Fascinating family day trips off the beaten track.

We’ve all been there – stuck in a traffic jam en route to an over-priced, over-crowded theme park as the children get jittery in the back, whilst the grown ups up front run out of patience.

Wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere that everyone hasn’t – somewhere unique, small and relatively quiet? The following five day trip ideas are bank holiday life savers for families who like to do something different with their precious spare time.

House of Marbles, Bovey Travey, Devon
Children and adults alike will be captivated by this beautiful craft museum. There’s a very hands-on toy shop containing a presentation of literally millions of marbles. You’ll also see the world’s biggest marble-making machine! It weighs in at sixteen tons, has churned out more than 15 million marbles and travelled over 10,000 miles. Glassblowers are dotted about the beautifully-lit workshop, demonstrating their remarkable skills. Fascinating stuff for all ages. Entrance is free. More

Ostrich World, Penrith, Cumbria
Based at the beautiful Langwathby Hall in the glorious Eden Valley near Penrith, Ostrich World is located within a 230 acre working arable beef and sheep farm. The centre boasts rare breeds of cattle, donkeys, outdoor pigs, goats, red deer, meerkats, zebras, porcupines, raccoon dogs, ducks, geese, and, of course, most popular of all, the magnificent African Black Ostrich. Between May and October you’ll see ostrich eggs hatching on a daily basis – a delightful spectacle for all the family. A family ticket for four costs £11. More

Hamilton Toy Collection, Callander, Perthshire
A wonderful nostalgia trip for mums and dads and a source of awe for little ones, this collection of toys from all ages isn’t preserved in stuffy glass boxes and presented museum-style, but is crammed into every corner in the guesthouse making it more like an upturned toy box. It’s run by the Hamilton family, people who clearly delight in raiding car boot sales and craft markets for things to play with and display in their amazing home. Adults are charged £1.50 entrance and children 50p.

Porteath Bee Centre, Cornwall
This delightful exhibition centre is a living biology lesson for kids. In the main hall only a glass wall separates spectators from the giant beehive. Kids can learn about hives, honeycombs and how honey ends up in the jars of the onsite honey shop. This is probably the closest you’ll ever get to real life hives, all of which are imaginatively displayed – one in an old-fashioned royal mail post box! Pooh corner (a Winnie the Pooh toy room) keeps the kids entertained while you enjoy Cornish teas and honey-flavoured ice cream in the tea room. More

Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, Penge, London
Set within one of the most historically fascinating parks in London, the dinosaur park is a shock to the system on first sight. The giant models were initially constructed to demonstrate the process of evolution - before the publication of Darwin’s ‘Origin of the Species’. They were built at the lower end of the Park, near Penge, and remain there to this day, together with accompanying geological exhibits illustrating the geology that existed at the time of each dinosaur. There’s also a children’s farm, boating lake and maze. Entrance is free. More

These ideas are taken from B******s to Alton Towers: Uncommonly British Days Out, by Robin Halstead, Jason Hazeley, Alex Morris and Joel Morris. Published by Michael Joseph. Buy the book.

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