Free things firstGet there by trainFamily friendly
Free and cheap days out with children in Carlisle
A border city with a Norman castle, a cathedral, riverside parks and Hadrian's Wall country on the doorstep.
Read the guideDays out & breaks across Britain
Great days out,
honestly priced.
Our days-out guides start with what’s free, then only what’s worth paying for, and end with exactly how to get there.
Photo: Robin Hood's Bay - geograph.org.uk - 3726877 by Anthony Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0
What kind of trip?
Free days out by train
Free museums, parks and beaches in 20 cities, all planned from the station.
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Holiday parks, county by county
Every Park Holidays UK park, with a day out near each one worked out for you.
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Tours, rail journeys & cruises
Let someone else do the planning: escorted tours, great train journeys and aurora cruises.
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Photos: 6229 Duchess of Hamilton at the National Railway Museum by cooldudeandy01, CC BY 2.0; Cornwall Beach by weldonwk, CC BY 2.0; Swiss Train by aforero, CC BY 2.0
Pick a city
Free and cheap days out with children, each planned from the station platform.
Days out by train
The main line to get you there, and a heritage railway that is the day out.
LNER Route Guide
An independent guide to every LNER route and station, from King’s Cross to York, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.
Explore the route guide
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Twenty-four miles of steam from Pickering to Whitby. Goathland was Hogsmeade station in the first Harry Potter film.
Plan a day on the railway
Everything about days out by train
Photos: 800209 LNER Azuma at Kings Cross by SavageKieran, CC BY-SA 4.0; Train from Grosmont arrives at Goathland Station - geograph.org.uk - 5368658 by Russel Wills, CC BY-SA 2.0
Guides worth reading today
Free things firstGet there by trainFamily friendly
Free and cheap days out with children in Lancaster
A hilltop park with a domed folly you can see for miles, a free city museum and a castle that was a working prison…
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Stay & explore
Tarka Holiday Park, Devon – and what to do nearby
Tarka sits at near Barnstaple, north Devon. Here is what the park is near, and the local attraction worth building a day around.
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Stay & explore
Birchington Vale Holiday Park, Kent – and what to do nearby
Birchington Vale sits at Birchington-on-Sea, Thanet. Here is what the park is near, and the local attraction worth building a day around.
Read the guide
Escorted travel
Travelsphere escorted tours: see the world without planning a single train
Escorted tours across six continents since 1962 - flights, hotels, meals and guided excursions all arranged for you, with solo traveller options.
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Escorted travel
Northern Lights cruises – Mother Nature’s ultimate light show
Sail from Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle or Liverpool in search of the Aurora Borealis over Arctic Norway - no flights, no light pollution, and a…
Read the guidePhotos: Bitts Park, Carlisle. by morebyless, CC BY 2.0; Ashton Memorial, Williamson Park by Andy Hay, CC BY 2.0; Two Bridges over the River Torridge on the Tarka Trail, Devon by barry.marsh1944, Public Domain Mark 1.0; Dreamland Margate by John K Thorne, CC0 1.0; Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy (51180622244) by . Ray in Manila, CC BY 2.0; <div class='fn'> Aurora Borealis Norway</div> by Christer Gundersen, CC BY 3.0
Holiday parks by county
Every Park Holidays UK park, each with a day out nearby already planned.
How this site is funded
Some links on isgreat.co.uk are affiliate links: if you book a train, a park or a tour through one, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. The free things in every guide stay free, and they always come first.
