‘What a place – it made us all laugh’: readers’ favourite October half-term trips

There’s so much to do in Northumberland

My family enjoyed a long autumn weekend at Newton Hall’s cabins (from £185pn, sleeping 2-6) near Seahouses. Cabins are luxurious and child- and dog-friendly and have hot tubs and fire pits. There is so much to do in the area, including Lindisfarne – the lady from English Heritage was so friendly and full of knowledge. Then on to Bamburgh Castle and beach – fantastic. Nearby Alnwick Castle is a great day out – we all loved trying on the medieval costumes. My favourite though is Seahouses. Take a boat to Farne island (from £20) – the best time to see the seals is autumn. Then wander round the Farne Islands gift shop. Really takes you back to your childhood. Back at Seahouses there’s proper fish and chips among other meals at the Olde Ship Inn – the food is very good and staff so friendly.
Elizabeth

Ghyll scrambling, near Keswick, Lake District

In the northern Lake District, Newlands Activity Centre near Derwentwater will wrap you warmly, including wetsuit, waterproofs, helmet and warm layers and take you ghyll scrambling (£45pp). This entails clambering over rocks, leaping off waterfalls and swishing down waterslides. The adventure is guided and tailored to your party’s ages and comfort levels. My family were lucky enough to have a guide to ourselves. After your adventure, warm yourselves at the local Swinside Inn’s open fire. This family-run 18th-century building is child- and dog-friendly and has great food and drink.
Helen Grice

School bus glamping, South Downs

We enjoyed a couple of days one half-term in the South Downs near Beachy Head in a yellow American school bus converted to house up to four people (one double, two pull-down bunks) and operated by Skoolie. The conversion is stylish, with some very clever touches in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom (with a non-stinky composting toilet). My family of four (including two large teenagers) did not feel on top of each other and our weekend (£195 a night in school holidays) was a perfect way to switch off from the modern world, swapping “screen life” for “van life”.
Paul Jackson

Embrace the dark, Cairngorms national park

Highland Scotland is a great place to spend half-term. Our children loved the magical atmosphere of night skies with low levels of light pollution – making it perfect for stargazing. You could tell the kids, as we cheekily did, they are going to a theme park! In the Cairngorms national park October temperatures are still warm enough for outdoor activities like walking and camping. We spent fun evenings spotting planets and streaking meteors. The dark sky discovery sites of Tomintoul and Glenlivet has night sky activities – very lucky visitors can even witness the northern lights from here. Hotel prices can be reasonable too as Scottish schools have half-term earlier so stays are staggered.
Yasmin

Wear out your teenagers, Snowdonia

In good weather, with outdoor-oriented and fit teenagers, this superb nine-mile circular walk from Croesor, Gwynedd, is a great challenge. Leaving the village, ascend the 689-metre mountain of Cnicht for great views over to Porthmadog and the Llŷn peninsula. Carrying on the circular route you reach a deserted mining settlement complete with derelict houses, outbuildings and mine shafts. Then continue on up Moelwyn Mawr (770 metres) giving views over to Blaenau Ffestiniog and Moelwyn Bach. This perfect autumn walk may be finished off with a Greek meal at nearby Caffi Kiki in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Directions, with variations, are at Mud and Routes and Alltrails websites. Allow about six hours but don’t attempt the walk in low visibility and ensure everyone is properly kitted out for a long hilly hike.
Glesni

The sheer folly of it, Yorkshire Dales

I still don’t understand why the Forbidden Corner (adult £14.50, child £12.50) isn’t better known, even among Yorkshire locals. If your family ever seem a bit, well, unengaged during a stately home visit, give this huge folly garden a try. It is the fascinating result of a true eccentric running wild with a space. What a place: there are tunnels, sculptures, secret passages, chambers, fountains, labyrinths … there is enough to set the imagination alight for all ages and it made each of us laugh. It’s surrounded by the gorgeous dales and hills, which are also well worth an autumn visit.
Sarah Collings

Bracing beach walks, Cornwall

During October half-term we stayed in a rented brick beach house at Widemouth Bay holiday village (chalets sleeping 4 from about £170 a night, search for deals online) near Bude. A cosy place overlooking the sea, which was beautifully choppy last October. A week of bracing walks on the sand and superb Cornwall hot chocs at Widemouth Bay cafe ensued. A good day out in nearby Bude involved hours of crabbing for our son (his favourite activity) while my daughter and I preferred some tranquil pottery painting at a lovely retro tea room place called The Home Front.
Jess

A woodland wander at Wandlebury, Cambridge

Wandlebury country park, in the low, chalk Gog Magog hills south of Cambridge, offers multiple trails for wandering through woods and meadows. It is an ideal place for welly-clad crunches through leaves and beech mast in autumn half-term. There’s a designated area for den-building and a hide for wildlife spotting as well as an iron-age hillfort, ponds and an orchard. Highland cattle keep the meadows trim and are quite the spectacle themselves. One family favourite game is to attempt to catch falling leaves before they reach the ground, which is harder than it sounds. There’s a pop-up cafe at weekends.
Sharon Pinner

Manchester’s newest city park

Mayfield Park – Manchester’s newest city centre park – is a five-minute walk from Piccadilly Station. Covering nearly three hectares (6.5 acres), the park has a state-of-the-art playground which our three children (12, nine and five) thought the best they’d ever been to. There’s a variety of slides, including one that goes over the River Medlock, which is here freed from its culvert. Escape to Freight Island is adjacent to the park for drinks, food and live entertainment.
Shawna

Winning tip: Pedal, paddle, stride and ride, south Devon

My favourite autumn break trip with the kids is to take the Avocet rail line (sometimes with our bikes) from Exeter along the Exe estuary towards Exmouth. We pop out at Lympstone village, enjoy the views, pub and playground then cycle or walk three miles along the path that runs by the waterfront to Exmouth to enjoy fish and chips and Jurassic red cliffs. Paddle in the shallows of Shelly Beach close to moored boats and wander around the knick-knack shops, before popping back on the train for the 30-minute journey back to Exeter.
Helen Reid