Take the kids to … Kynren, County Durham
A cast of 1,500 reenacts 2,000 years of history in just 90 minutes in a show of Olympic-opening-ceremony proportions dubbed ‘an epic tale of England’
The new CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers
Kids will love the floor-to-ceiling, Postman Pat and Octonauts-themed fantasy on offer – and there’s a bar in the back for adults if their enthusiasm needs a boost
Southend-on-Sea: the arty way is Essex
Paul O’Grady obviously hasn’t visited Southend for a while … The resort where the East End still goes for old-fashioned seaside fun now has a thriving arts scene, too
Flying across London – on the new South Bank zip wire ride
Close to Waterloo, Zip World Southbank takes riders above the treetops and slides them across a city park at more than 30mph. Guardian Travel’s white-knuckle hero Will Coldwell tried it out
50 great summer holiday activities for families in the UK
Our week-by-week guide to the school summer break features a host of special events and outdoor fun for kids, from open-air cinema and live music to coming face to face with dinosaurs and aliens
Take the kids to … Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Devon
A spooky classic ghost train, a coconut shy and wobbly mirrors all add up to good old-fashioned fairground fun at this charming attraction near Dartmoor
10 of the best narrow-gauge railway journeys in Britain
Hop aboard one of these fantastic British railway adventures – with the chance to see wildlife and wonderful scenery along the route
Hut stuff: Bournemouth’s new beach lodges
The seaside resort has reimagined the classic British beach hut as a chic bolthole that makes for an idyllic family break
Sicily’s best beaches: chosen by readers
From popular beaches where cafes serve fish straight off the boat to nature reserves and hidden coves, our readers pick their favourite places on Sicily’s dramatic coast
Brighton’s Saltdean Lido reopens
After local volunteers led a campaign to raise £3m and restore the pool to its 1930s glory, the lido reopened on Saturday under a fittingly bright blue sky
Tilos, Greece: the first island in the Med to run entirely on wind and solar power
Tiny Tilos, in the Dodecanese, is a pioneering nature reserve. Now, Greece’s ‘green island’ is set to be powered by renewable energy
The best websites to bag a UK cottage right on the beach
Looking for a cottage with a coastal view and easy access to the seashore? These websites have just the place
What’s new on the UK coast this summer
Tree tents in Cornwall, beach cabins in Dorest and a thrilling cliff-side pathway in County Antrim are among the new highlights on the UK coast
The best of the UK seaside
Nostalgia, beaches and ice-cream come together in perfect harmony as 12 authors and locals choose their favourite places on the UK coast, with places to stay
10 of the best new summer activity holidays in the Alps
From ziplines in Switzerland to walking holidays in Italy and France, plus mountain bike breaks and an outdoor festival, the Alps are worth a ‘peak’ this summer