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Brighton
An hour and a quarter later, the train pulls into Brighton station (there are slightly faster times if you change at Clapham Junction or East Croydon, where, crucially, the day I was travelling with buggy and buggyboard, there was no change of platform). It's a fifteen-minute walk down to the seafront; the smell of the sea hits you immediately and the light from the open sea as you cross the brow of the hill is inspiring. Dominating the view are, of course, the two Brighton Piers: the West Pier is a Grade I listed building built in 1866 to house an ornate theatre and ballroom, which has been derelict since 1975. The Palace Pier (or Brighton Pier as it is often known) is a pleasuredome for kids aged 4 and up. We headed to the left of the piers, where it is usually less crowded and took the Volk's Railway (the country's first electric railway) along to the marina. Trains run every fifteen minutes from 11.15am and take about fifteen minutes. On sunny days, snigger at or avert your eyes from the nudist beach, which is the stretch of beach closest to the marina. There's loads of activity going on at the marina with all kinds of boats, from dinghies to gin palaces, and fishing boats offering trips out to sea to catch mackerel. For the best view of the yachts and cruisers, take the marina's breakwater walk but be prepared for a splashing when the wind is strong. For a longer walk, take the Undercliff Walk as far as Rottingdean. Carved out of the cliffs, the walk is wide and flat so taking buggies or bicycles isn't a problem. There are a few eateries at the marina, but I suggest you head back towards the centre and take your pick among the tens of restaurants in the 'Lanes' just behind the seafront. Avoid West and North Street on peak tourist days - it's heaving. Pizza, pasta and fish shops abound and there's a Browns on Duke Street (no booking unless you're a large party). Alternatively, you can make a picnic before you set off or pick up provisions in Asda, just by the marina, and eat while catching a few rays on the pebbly beach. Just set back from the beach, for kids over 7, they have what I call half-way bungy-trampolening (£5 a go); younger children can go on a carousel. Along the seafront to the right of Brighton Pier is a giant playground with paddling pool with bubble jets and alongside a sandpit and pirate's castle - you'll find it hard to tear yourself away if the weather is fine. If rain clouds threaten, retreat into Brighton's Sea Life Centre, which offers an opportunity to walk through a tunnel surrounded by sharks, rays, mackerel and a huge turtle - it is just as impressive as the London Aquarium. If you're with young kids, they might enjoy a bit of 'time-out' in the Sea Life's café, which has a soft-play area. We saved the best bit until last. No day to Brighton would be complete without venturing onto the Palace/Brighton Pier, particularly if you are taking older children. There are two domed amusement arcades and a fun fair at the end of the pier. I remember the ghost train ride from my childhood and was delighted to discover that it is thrilling a new generation, as are the dodgems and rollercoaster.
From somewhere buried in my mind I knew that Brooklands was a race track - in fact the first built in Britain but defunct since war damage - what I didn't know is that it is also home to thirty aircraft. There is a specified tour trail that you can take round the Brooklands site but I didn't think either I or the five-year-olds would last the course. Instead, we dipped in and out of the clubhouse, outbuildings holding cars and bikes and outdoor exhibits. Half the aircraft are kept in the open air and here we got a chance to touch some of the aeroplanes and go on board a Vickers Viscount Aircraft (similar to a commercial aeroplane to you and me!) before going into the huge aeroplane hangar. Here, as elsewhere, my knowledge of cars and aeroplanes let me down - I was helpless amid calls of 'what's that, mummy?' but luckily Brooklands has its own very enthusiastic group of volunteer guides, all of whom have specialities in one area or another. They seemed genuinely pleased to see two excited boys, staring in awe at the huge machines and wanted them to try out a pilot trainer (double cockpits used to teach flying the World War II). An veteran airman himself explained the history behind the presence of the huge Wellington bomber, which had been recovered after engine failure over Loch Ness. The hangar also has a number of miniature aeroplanes, which surprisingly the boys were just as interested in. From here we went on to investigate the cars, including the fabulous looking silver Nadir Ratline, whose Brooklands' lap record of 143mph in 1935 was never beaten. The Grand Prix exhibition is amazing if you haven't been up close to even a modern-day racing car. The kids were captivated until the idea of lunch and an ice cream was raised and we headed off to the museum's café. The kids had adequate sausages and chips. The best, most healthy option, however, are the very good sandwiches. There are special events - both motoring and aviation - throughout the summer. For details, contact the museum. Details ...
Father and son took the slower but infinitely more fun route,
the river. Two private companies operate boats between Westminster
Pier and Hampton Court. My boys picked up the Royal Princess just
under Kew Bridge. Some two hours later (half an hour behind schedule),
we greeted them at the Hampton Court landing stage. The journey
got the thumbs up from both The other advantage of river arrival is, as the tall red chimneys come into view, you get the full sense of history. This is the main attraction of the palace itself. Much extended by William III under the design of Sir Christopher Wren if you are with small children, I would not spend too much time in the William and Mary additions; rather, enjoy walking over the sixteenth century flagstones and around the cloisters. In this vein, the biggest hit for us was the kitchens, the most extensive surviving sixteenth century kitchens in Europe. On a giant scale, complete with roaring fire and peacocks waiting to be plucked, the children were wide-eyed. Other attractions (perhaps more for older children) include Henry VIII's state apartments, William III's apartments and a fabulous Renaissance painting collection. Once you have done the palace, leave enough time for the grounds, which are worth the trip in themselves. Entrance to the gardens is free and you can buy separate tickets to the maze and the real tennis court if you don't want a full palace ticket. There is a beautiful rose garden, a lovely wilderness and acres of formal landscaped gardens with fountains and topiary fanning out from the William and Mary façade. The maze sits at the back of the wilderness and looks disappointingly small to adult eyes from the outside. It is, however, ingeniously constructed and once you have taken a few deliberate wrong turns to get your children into the swing of the game, you will find you are well and truly lost. The real tennis courts are also well worth a look and frequently have games in progress. There are two restaurants. We opted for the Tiltyard Tearooms in the gardens. It is self-service but has better than average picnic boxes for kids and a good selection of hot dishes and sandwiches. There are a number of tables outside and a fairly enclosed stretch of lawn where children can rush about. The whole day does not come cheap. A one way ticket on the boat is £9 from Kew (under 5s go free). Entrance to the palace (including entrance fees to the gardens) is £11 per adult, £7.25 for children 5-15 (under 5s free), £33 for a family ticket. This includes an optional tour by a costumed guide and an audio tour. Car parking is £3. If time does not permit a two-way river trip and you haven't driven, trains run every half an hour from Hampton Court to Kensington Olympia (via Clapham Junction) and take just over an hour. Details ...
There is a pond zone, where there is supervised pond dipping every day, with someone to tell you what you have caught in your net. There are three wildlife gardens to give you some ideas for encouraging birds into your own garden, the peacock tower for spectacular views over the wetlands, and six birdwatching hides scattered throughout the reserve (probably best to avoid these with noisy children - there are some very serious birdwatchers here). If you get rained on there is a cinema with The Planet Water Show running all day (my four-year-old enjoyed this, probably just because it's a real cinema rather than the subject matter, the conservation work of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust). The Peter Scott visitor centre provides more shelter, with a Discovery Centre, space for creative workshops for kids, an art gallery, very good shop and observatory. After lots of running about spotting ducks with blue beaks and hiding in bulrushes, another highlight is the Water's Edge Café. They serve genuinely good food for lunch and tea with a lovely seating area outside for sunny days. And there are stacks of highchairs. Perfect. Details ... Getting there: drive and park in their
car park (pay £2 on Sundays only), or take the Duck Bus
283 from Hammersmith Broadway Admission: Adult £6.75, child
£4.00, family £17.50. Ask about the Local Wildcard
- if you live within the boundary on their map, family membership
costs just £32 for a year.
DIGGERLAND To get full benefit, boys (didn't see any girls) need to be
at least three years old. Most rides you'll have to accompany
the under-fives, so if you're coming with younger kids as well,
bring a friend or nanny so you can take it in turns to go on the
machinery and be with the younger ones playing in the sandpit,
riding their own toy dumper trucks and on the indoor bouncy castle
and ball pit. The three main attractions in our view were: the diggers with long arms that you can ride on to scoop up mounds of earth to then dump in a different location; a great ride for everyone (tots too) is to be driven on a short tour by one of the really friendly and informative drivers in the huge JCB diggers. Rather surprisingly this only uses up one credit. The last excitement was riding on the dumper truck. After working out the manoeuvres for driving, you then have the challenge of dumping a huge ball into a net. In fact the dumper trucks were the only machinery we had to queue any length of time (about fifteen minutes) to use. The park is only open at half term and during the holidays so queuing time is pretty uniform whenever you go. Mornings are less busy so I would advise setting off early and staying for either a picnic lunch that you have brought or trying your luck with what they have to offer: chicken nuggets etc and baguettes with dubious fillings. However, the icecreams and lolly selection was good. Once they've had enough (if that's possible) or it begins to rain, you can retreat into the computer room to play on computer games designed by CAT. Here also is the shop full of digger merchandise. All that's lacking are the postcards to send to granny. Word of advice: don't wear anything smart, it's either going to be dusty or muddy. Details ... There is a brand new Diggerland in Collompton, Devon, if you
find yourself in that area (Tel: 01884 33312).
Memorabilia from Roald Dahl's books and own life (Going Solo is autobiographical) are carefully placed throughout this two-storey building. Glass cases mounted on the wall house items from selected books and children can work out which book they feature in. Science and nature is a strong theme, with reflective mirrors (like the ones you used to see at fairgrounds), games that involve an understanding of gravity, questions about the world in general and a look at stuffed animals (sounds gruesome but the younger ones were fascinated). There's loads of interactive stuff too: trying on hats of different characters in the books; travelling in Willy Wonka's glass elevator. Little ones will enjoy playing with the Enormous Crocodile and playing in Fantastic Mr Fox's tunnel. We went quite late in the afternoon, it was virtually empty; a group of seven-year-olds, who quite clearly had had a great time, were just leaving. Maybe they went on to the Stone, Paper and Scissors exhibition (running until 30 September) in the main museum building. Again, lots of interactive exhibits, including feely holes (guess what metal objects are made of?) and riddles to solve. There is a small, pretty garden that opens out from the small
café, which sells sandwiches and drinks. Details ... Directions: Bucks County Museum (Roald Dahl Gallery),
Church Street, Aylesbury is approx 40 miles from London. As you
approach the town centre, head for the parking on Friarage Road.
Park on the fifth floor and head into the shopping centre and
out between New Look and Superdrug. Take the first right and then
left up Church Street and the museum is up on the right.
PICK YOUR OWN FARMS
Until the end of August you can pick strawberries, broad beans and peas; until the end of July you can pick gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and cherries; raspberries and plums go on until the end of September; and finally, apples and sweetcorn from August. Details ... Directions: for Copas Farm, head west past Uxbridge on
the A4020; turn into the A412 towards Slough; follow signs for
Billet Lane and Langley Park and the farm is opposite.
FARM PARKS Bocketts Farm is a working farm, vistors can see traditional farm animals and also a few 'exotic' ones such as wallabies and llamas. There are regular rabbit-handling sessions throughout the day. Watch the goats being milked and cheer the pigs on in the twice-daily pig races, which are a real hoot. Pony and tractor rides are obviously popular and there are queues for these. There are lots of play areas where children can run around, including jumping on and off hay bales. Bring your own picnic or there is a good café. Details ... First published in angels and urchins, Summer 2002
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