Carsington Sports and Leisure

Carsington Water is a great day out, with an adventure playground, bird-watching and watersports all on offer.
Carsington Water, Ashbourne, DE6 1ST
01629 540478 | www.carsingtonwater.com

Beaver Hall Equestrian Centre

Love horses? Head to Beaver Hall Equestrian, which runs pony rides for children as young as two years and riding lessons for children from the age of six.
Bradnop, near Leek, ST13 7EZ
01538 304433 | www.beaverhall.co.uk

Wild Park Derbyshire

For the bigger kids, Wild Park offers laser tag, archery and junior quad bike trekking.
Middle Wild Park Farm, Brailsford, Ashbourne, DE6 3BN
01335 360485 | www.wildparkbrailsford.com

Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood

Explore the delights of 17th-century craftsmanship at this impressive country home. Then, at the museum, learn what it was really like to grow up in the olden days – be a chimney sweep, a scullion or a Victorian pupil.
Sudbury, Ashbourne, DE6 5HT
01283 585305 | www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sudbury-hall-and-museum-of-childhood

Alton Towers

One of the UK’s top theme parks, less than twenty minutes’ drive from Birdsgrove House.
Alton, ST10 4DB
0871 222 3330 | www.altontowers.com

The Heights of Abraham

A fantastic hilltop park, reached by a scenic cable car journey over Derwent Valley. Once you’re at the top, you can take an exciting guided tour of the underground caverns and learn about fossils, geology and local history at the exhibition centre.
Matlock Bath, DE4 3NT
01629 582365 | www.heightsofabraham.com