Days out,
already planned.

Tolkien's Birmingham: mill, bog and park

Hall Green, Birmingham

Start at the old watermill that shaped Tolkien's Shire, then follow the boardwalks of the wood he played in as a boy. Finish with playgrounds, boats and mini golf in one of Birmingham's best-loved parks.

Sarehole Mill → Moseley Bog and Joy's Wood Local Nature Reserve

Two days in the Black Country

Dudley

A proper Black Country weekend: a day in the rebuilt streets of the living museum and a fossil hunt nearby, then a zoo on a castle hill and a Victorian park with two playgrounds.

Black Country Living Museum → Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve → Dudley Zoo and Castle → Haden Hill Park and Haden Hill House

Farm animals and a big free park in Sandwell

West Bromwich

A gentle morning for little ones: a booked slot with the animals at a council farm, then lunch and the adventure playground at the Sandwell Valley visitor centre.

Coventry rainy day: cars, a dinosaur and the cathedral ruins

Coventry city centre

Three city-centre stops within a few minutes' walk of each other: a giant transport collection, a museum where Dippy the Diplodocus is visiting, and the moving ruins of the old cathedral.

Coventry Transport Museum → Herbert Art Gallery and Museum → Coventry Cathedral

Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare, boats and a cottage garden

Stratford-upon-Avon

See where Shakespeare was born, take to the river in a rowing boat or a short cruise, then spend the afternoon in the orchards and sculpture trail of Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage.

Shakespeare's Birthplace → Avon Boating → Anne Hathaway's Cottage

Warwick and Kenilworth castles weekend

Warwick

Two very different castles a few miles apart: a full day of towers, shows and dungeons at Warwick, then the vast red ruins of Kenilworth and an afternoon of play and pools at Ryton.

Warwick Castle → Kenilworth Castle → Ryton Pools Country Park

Trentham gardens and the monkey forest

Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent

A morning around the lake and adventure play areas of the Trentham estate, then an afternoon walking among free-roaming Barbary macaques in the woods next door.

The Trentham Estate (Trentham Gardens) → Trentham Monkey Forest

Free aircraft and the Iron Bridge

Telford

A free day out with paid parking only: historic aircraft and a playground at the RAF Museum, then a walk across the world's first iron bridge in the Ironbridge Gorge.

Royal Air Force Museum Cosford → The Iron Bridge

South Shropshire castles and a free discovery centre

Ludlow

Explore the ruined castle at the top of Ludlow, then head up the valley to Stokesay's fortified manor for lunch and its new playground, finishing with the free meadows and exhibitions at the Discovery Centre.

Ludlow Castle → Stokesay Castle → Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre

Wyre Forest trail and farm-animal arboretum

Bewdley

A morning following the Room on the Broom trail and playing in the Wyre Forest, then an afternoon of pools, woodland paths and farm animals at Bodenham Arboretum.

Wyre Forest → Bodenham Arboretum

Worcester on a budget

Worcester

A free city museum, a hands-on Civil War house with dressing-up, and an afternoon in ancient woodland with an adventure play area, all close to Worcester city centre.

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum → Worcester Woods Country Park

Hereford's medieval map and a Wye Valley castle

Hereford

See the Mappa Mundi and the chained library in Hereford Cathedral, then drive down to the Wye to climb Goodrich Castle's keep and peer into its dungeon.

Hereford Cathedral, Mappa Mundi and Chained Library → Goodrich Castle