3 but crickey this thread is making me think that is cheap compared to the going rate in the uk for entertainment. It still seems like a huge chunk of change.....I had no idea Disney was so expensive till I just checked....I imagine Paris one is even more than that.
I used to love uk day trips as a child.....and there is always free stuff to do surely....beaches, woodland walks, bike trips.....but I agree we never come home as we find the uk so expensive for everything......especially eating out and petrol!

I hate days out but that's just because I feel uncomfortable around lots of people. I'm odd (apparently)

Minimaths / LittleMiss - we live near Portsmouth and have never done the dockyard, definitely on our list. Portchester Castle is great, also the Royal Armouries on nearby Portsdown Hill, which is free entry, loads of tunnels to run around in and cannons. A trip on a boat round Portsmouth Dockyard is very interesting, I also like following the Millennium walkway round the dockyard. We also like the beaches, even though they are mostly stony, so many ships going in and out of Portsmouth Harbour. However good campsites are in fairly short supply.