What starts in your imagination comes to life on your screen. Our apps make life a whole lot easier if you are planning a different kind of day out for the family.
Most of the apps on this page are free. A few charge a small fee to access their pages.

Our idea is to help turn your weekend or short break into days packed with fun, creativity and entertainment, they are often educational. Click on any button below to discover more about new hobbies for your children some include video links.
Its official children's favorite pastimes is hobbies
Why not encourage your little one's or not so little one's to try a hobby that can be fun, perhaps a way to equip a young mind with a pastime they could take into adult life. Several come to mind - painting, photography, music, astronomy, a herb garden, nature watch, home crafts, science related, scrap booking, metrology, coin or stamp collections, recycling waste material into useful items and models, maps, map reading and geocaching.
Nature is amazing and its everywhere, near home, in the garden, local wildlife parks, at the beach. I Spy Books are a fabulous way to begin.
WWF-UK, National Geographic, Sea Life. Each organisation can help you learn about marine life.
Click on the link below for your starter packs
Here's a toddler that has definitely got the rhythm
Do you have a Scrap Book for your children to read. They are great fun to create and make for treasured memories, try the holiday scrap book idea click the link to find out
Go Star Gazing! Find the best stargazing locations near you.
Locate your nearest observatory or dark sky sites. Lots of options available. To find out more simply click on the Display Map or use the Location Search. A busy, very popular website with community links and an events calendar.
Have some real fun recycling boxes, paper, old colouring books, magazines, comics. Clck the button to find 3 really great recycling ideas for children.
If you can help your children learn about reuse and recycling then all that material didn't go to waste
One of our threatened species. Entomology the study of insect life. One of the most fascinating places to study insects in nature is on the RSPB website, click the link to find out more.
This charming creature is in rapid decline, you can help by joining in the Mammal Society's National Harvest Mouse Survey. Click the button to find out more about this amazing creature and how you can help
Our National Parks and our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) welcome people who want to be part of caring for nature, its wildlife and habitats
An easy and useful way for children to learn about how to plant seeds, care for them and grow for mummy and daddy to use in the kitchen. Cooking with herbs is an art any child can learn
Probably one of the UK's most Creative Experiences
This short video goes behind the scenes at the British Newspaper Archives to reveal how careful painstaking work captures our nation's history from every local newspaper. Pages of print are carefully scanned then digitized to enable searches of people, places, events and names. Hidden among the pages, are often appealing, sometimes colourful stories faithfully recorded by journalists and editors over the past two hundred years.
Our gardens are a key habitat and food source for pollinators. No matter how small your space, you can support the survival of these invaluable insects
Just a little know-how will soon have you reaping gardening rewards. Start with a few simple tasks – we give you step-by-step guides and tips to help you
Get growing with these simple projects
Whether your garden is a window sill or larger area, make the most of your space with these projects
Even if you can only spend half a day exploring on foot make more of your precious time with Ordnance Survey Maps and Walking Guides, but don't forget to take your camping kit with you.
Camp overnight in your tent for a very early morning start, savour the sights, sounds and smells of the wild waking up to a new day.
We’ll help you disconnect from your everyday world, so you can immerse yourself in nature and reconnect with yourself.

For more ideas try our
Hobbies for Eco-friendly People here
Enjoy a wonderful day at a magic location
See some of history’s most famous pirates at Dover Castle
Hail Hadrian! Experience life in the Roman Empire at Chesters Roman Fort, see soldiers, falconry, townfolk
Explore the world of Queen Victoria's children at
Swiss Cottage Osborne House
Experience a Legendary Joust at Kenilworth Castle
Take a trip, take your camera, take a picture, make a video!
Low Annual Fee of just £57 when you join English Heritage Today...
Become a member today and reap the benefits for an entire year; up to six children go free,
plus free parking and handbook perfect for the up-coming Summer holidays to keep the kids entertained.
Wherever you want to go this Spring English Heritage bring history to Life Click Here for a host of Events fun for all the family, members go FREE with up to six children. Alternatively click on any of the eight images, we'll take you there.
Rising above the famous White Cliffs high above the Channel, Dover Castle is an icon of England. Built soon after 1066, this mighty fortress has been the site of royal intrigue and epic sieges, and was at the centre of the crucial effort to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beach of Dunkirk.
With plenty for the whole family to discover, book your tickets now for the best price and get ready for an action-packed, unforgettable and great-value day out.
Immerse yourself in history, myth and stunning scenery at Tintagel Castle on Cornwall's rugged north coast.
Inextricably linked with the legend of King Arthur, for centuries this dramatic castle and coastline has fired the imaginations of writers, artists, and even the brother of a king. Now it's your turn to be inspired.
Book now to get the best price and get ready for a legendary, great-value family day out at one of Cornwall’s must-see attractions.
Perched high on the Yorkshire cliffs and commanding broad views over the bay below, it's no surprise that Whitby Abbey has been chosen as your favourite.
A monastery was first founded on the headland in about 657 AD, and today the shell of the 13th-century Benedictine abbey is one of the largest and most impressive ecclestiastical ruins in the country.
Explore the dramatic ruins that were inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula, and see the pretty seaside town of Whitby from this natural vantage point.
It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot,' said Queen Victoria of Osborne, her beloved home on the Isle of Wight.
Today, a visit to Osborne offers something for everyone to enjoy. Inside the house, get an intimate glimpse into royal life as you explore private apartments and grand reception rooms lined with furnishings and artworks from the Royal Collection.
Outside, wander among flower-filled gardens, discover the quirky museum in the Swiss Cottage and relax on the beach where the royal children learnt to swim.
Stretching 73 miles from coast to coast, Hadrian’s Wall was built to guard the wild north-west frontier of the Roman Empire.
Discover the remains of the forts, towers, turrets and towns that once kept watch over the Wall.
See rare Roman artefacts, get hands-on in museums and take in spectacular views of the rugged landscape to find out what life was like for the men, women and children on the edge of Roman Britain.
The impressive ruins of one of England's most influential Cistercian monasteries, Rievaulx Abbey sits in a tranquil valley on the North York Moors.
St Aelred said of Rievaulx that there was 'everywhere peace, everywhere serenity', and this reflective atmosphere still attracts many visitors today.
Explore the high ruins to imagine life in the monastery, or step beyond the walls to enjoy views of the abbey in its solitary wooded setting. Rievaulx is sure to make an impression.
Wander the extensive ruins of the abbey to discover more about the building and how it looked at various stages of its development. Pick up an audio tour to learn more.
Take in the stunning views from our new visitor centre while enjoying a tasty treat in our new tearoom and appreciate why St Aelred's 'everywhere peace, everywhere serenity' description of Rievaulx Abbey could quite easily have been written today.
Why not park in the nearby chocolate-box town of Helmsley and take a scenic walk from Helmsley Castle to Rievaulx Abbey. Download the walking map here.
Have fun with the family-friendly displays in our interactive exhibition bringing Kenilworth's past to life.
Housed in the magnificent Tudor stables, see how the castle has changed throughout its 900-year history, and what it looked like in its heyday.
Children can get hands-on with history as they try on our dressing up clothes. Then see, and touch, the mighty trebuchet balls which were hurled at Kenilworth Castle 800 years ago and have remained here ever since.
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