Abbey Wood
Lesnes Abbey Woods · Photo: Ethan Doyle White
A one-date special: fossil hunting and abbey ruins in Lesnes Abbey Woods in the morning, then the ornate Victorian pumping station at Crossness with its giant beam engines in steam for the Christmas Steaming Day. Great for engine-mad and history-minded children.
Nature & gardens · 10:00–12:45 (2h45m)
Ancient woodland and abbey ruins; dig in the designated fossil pit for shells and sharks' teeth. Play area and kiosk; bring a picnic.
88 hectares of ancient woodland, heath and parkland around the ruins of a 12th-century abbey, with a play area and a kiosk. The big draw for kids is a designated fossil pit where you can dig for shells and sharks' teeth.
Photo: Ethan Doyle White
Landmark · 13:05–16:00 (2h55m)
Painted Victorian ironwork and beam engines running in steam. Food available on event days.
A Victorian sewage pumping station with spectacularly ornate painted ironwork and giant beam engines that are run in steam on open days. Opens only on selected dates and events sell out, so book ahead.
Photo: Ethan Doyle White
LondonTrafalgar Square / Covent Garden
A winter day in the West End: the National Gallery's family tours and drop-ins, present-hunting among toy theatres, a warming lunch in the crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and an afternoon skate in the courtyard of Somerset House. Only for the skating season, 11 November to 10 January.
The National Gallery → Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop → Café in the Crypt → Somerset House + 1 more
LondonChelsea / South Kensington / Hyde Park
A hot-weather day built around water: ground-level jets in Duke of York Square, a paddle in the V&A's garden pool with a picnic, a rowing boat on the Serpentine and a long late-afternoon session on the pirate ship playground, which stays open into the evening in summer.
Duke of York Square → Victoria and Albert Museum → Hyde Park Boating on the Serpentine → Serpentine Bar & Kitchen + 1 more
LondonCamden / King's Cross
Follow the Regent's Canal towpath from the moored boats of Little Venice past the edge of the zoo to Camden Lock, eat your way round the market, test the 50-metre zip wire at Gloucester Gate and finish among the converted coal stores at King's Cross. Best for confident walkers rather than buggies.
Regent's Canal Walk: Little Venice to Camden → Camden Market → Gloucester Gate Playground → Coal Drops Yard
