Family Walk
What could be better than a family walk in the fresh air? Parents can resort to all types of enticement and persuasion, cajolery and bribery, and still children moan of boredom and achey legs.
Try letting them hold the map (take a spare just in case), take a picnic or promise a drink in a pub halfway round. Invest in a walking pole (useful for reaching those blackberries too) and small rucksack for water and snacks and encourage them along the route.
Children's Farms
Woodland trails are a good starting point for younger children as they are easy underfoot and generally quite short. You can often find them on children's farms and even some theme parks now have them. Usually they have simple maps to follow, play features and things to spot on the way round. Sometimes by changing the name from 'wood' to 'forest', it can make it more appealing to a child - something to do with fairy tales.
Visitor Centres
There are plenty of short circular walks around nature reserves, conservation areas, wetlands and National Trust properties. Look for attractions with a good Visitor Centre where you can pick up maps.Often there are trail markers to follow and a quiz to fill in. Even better, if there is a cafe then the promise of a hot chocolate or ice cream can make tired little legs hurry up. Good examples are Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, Ilam Hall in Derbyshire and Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.
National Parks
Older children will enjoy the challenges of some of the National Parks. Read up on it before you go, it may tie in with school projects. The Peak District has a varied landscape with caves and waterfalls. It is full of styles and steps over gates and walls, and bridges and stepping stones over the rivers. The Youth Hostel in Hartington in Derbyshire is a wonderful place to stay with the Dales on the doorstep.
The 400 steps at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales are also worth climbing to see the limestone pavement top and the spectacular view beyond. Close by are the menacing rocks of Gordale scar and the magical waterfall of Janet's Fosse. The towns of Skipton and Settle are good places to stay nearby.
Ignore any moaning, it is soon forgotten.They will remember the fun family time spent together, the amazing natural features they have seen, and they will learn a lot from your impromptu geography lessons.
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