Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis Museum · Photo: David Tucker LM
Learn about Mary Anning and Jurassic sea monsters in Lyme Regis, then head to Charmouth's free fossil centre and join a guided hunt on the beach.
Museum · 10:00–11:30 (1h30m)
Fossil galleries and Mary Anning's story; ask about their guided fossil walks.
An indoor and outdoor museum in Lyme Regis, aimed at ages 9 and up.
Photo: David Tucker LM
Museum · 12:30–15:30 (3h)
Free centre - picnic lunch, then a warden-led fossil hunt on the shore.
A free fossil centre right on Charmouth beach with displays, a 'Charmouth dinosaur' and wardens who run public fossil-hunting walks along the shore. One of the best places on the Jurassic Coast to find your own ammonite.
Photo: Sarah Charlesworth
South WestNewton Abbot or Exeter
A day that costs little more than parking: a lakeside country park with a treetop boardwalk, free giant marble runs at lunchtime, then play and a storybook trail in a big forest park.
Stover Country Park → Haldon Forest Park
South WestBristol city centre
Three indoor stops a short walk apart around Bristol's floating harbour: hands-on science, the free city museum and Brunel's great ship. Good for curious 6-12s when the weather is grim.
M Shed → Brunel's SS Great Britain
South WestWareham or Swanage
Day one pairs an ape rescue centre with a hangar full of tanks next door. Day two takes the steam train to Corfe Castle and ends on the clifftops at Durlston.
Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre → The Tank Museum → Corfe Castle → Durlston Country Park
