Old Style Days Out

ness_w

Furrypig, the site to go to is www.geocaching.com, it seems American, but if you type in your postcode AND your country you willget a list of local caches. You can highlight one, click on the google map there and enlarge it and will have a map showing where all your nearest ones are.
I got into it by someone saying it was a good activity for the family and just waded in. Our satnav did not work, you need something that can take the coordinates in the form posted on the site, and that can then show you where you are within a few feet - the one we got is a classic beginners off road GPS called an etrexH and was £50, you can get them for several hundred too of course. To start with though, you could register on the site there as a newbie and see if a local cacher will take you out one afternoon to see if you like it, alternatively, it's possible to find the odd cache just with a map if you know the area well and the encrypted clue is easy.
It is not easy to get to grips with at first, but a couple of caches down the line all the bugs get ironed out and it is great fun. My family are now getting travel bugs which you can set off on little quests around the world and people send back photos etc of your little traveller!

If you are really interested and want to have a go, pm me for any specific queries.

Ness.

ness_w

Sorry, forgot to add that most of it is strolls in parks, woods etc or puzzle solving in towns, not a cliff face in sight here in Lincolnshire!
You get coordinates from the site I mentioned (free to join, but you have to be a member to get them) and you can do it everywhere - including Iraq if you so wish!
You could get a gps in the states, but if you get one with a base map it will have a map of the US on it rather than the UK which I assume you would rather have. The GPSr I have has no map at all ( so that might be worth looking for over there), so I use it in tandem with the hybrid map I print off from the cache's page.

Ness.

lil_me

CLS park, sorry Chester Le Street, being local tend to abbreviate. Wharton Park is the one in Durham.

Herrington Park is a lovely day out aswell, over near Penshaw Monument.

Crook Hall do some lovely activities in the school holidays sometimes, they did one with fairies which my friend's little girl loved! It's not in Crook as many think, it's down where the river banks are in Durham, you go down the road past the Gate shopping car park.

http://www.crookhallgardens.co.uk/events.htm info is on there, Pirates and Princesses this Easter holidays....the Fairytale week I was told was wonderful aswell.

Mudbath

We had a lovely free day out today walking along a local canal, we then walked back along a disused railway. The children (aged 7 and 8) played follow my leader, searched for hidden treasure and made lots of games up and had a ball. So much better than non stop electronics. Cost was £2 for icecreams and boy are they sleeping right now! I'd definitely try and find fun local walks xx

bellaquidsin

I need some ideas for some cheap days out in Birmingham in February.

I have two grandchildren, a boy aged 9 and a girl nearly 6. Tomorrow the plan is to go to the storytime at the local library and then a picnic in the park - hope the sun shines.

On Wednesday, it will probably be the Birmingham Nature Centre, unless anyone has any other ideas?

Bella

furrypig

Thanks Ness w I'm all registered and have seen a couple of places I could go locally but about to go on holiday to the us so might look there first!!

dianadors

Our nearest city is undergoing lots of redevelopment and a lot of its history is being lost (in my opinion). We have taken to exploring the city on a Sunday when it is less busy and walking in places that we have never explored before (I cant believe I have lived here 48 years and am discovering places, buildings and parks and that are so beautiful and I have never seen before) We document what we have seen with digital photography and compile a blog like diary of it when we get home.

Megabus is brill. You can (if you book in advance) get return tickets for a family of 4 to London for £4.

sarahemmm

There are some amazing places to go if you get a copy of 'Boll!ck* to Alton Towers: Uncommonly British Days Out' by Jason Hazeley, Robin Halstead, Joel Morris and Alex Morris. Most of them are free or very cheap, plus you should be able to get the book from the library. Anyone for the pencil museum?

*It should read the real word, but the forum editor turned it all into asterisks...

foreversomeday

The New Forest (Hampshire) is beautiful - but watch out for the horses on the roads! :eek:

We stayed with a friend so it was free - but I'm sure there must be some cheap B&Bs around and for those who live more locally it would make a lovely day out.

Geocaching is great fun! My dad and brother are really into it, I went along once but we didn't find the thing. They also had a "geobug" which is something you track the progress of on the geocaching website to see where it goes around the world. They were going on holiday to New Zealand so took it along.

saveralot

A day at the beach cheers me up (thank you Mrs Thirfty) I'm trying to save and this is a good idea.

Most museums in Wales are free - St Fagans and the National Museum in Cardiff are. So if anyone is visiting here its a good day out.