Treetop Trek, Manchester
Forest playground company Treetop Trek will open its third centre this spring in Manchester’s Heaton Park, following on from courses at Brockhole in the Lake District and Ripon, North Yorkshire. The Manchester branch will be its biggest, with giant trampolines, and more than 20 zipwires.
treetoptrek.co.uk/manchester
Where to stay YHA Manchester has en suite family rooms for four from £49 a night, yha.org.uk
William’s Den, East Yorkshire
This brand new adventure attraction set to open in March has an indoor area with sensory play zone, bridges, tunnels and climbing nets. The outdoor section will have trees, water play, discovery zones and den making materials. Its creators promise plenty of space for adults to relax too, including a cafe selling homemade food. It can be combined with the nearby North Cave Wetlands nature reserve for a big weekend of outdoor fun.
Prices and opening times TBC, williamsden.co.uk
Where to stay A mile away in North Cave, Nordham Cottages has a three-bedroom house from £315 for a short break, nordhamcottages.co.uk
Pembrokeshire Wake Park
Wales continues to rule the waves in outdoor attractions. Barely a year after the launch of Surf Snowdonia, a new wakeboarding park is opening at Easter near Narberth in west Wales. It will give newbies a chance to try the sport and have ramps and rails for advanced riders. Open water swimming and stand-up paddleboarding will also be on offer.
Sessions from £20pp, beginner lessons £40pp, pembrokeshirewakepark.co.uk
Where to stay The Bluestone national park resort has self-catering lodges for four from £319 for three nights, bluestonewales.com
Zipworld Fforest Coaster, Snowdonia
This will be the first ride of a kind now found in several sites in continental Europe, where thrill-seekers sit on a small sled that flies down through the trees on rails. (Guardian Travel tried the Hasenhorn go-kart coaster in the Black Forest last summer.)
Opens 10 June, introductory offer £15pp, 3-8 years £7.50, zipworld.co.uk
Where to stay YHA Snowdon Pen y Pass has en suite rooms for four from £59 a night, yha.org.uk
Betteshanger Park, Kent
This huge activity park near Deal will have a new £8m visitor centre this spring. The 250-acre attraction has cycle routes, mountain bike trails and an outdoor playpark as well as the opportunity to try archery (£9pp), military fitness training, fossil hunting and den building. The new centre will also house the Kent Mining Museum as well as a new cafe and cycle centre and a Green Energy Centre.
betteshanger-park.co.uk
Where to stay Salt Cottage in Deal sleeps four from £322 for three nights, through kentandsussexcottages.co.uk
Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire
The forge has 10 award-winning museums, from a china museum to a recreated Victorian town. This year marks 50 years of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, and 300 years since the death of Abraham Darby I, the man said to have started the industrial revolution. The Coalbrookedale Museum of Iron reopens at Easter, and there’s a summer of events on the theme of Fire, Furnace and Steam.
Ticket prices vary, ironbridge.org.uk
Where to stay There are youth hostels in Coalbrookdale and Coalport, or Coalport Station has two converted railway carriages, sleeping four and six, from £370 for three nights, coalportstation.com
Underwater Kingdom at Blackgang Chine, Isle of Wight
Full details of Underwater Kingdom, which opens in spring, have yet to be released, but it will include animatronic creatures, as well as “underwater caves” and a “shipwreck”. Existing theme areas include Cowboy Town and Pirate Cove, as well as rides, slides and special events throughout the year.
Family ticket from £74, blackgangchine.com
Where to stay Nettlecombe Farm has a cottage for four from £273 for three nights, nettlecombefarm.co.uk
Pitlochry Dam, Perthshire
The dam is home to a “salmon ladder”, where, from April to August, fish can be seen leaping up the river from two viewing windows. There are also interactive exhibitions to get children engaged with the environment.On 30 January it will open its new visitor centre, telling the history of hydroelectricity, and offering great views of Pitlochry town. There will also be an exhibition area and a cafe.
Free, pitlochry-scotland.co.uk
Where to stay Pitlochry Youth Hostel, walking distance from the town centre. has en suite rooms for four from £78 a night, syha.org.uk
The Sill, Northumberland
When it opens in June, The Sill, which is adjacent to Hadrian’s Wall, will be the UK’s first landscape discovery centre, encouraging more people to explore beautiful Northumberland, particularly those “less confident at exploring natural places”, with taster days and family activities. Its eco-conscious main building will have a green roof and biomass boiler, plus educational facilities, exhibition rooms, hostel accommodation, cafe and play spaces.
thesill.org.uk
Where to stay The Sill YHA will open in the summer or there’s Winsheilds Campsite (from £9 a night, winshields.co.uk) and cottages for four at Gibbs Hill Farm from £380 a week, gibbshillfarm.co.uk
New Forest national park
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