The ultimate inner-child on holiday bucket list
Indulge your inner child when you book your stay with Best Western. Here’s your guide to a perfect nostalgic getaway.
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They don’t make holidays like they used to. Or do they? There’s only one way to find out, by building a bucket list to channel your inner child while on a great British break.
Here are a few ideas to get you started and where you can stay while you tick them off.
Try catching bugs
Ladybirds, bumblebees and daddy long legs. Even their names sound child-like and it’s no coincidence that just mentioning them evokes fond memories from yesteryear.
Why not channel your inner Attenborough by joining a bug hunt on holiday? Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire is the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve and hosts regular bug hunts for all the family. Best of all, the Best Western Heath Court Hotel is less than a 20-minute drive away.
Perhaps you prefer a more refined bug hunting experience. Forages at Dudmaston Hall in Shropshire include nets, magnifying glasses and helpful charts to identify creepy crawlies. You’ll find the Best Western Valley Hotel just under 30 minutes away.
Ride a waterslide
Waterparks bring out the inner child in all of us. From whizzing down slides and being hurtled around twists and turns, to laying back in an inflatable ring letting a lazy river do the hard work, there’s always a way to feel free from the adult worries of the world.
Blackpool’s Sandcastle Waterpark could be the most impressive of them all. The UK’s largest indoor waterpark includes the world’s, yes the world’s, longest indoor rollercoaster at 250 metres long. The Best Western Carlton Hotel is a short drive up the promenade away.
For a real blast from the past, no destination is better named than Time Capsule. The Glasgow waterpark is brilliant for group rides, so you can bring a grown up friend along for a truly childish time. Make sure you book a room at the Best Western Motherwell Centre Moorings Hotel to dry off properly.
Go rockpooling
When did we stop exploring beaches armed with a bucket and net? Whenever it might have been, it was definitely a sad day but it’s never too late to start again. When you do, you might want to give Wembury a try.
Just south-east of Plymouth, the South Devon spot is lined with rockpools filled with starfish, pasty-shaped crabs and sea scorpions – spiny fish to you and me. The nearby Wembury Marine Centre even organises rockpool rambles in summer for a bit of expert help.
Make a scrapbook
Pack a few pens, a pair of scissors, go wild and bring highlighters too. One of the best ways to holiday like your younger self is to document the entire thing in a scrapbook.
Remember when a flower would catch your eye because of its pretty colours, or when a shell would be glued to your ear as you listened to the sound of the sea? Why not glue the items to your DIY diary for the memories? Almost anything can feature in your makeshift momento, all you need is a curious mind and enough sellotape.
Build a sandcastle
Does anything feel more ‘child on holiday’ than building a sandcastle? From choosing the ideal spot to conconting the perfect sand and water mix, carving out a moat to cladding castle walls with shells, every detail deserves obsessive-kid levels of attention.
A bucket and spade are a must. Cocktail stick flags and a drawbridge are not just ‘nice-to-haves’ but vital if you’re going to satisfy your six-year-old self’s creative vision.
Visit a museum
Don’t you miss the sense of wonder you felt when you walked around a museum as a child?
While lots of museums are curated with the enjoyment of children in mind, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a good museum visit as an adult. There’s museums for everything, so you’re bound to find one that fits your interests. Or, you can discover something new, and go to a museum full of things you know nothing about.
London has a vast collection of museums. Some, like the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are well-known, but there are lots of smaller and eclectic museums for you to discover as well.
Give role play a go
Playing pretend is one of the core memories of childhood for most people, and the perfect excuse for a grown up getaway?
Renaissance faires, or ren faires for short, are a great way to embrace your inner child and enjoy an unforgettable escape. Some ren faires are themed around a certain period or person, but others keep things simple and focus on all round fun.
For a truly historic holiday why not head to England’s Medieval Festival in East Sussex? Visitors from all over the world head to the largest ren faire in the UK for a weekend of medieval revelry. Watch real jousting matches, archery competitions, falconry exhibitions and so much more, before finishing your day with a marvellously medieval hog roast.
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