This is the Milton Keynes Kids guide to our top ten FREE DAYS OUT in Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire that you can take your kids on during October Half Term 2016. It’s an updated version of my previous blog at Easter and includes new activities at each of the places. You will need to drive to quite a few of them and you’ll need to pay to park, but once there, they are free to enjoy. Should you choose to do the extra activities or events, they will require an additional charge. Click on the blue links for my full review, address details and gallery of pictures.Please check each place’s website or facebook page before travelling for up to date information. I can’t be responsible for any last minute changes or closures. DO GET THERE EARLY. Because they are free and lots of fun, these places can get REALLY BUSY so arrive when they open to avoid being disappointed if their car parks are full and you get turned away.
1. Castle Ashby Gardens – With its lovely play area, menagerie and beautiful gardens, this is my top tip for October half term 2016. Go there quick, as from November the menagerie and tea shops close. I believe the loos may as well. It’s £4 to park and entrance is free. If your children fancy the pumpkin hunt it’s £2.50 each. It’s about 30 mins from MK depending on where you live.
2 – Stanwick Lakes has a HUGE adventure playground, a smaller play area for toddlers and a sand and water area. Definitely take a bucket and spade, waterproofs, towel, wellies and a change of clothes if they love splashing. There’s an adventure trail with two climbing rocks, a rope bridge over the water, a giant tyre swing (soon to be replaced with a new hexagonal swing and climbable animal structures) and zip wire. My toddler loved climbing up into the big bird hide. If it’s wet there’s a lovely visitors centre and small soft play area (additional charge applies). Approximately 40 minutes from MK. £3.50 to park. Extra activities for October Half term include birds of prey, Halloween trail, reptiles, make creepy decorations, face painting – some charges apply – check out the Stanwick Lakes website to find out what’s on.
3. Sywell Country Park has a sand and water play area called the filter bed which includes a water pump (my toddler loved this), a climbing frame, a smaller pirate ship style climbing frame and lots of sand for digging. Take waterproofs and / or spare trousers. We loved the animal / bug sculpture trail. It wasn’t huge but plenty big enough for my toddler and he loved spotting all of the animals. There’s a big slide there too. He also enjoyed seeing the cascading water and feeding the ducks. If it’s wet there’s a small indoor soft play area suitable for little ones – additional charge sometimes applies. £3 to park. Time from MK – 35-45 mins approximately. Extra activities include pumpkin carving and Halloween trail – check out the Northamptonshire Country Parks website for details.
4. Irchester Country Park has one of the biggest playgrounds we’ve ever visited with a number of climbing frames, a snake swing and a sand pit digging area with train, bridges and slides. There’s also a separate dinosaur play area as well – it’s quite small but my 3 year old had fun finding the dinosaur bones in the lovely wooded area. If your son or daughter likes trains then it’s worth walking down to the railway museum (only open Sundays). There’s one train you can sit in. There are plenty of trails if you want to go for a nice walk. If it’s wet there’s a café. There is a jungle high ropes adventure course but charges apply. It costs £3 to park. Approximately 35 mins from MK. Half term activities include a scavenger trail and pumpkin carving. Details on the Irchester Country Park facebook page.
5. If you don’t want to travel too far from Milton Keynes then Rushmere Country Park is a must visit. There’s a HUGE slide, a big swing and a small but nice sandpit play area near the entrance to the park. We love to search for the fairy doors, big spider, giant’s chair and carved wooden chairs – it’s an easy circuit suitable for little legs. There’s a café if it rains. A £2 car park charge is payable on exit. Time from MK – 20 mins approx. There is a Halloween Disco on 28th October. Booking details on their website.
6. Stockwood Discovery Centre is one of the best completely free days out we’ve been on recently. It doesn’t cost anything to visit or to park your car. With it’s lovely play equipment, beautiful gardens and lots of galleries with historical artefacts, there really is something for all ages. My little boy enjoyed the toddler park area with its house, slide and ride-ons. There’s also a larger climbing frame for older children. I liked wandering around the gardens – there’s lots of different ones and they’re all themed. FREE to park. Time from MK – 30 mins approx. On Friday 28th October there is a Halloween event – Make a lantern, play seasonal games such as apple bobbing and make something creepy to take home. Fancy dress. Charges may apply for some activities – details on the Stockwood Discovery Centre website.
7. Emberton Country Park is a country park just outside of Olney with fun varied play areas for children. My 3 year old loves the pirate ship – parks with boats or trains are just the best aren’t they?! He found the trampolines in the ground great to bounce on too. There are two big slides. There’s a good sand pit area with diggers and an area with pulleys to lift up stones. The only problem is cars drive through the park so just make sure the kids don’t wander off. £4 to park.
8. Salcey Forest is great fun for young children. It has a brilliant tree top trail. The structure rises to 15 metres above the woodland floor, with a crow’s nest platform at 20 metres reached by steps. It offers stunning views across Salcey Forest and the adjoining woodlands of Yardley Chase. It’s a bit wobbly! Fine to take the toddlers up – perfectly safe – but hold on to your belongings – you don’t want to drop anything over the edge. My 3 year old enjoyed going in the little wooden houses at the end of the elephant trail which you walk around at ground level. There’s a nice play area but it’s more suitable for slightly older children. It costs £4 to park at Salcey Forest all day and it’s about 25 mins from MK. Take coins! There are magic for muggles lessons on the Tuesday and Thursday. Booking required. Read all about it on the Salcey Forest website.
9. We’ve been to Willen Lake a lot since we’ve lived in Milton Keynes as it’s on our doorstep. It has a fab wooden play area for children with a dragonfly and pirate ship. There are two toddler play areas which include smaller climbing frames, swings, a see-saw, a little house and rockers. We also go there to feed the ducks and go for a walk. The miniature train is still running in October Half Term and costs £2 for a ride. All of the details are on their website. To park it costs 50p for up to 30 mins, 90p for up to 1 hour, £1.40 for up to 2 hours, £2.40 for up to 4 hours, £3.80 for up 8 hours.
10. The Natural History Museum in Tring is a weird and wonderful collection of 4000 animal and insect specimens that Sir Walter Rothschild collected during his life. It’s both impressive and quirky… and nothing like we’ve been to before. It’s on a number of levels and there’s so many animals to look at. My toddler enjoyed peering through the windows and asking me about them. It’s one of the best alternative indoor places to go if you’re fed up with soft play. But a couple of things to bear in mind, when the weather is bad then it’s really popular and can be difficult to park. Buggies are allowed in but if it’s busy then it’s better to carry your baby in a baby carrier. The café is really small. It’s approximately 40 mins from MK. During half term there are activities including apple pressing and museum by torchlight, check out the What’s On page on their website.
I'm Laura, mum of two boys - aged six and four. I started this website at the end of Sept 2015 whilst on maternity leave. I now work four days a week and do this blog late at night once the little boys are sleeping. It's won several awards over the last four years and I continue to run it for free and mostly focus on free, cheap, and good value days out. Do drop me an email laura@miltonkeyneskids.com if you want to contact me. Don't forget to follow all of our latest adventures on facebook, instagram and twitter and have a look at all of the videos of the places we visit on the Milton Keynes Kids YouTube Channel - subscribe to it for notifications every time I add a new place. And remember... you may been reading this post months after we visited, do check with the destination you're visiting for up to date opening times and prices. If you find this blog useful then please do comment on my posts and leave me a Facebook review - it makes doing this all the more worthwhile.
Thank you for this. Your blog is super helpful as I live just outside of MK and have 2 little boys. 🙂
So pleased you find it useful Alex, thank you so much for commenting, there are so many fun places to take little boys in the area, we love it 🙂