Felixstowe
Landguard Fort · Photo: Scribwik
Explore the tunnels and gun batteries of Landguard Fort while container ships slide past, then cross to Ipswich for a free Tudor house full of old toys. A park on the doorstep finishes the day.
Castle · 10:00–12:00 (2h)
Bring a torch for the darker magazines.
A Georgian and Victorian coastal fort at the tip of the Landguard peninsula, run by the Landguard Fort Trust with English Heritage. Children can roam a maze of rooms, passages and gunpowder magazines while watching container ships pass.
Photo: Scribwik
Museum · 12:00–12:45 (45m)
Quick add-on next door for just £1 a child.
An indoor museum in Felixstowe.
Museum · 14:00–15:15 (1h15m)
Free entry; tea room on site, first floor by stairs only.
An indoor museum in Ipswich.
Photo: Velvet
Park · 15:15–16:00 (45m)
Let off steam in the park around the mansion.
An indoor and outdoor park in Ipswich.
Photo: RajashreeTalukdar
East of EnglandEly
Climb into the medieval roof spaces of Ely Cathedral in the morning, then cycle or walk the flat droves of Wicken Fen, the National Trust's oldest nature reserve. Under-16s visit the cathedral free with family.
Ely Cathedral → Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve
East of EnglandCambridge city centre
Three free university museums sit within a ten-minute walk of each other in central Cambridge, so a wet day costs nothing but lunch. Start under the giant whale skeleton, eat at the Fitzwilliam's courtyard cafe, then finish with sledges and snow goggles at the Polar Museum.
University Museum of Zoology → The Fitzwilliam Museum → The Polar Museum
East of EnglandCambridge
Flat garden paths and glasshouses in the morning suit buggies and new walkers, and under-17s get in free. After lunch, swap to the woods at Wandlebury for den-building and space to run.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden → Wandlebury Country Park
