Skegness
Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve · Photo: Christopher Hilton
Start at Gibraltar Point's quiet dunes and beach, where parking is the only cost. Then head into Skegness for the lunchtime seal feed at Natureland and an afternoon on the wide Blue Flag beach.
Nature & gardens · 10:00–12:00 (2h)
Level paths through the dunes to a quiet beach.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust's dunes, salt marsh and beach reserve just south of Skegness, with a visitor centre and café, bird hides and mostly level paths to a quiet beach. A calmer alternative to the resort.
Photo: Christopher Hilton
Aquarium · 12:30–14:15 (1h45m)
Arrive for the 14:00 seal feed after lunch nearby.
An indoor and outdoor aquarium in Skegness.
Photo: Simon Fidler
Nature & gardens · 14:30–16:30 (2h)
Sandcastles and paddling on the free Blue Flag beach.
A wide, flat Blue Flag sandy beach by the Clock Tower and pier, with donkey rides, amusements and RNLI lifeguards in summer. Free, with all the seaside extras close by.
Photo: Ian Paterson
East MidlandsNorthampton (south)
Follow the Room on the Broom trail and try the play areas in Salcey's ancient oak forest. After lunch, watch boats work the locks at Stoke Bruerne, visit the free canal museum and peer into the Blisworth Tunnel.
Salcey Forest → The Canal Museum
East MidlandsNewtown Linford
Walk among red and fallow deer at Bradgate Park and paddle in the stream before lunch. In the afternoon, head to Loughborough for a heritage steam train ride.
Bradgate Park Leicester → Great Central Railway
East MidlandsNottingham city centre
Spend the morning at Nottingham Castle, where the Robin Hood gallery and optional cave tour keep children busy under cover. After lunch, head beneath the streets on a guided caves tour, then finish with hands-on science experiments at a free windmill museum in Sneinton.
Nottingham Castle → City of Caves → Green's Mill and Science Centre
