Museum · 10:00–11:30 (1h30m)
Verulamium Museum
Under-5s free; dressing up at weekends and school holidays.
An indoor museum in St Albans.
- Toilets
- Accessibility
- Parking
- Good on a rainy day
Photo: Nigel Cox
St Albans
Verulamium Museum · Photo: Nigel Cox
Hands-on Roman life in the museum, with dressing up at weekends and in holidays, then out into the park built over the old Roman city for a picnic by the lake.
Museum · 10:00–11:30 (1h30m)
Under-5s free; dressing up at weekends and school holidays.
An indoor museum in St Albans.
Photo: Nigel Cox
Historic House · 11:30–13:30 (2h)
Picnic by the lake and look for the Roman wall.
A large park over the site of Roman Verulamium beside the museum, with a lake, Roman wall remains and play space.
Photo: Manolo Fernández
East of EnglandSouthend-on-Sea
Ride or walk the world's longest pleasure pier out into the estuary, then head up the hill to Hadleigh's ruined castle, which is free to explore, for big views back over the water.
Southend Pier and Train → Hadleigh Castle
Lowestoft
A free wetland reserve with a play area and marsh-view cafe in the morning, then down the coast to Southwold, where the pier's Under the Pier Show is full of odd home-made coin machines. Walking the pier itself costs nothing.
Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve → Southwold Pier
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