5 Fine Family Finds in England

[Tom Collins]

It's no secret that today in a world full of stress and bustle many parents are constantly switching between family, household chores, and work. In this situation, a family trip to England in a hire car will be a real breath of fresh air. It will allow you to prioritize correctly and to truly get closer to your children and family.

A nine-seat minibus rental is perfect for such a trip because you can take your entire family with you, and also not worry about a lot of personal belongings. In turn, England has many places for you to have a great travel experience. If you're still unsure where to go, here are five ideas for an unforgettable weekend.

Bekonscot Model Village & Railway

Opened in 1929, Bekonscot is the oldest of its kind and no less popular than almost a century ago. This model of a village and railway  reflects the life of the English countryside of those times, but with modern additions.

Located less than an hour's drive west of London., everything in Bekonscot is like in real life: miniature houses, children going to school, a cable car, an amusement park, golf courses, and tennis courts, as well as a toy railroad running through it. Children will be delighted as the little train stops at the stations and continues its journey through the village and its surroundings again. Bekonscot also has a café, playground, and a larger train for children to ride on their own.

The Eden Project

At the bottom of a former quarry in Cornwall, some 4½ hours from London, this 20,000-square-meter park is centred on a series of geodiesic domes with several greenhouses where where the most exotic plants from the equatorial and Mediterranean forests grow.

Among other things, you'll see olive and rubber trees, bananas, coffee, grapes, and orchids, and you can even taste some of the fruit grown here. This ecological paradise uses rainwater for internal needs, and its electricity comes from wind generators. In addition to its educational function, the Eden Project is also fun for the whole family. What’s more, the domes house various installations and sculptures. A small train runs through the park, on which children will be happy to ride. Traditional souvenir shops and cafés are also available.

The Chester Zoo


Considered one of the world's 15 best zoos, this zoo with no cages or walls is located in a town outside Liverpool and also not far from Manchester (meanwhile, it's just under four hours from London).

The Chester Zoo has no cages or walls, creating marvelously realistic habitats for its more than 7,000 animals, including the rare likes of black cheetah and black rhinoceros. 

But perhaps the most amazing thing here is its six islands, offering a unique chance to feel like a fearless explorer and go on a expedition to islands showcasing the fauna and flora of Southeast Asia: Panay (the Philippines), Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia's Bali, Sumatra, Sumba, and Sulawesi. Tigers await in the bamboo forests, while in Sulawesi you can observe the behavior of macaques and then go for a walk along the river.

The Deep Aquarium

Over on the Channel coast in the city of Hull, the Deep is one of the world's largest aquariums and - as its name indicates - the deepest in Europe. It offers a mix of hands-on interactive displays, audiovisual presentations, and of course a collection of more than 3,500 species of marine creatures and flora.

Come there and admire the colorful inhabitants of reefs and lagoons, lagoons, dive into the waters of the Amazon, and enjoy the antics of penguins. Other crowd favorites include stingrays and seven species of sharks, and watching their regular feedings is a popular attraction. Exhibits include the Tropical Lagoon of Light, teemig with brightly colored fish and rays; a 660,000-gallon, 10-meter-deep Enland Oceans exhibit; and a tank including a transparent lift and Europe's deepes viewing tunnel, nine metres down. There's also a restaurant on the premises (though at present it's closed due to the pandemic).

 

Thorpe Park

Located in Surrey, a drive of just 50 minutes or so from London, Thorpe Park is packed with rides and attractions from sedate to thrilling.

A good example of the latter is Saw the Ride, themed after the famous slasher-movie franchise, including an eerie maze where some of the film's sights and scenes are recreated and a roller coaster under a huge saw (and with a 100-degree vertical drop). Another is themed after The Walking Dead, and the coaster in The Swarm takes visitors through a post-apocalyptic landscape under alien attack, complete with masterfully simulated disasters and Incredible speed and sharp twists.. And one of the newest rides is the Angry Birds 4D Experience, a cinema with rumbling seats and special effects including gusts of wind, smoke, and flashes of light.