The UK’s best last-minute family breaks for children of every age

Nothing takes the shine off a family holiday faster than a long airport queue. So, between the delays caused by new border checks across Europe and squeezed travel budgets, it’s no surprise that many families are making the most of the heat and holidaying in the UK this year. The World Travel & Tourism Council found that more than a third (39 per cent) of British travellers would be much less likely to travel if there were possible delays of three hours or more – and experts have forecast waits of double this at some airports in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Meanwhile, the cost of living means that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of UK families don’t have a summer holiday booked, according to The Family Holiday Charity and Airbnb. Staying in the UK doesn’t have to be boring. With thousands of miles of coast, 15 national parks, mountains and acres of countryside as your playground, there’s plenty of opportunity for a summer adventure. Here’s our pick of the memorable breaks for all ages. Best for preschoolers Forest schooling, nationwide Forest Holidays lease public forest land in England, Scotland and Wales, providing log cabin holidays that are ideal for all ages. Its ranger-led Little Wild Ones sessions are aimed at ages two to five, created in partnership with HarperCollins’ Percy the Park Keeper, featuring storytelling to entertain little explorers, along with crafts and games. The hour-long sessions also include story-led nature play, den-building, foraging, and chances to get messy. Choose between 13 locations from Cornwall to the Brecon Beacons, all with their own local wildlife expert leading activities – the newest site is in Glentress Forest, the Scottish Borders.A four-night mid-week stay in a Silver Birch two-bed cabin from £1,097 at Glentress Forest in August, forestholidays.co.uk The Cosmic Wood at Broughton Sanctuary (Photo: Simon Jauncey) Rewilding walks in North Yorkshire The Broughton Sanctuary estate near Skipton may be more associated with wellbeing retreats and rewilding, but this summer it’s offering a sensory experience for pre-schoolers to help them learn about nature. Spread over 1,030 hectares in the Yorkshire Dales with 23 self-catering properties plus the Avalon Centre spa and wellness centre, the estate works on rewilding projects including community tree-planting at the White Rose Forest and creating new wetland habitats. And the new Little Ones in the Woods sessions in the Cosmic Wood takes the littlest visitors into the revitalised woodland for a string of sensory activities – along with storytelling, they’ll be letting their imaginations roam in dens and finding natural materials to get creative and curious about the world around them. You can tackle some preschooler-friendly sections of the Sanctuary’s 30km Odyssey Trail sensory path too, five interconnected loops designed to introduce guests to a different aspect of the local landscape, from woodland to views of the Dales. Three nights at Low Lodge, sleeping four, costs from £780. Little Ones in the Woods tickets cost £15 for one adult and two children under four, select dates in July/August, broughtonsanctuary.co.uk Best for primary school children A month-long mini festival, Bedfordshire A mash-up of family-friendly festival, glamping break and creative escape, Wild Canvas is set in the 150-acre Turvey House Estate on the banks of Bedfordshire’s River Great Ouse. A mix of outdoor adventure, music, wellness and relaxation, the pop-up campsite’s range of activities also makes it easy to tailor a stay for your family – try anything from paddleboarding to bushcraft workshops, circus skills, art classes and outdoor games, as well as enjoying live music, yoga, Pilates and treatments. Runs from 6-31 August. Glamping tents sleeping four from £160 per night, camping pitches from £84 per night. Some workshops and classes have a separate fee (from £10) but many activities are included – must be prebooked, wildcanvas.uk Outdoor fun at Bert’s Kitchen Garden (Photo: Simon Bray) Simple pleasures on the Llyn Peninsula, north Wales Situated between the mountains and the sea, Bert’s Kitchen Garden retreat is a chilled-out way to enjoy simple pleasures – beachcombing in the nearby cove, kayaking from the private beach, or relaxing around communal fire pits, as well as food on offer from the kitchen garden. Its 36 pitches are dotted between the wildflower meadows, riverside paddock and even a few on the beachfront, with a fun new way for kids to stay in touch with their new friends this summer – every guest receives five postcards to send, and the Little Post service delivers notes between pitches daily.Shepherd huts sleeping three cost £175 per night, camping pitches cost £68 per night for a family of four, bertskg.com Sheep Walking in the Cheviots, Northumberland Sheep Walking in the Cheviots, Northumberland (Photo: Experience North East England) On the border of Northumberland and Scotland, the Cheviot Hills are known for their rugged peaks, hardy sheep and legends of smugglers bootlegging whisky and salt across the border. And the best way to soak up the scenery has to be a stroll with gentle Valais Blacknose sheep, some of the inhabitants of 372-acre family-run Kypie Farm. The 90-minute experience takes place in the foothills, where you can savour the moment as you amble alongside the fluffy white sheep with eye-catching dark noses – the ultimate slow travel. Who needs alpacas? A family room at No1 Wooler hotel in nearby Wooler from £350 for two nights, no1wooler.co.uk; sheep walking £68.90 for a family of four, newadventures.org.uk/experiences/public-sheep-trekking-tours Landmark Adventure Park (Photo: Charne Hawkes Photography) Outdoor thrills in the Cairngorms, Scotland The Highlands are popular with active families, and nowhere more so than the Cairngorms, the UK’s largest National Park at around 1,748 square miles. And the new £500,000 forest adventure zone at Landmark Forest Adventure Park in Carrbridge is the latest good reason to book a holiday here.Aimed at ages four-11, the adventure park combines indoor attractions with outdoor activities, from high ropes to climbing challenges and forest trails, plus rides like the new six-lane toboggan run which winds through the forest. A Summer Holiday Pass costs £60 per adult, £58 per child for unlimited visits, landmarkpark.co.uk; family rooms at The Star Hotel Kingussie nearby cost from around £290 per night, starhotel.scot Best for tweens A taste of the wild in Devon Rewilding Coombeshead in Devon (Photo: Provided) Mixing adventure, wildlife and conservation, Rewilding Coombeshead is a 400-acre rewilding site on the edge of Dartmoor, where the focus is on nature – and you won’t miss screens. Heaven for tweens who love animals, the estate is roamed by Exmoor ponies and water buffalo and you can join guided walks to see other species – nesting white storks, beavers, wildcats and their kittens or hunting barn owls. After learning about conservation breeding programmes for Britain’s endangered animals – including adders and water voles – you can relax at the off-grid camping pitches, with composting toilets and heated showers, plus pizza ovens and barbecues. Camping pitches from £96 for two nights for up to four, rewildingcoombeshead.co.uk Learn to sail in the Norfolk Broads With 125 miles of East Anglia’s waterways to explore – including rivers, lakes and marshlands – boating in The Broads makes for a fantastic gentle adventure. And if you’ve never sailed before, a lack of experience is no problem on a family flotilla week. With support from experienced skippers, there’s time to explore on land as well as cruising along the water. Set off from Upton to visit some of Norfolk’s nature reserves and spot local wildlife, climb a 14th-century church tower, take on a treasure hunt or join in onboard games. After sailing through pretty Potter Heigham and over Horsey Mere, and enjoying a water wildlife safari, the trip ends by decorating your boat and parading into Upton Dyke. Runs 17-21 August. The five-day trip costs £999 for up to five people, eastwood-whelpton.co.uk/family-flotilla Camping fun in Somerset Torn between an active holiday for tweens, a family festival and time chilling out in the countryside? Mendip Basecamp ticks all the boxes at its award-winning family campsite in the Mendip Hills National Landscape near Bristol, including a new series of Mendip Mini Fests this summer. The family-friendly festival-style weekends feature storytelling and a chance to master circus skills as well as live music – and you needn’t pitch your own tent or live without Wi-Fi and flushing toilets here. You won’t be short of adrenaline thrills either, with more than 20 outdoor activities at Mendip Activity Centre, where instructors lead sessions in everything from rock climbing and abseiling at the private quarry to kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and raft building. Bell tents sleeping six cost from £70 per night, glamphouse safari tents from £95 per night. Activity costs vary, starting from £15, must be prebooked. Mini Fest entry included in stays, mendipbasecamp.com Best for teens Ranger-led adventures in Cumbria Tucked in the Eden Valley, teens can (almost) run wild on the 1,500-acre private Edenhall estate, with its lakes, woodland, river and parkland. The dozen or so self-catering properties sleep up to 12 and come with private hot tubs. This is a place to chill out – there’s a woodland sauna and yoga sessions on offer, too. When you’re ready to pick up the pace, rangers lead more than 30 activities – wild swimming in the private river, paddleboarding, archery, fishing, clay pigeon shooting, walks and more. Lodges sleeping four cost from £396 for two nights, or from £498 for options sleeping six. Activities from £25pp, edenhallestate.com Efoiling thrills in Anglesey This puts other watersports to shame, letting you all but fly over the water. A foil (or fin) is attached to the underside of a motorised board, helping you lift above the surface of the waves – or try windfoiling, where the wind propels you forward using a handheld inflatable sail. The Menai Strait is a glorious place to try it too, as you zoom over the protected stretch of water between Anglesey and mainland Wales. Local self-catering specialists, Oyster Holiday Cottages, also offer coasteering, kitesurfing and RIB rides for teens or you can enjoy gentler activities around Anglesey’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, then relax in one of the company’s collection of cottages, some with hot tubs. Seven nights from £947 for a cottage sleeping six in August, oysterholidaycottages.co.uk; the two and-a-half hour efoil course from Foil Ride costs £225, suitable for over-13s Snorkeling in the Farne Islands (Photo: Experience North East England/Callum Thompson/@adventure_cal) Swim and snorkel the Farne Islands, Northumberland The marine reserve of the Farne Islands is known for its wildlife, from colonies of seabirds to seals lounging on the rocks off the coast, with more than 2,000 pups born here every autumn. And along with boat trips galore to these protected isles, you can get even closer with small group swim and snorkel experiences. You cruise from Seahouses before stopping in a small cove to peek under the waves – wetsuit and amazing underwater scenery included. A family room at Bamburgh Castle Inn costs £235, inncollectiongroup.com. Snorkel experience from £74.99 for adults, £55 for children aged 14-17 on select Saturdays, newadventures.org.uk/experiences/swim-the-farne-islands. Guided wild swimming with seals also offered on 30 August for £45pp by taketothewater.co.uk Shorts