What to do and where to go this summer

So we’ve compiled a guide to places and activities – close to home and further afield – that don’t need suncream or wellies as they’re all (or almost all) under cover as well as a selection of things to do and places to go when the sun has his hat on.

LUDLOW MUSEUM

SEE some of the oldest-known fossil plants and land animals in the world at Ludlow Museum and discover how a Victorian geologist made Ludlow’s rocks famous around the world.

The museum also tells the story of the people who have lived and worked in Ludlow, from the Bronze Age farmers through to the present day. Details: 01694 781306.

GLAZY DAYZ POTTERY CAFE/MANIC CERAMICS, WEST ST/GREEN FROG POTTERY IN BARNARDS GREEN, MALVERN

FOR great wet weather entertainment, head for one of the area’s pottery cafes and spend a couple of happy hours with a paintbrush in hand creating a unique piece of pottery – from piggy banks to plates and tiles to teapots.

Glazydays Pottery Cafe, Ledbury (Wednesday to Saturday), 01531 636018 or glazydayz.co.uk; Manic Ceramics, West Street, 01432 277712; Green Frog Pottery, Barnards Green, Malvern, 01684 561778 or greenfrogpottery.co.uk.

EASTNOR CASTLE

LITTLE Snail Nature Trail, July 18-July 20. Enjoy a walk around the grounds of Eastnor, following a fun children’s nature trail devised by the Herefordshire Nature Trust.

The Tempest, Friday, July 23. The return of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the acclaimed touring theatre company who will perform Shakespeare’s magical last play, combining love, comedy and magic, on the terrace overlooking the lake.

Evening performance at 7.30pm.Gates open at 6.30pm. Adults: £18; Children (5-15): £10.

Pre-booking essential on 01531 633160. Please bring your own picnics, low backed chairs, rugs and umbrellas. No gazebos allowed.

The Flying Potter, July 25-July 29. Devise your own clay creation on a journey of discovery around the castle grounds. 11am-4pm.

Exotic animals of Tropical Inc.

August 1-August 5. Tropical Inc are back by popular demand for their summer roadshow. Come along to meet and handle snakes, spiders, skunks and more. 11am-4pm.

Creative arts and crafts with Carnival Arts. August 8-August 12. Creative model, banners and mask making themed to James and the Giant Peach. 11am-4pm.

James and the Giant Peach, Sunday 15 August. Open-air theatre, pre-booking essential on 01531 633160. Performance starts 3pm (Gates open 2pm). Adult £12 Child £8 Family (2+2) £32.

Wild Play, August 15-August 19. Campfire cookery, den building, bug hunting and messy play with mud, sand and slime! With the Herefordshire Nature Trust and Wild Play Rangers. 11am-4pm.

Wizard Wonky Week, August 23-August 26. A week of fun, games, magic and balloons with Wizard Wonky. 11am-4pm.

Family Treasure Hunt, Sunday, August 29 and Monday, August 30. Hunt for the clues, which will take you around the castle and grounds. Fun for all the family.

Grounds Only Admission: Adult £5.50 Senior £4.50 Child (5-15yrs) £3.50 Family (2+3) £14.50.

LEARN TO COOK

SIGN up for a hands-on practical cookery workshop at Eckington Manor Cookery School.

Children’s cookery sessions (10-12) run on July 28, July 29, August 11, August 24. Sessions for teenagers (13-16) will feature varied cookery skills, some knife skills as well as hygiene and kitchen rules. July 28, July 29, August 11, August 24.

Student cookery, one-day course for students who’ve already left for college or university and those who are about to, July 21, July 31, August 19, 10am to 2pm.

Details and booking: 01386 751600 or eckingtonmanorcookeryschool.co.uk

BOWLING

GROVE Golf and Bowl offers eight state-of-the-art bowling lanes using the latest computer technology, giving accurate scoring and bowling speeds, with fully automated bumpers for the less experienced to ensure that you hit a pin every time.

At TGS Bowling, 17 lanes are fitted with ‘Xtreme Lighting’, the latest graphics and children’s bumpers. Lighter balls and bowling ramps mean that everyone can join in.

TGS Bowling: 01432 352500, tgs bowling.co.uk Grove Golf and Bowl: 01568 611777, grovegolfandbowl.co.uk.

SWIMMING

FOR details of fun swimming sessions and a range of kids’ activities at Teme Ludlow, visit teme-leisure.co.uk, or call 01584 874620.

MALVERN THEATRES

George and the Dragon, August 21. Beware! In a cave under the castle lurks a fiery dragon waiting to devour monks, knights, sheep and …princesses!

Will George be bold enough to challenge it – or will he run away? In Garlic Theatre’s award-winning production. Ages 5+ Details: 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk.

LUDLOW ASSEMBLY ROOMS

YOUTH Festival, Saturday, July 24. Another fun-packed day from noon until 4pm at the Wheeler Road skate park, featuring a multitude of free entertainment for young people and families.

There’ll be stunning dance with a football theme, skateboard competitions, face painting, non-stop music and much, much more. Look out for the Youth Festival leaflet.

Sun, sea and sand, Thursday, August 5. A Wild and wacky look at some of the creatures of the deep, with games and craft activities. Age 6+ (or younger if accompanied by an adult). £2.50 each. 2.30pm-4pm.

Youth Theatre Summer School, August 9-August 13. An old map has been found in a Ludlow attic and it may lead to buried treasure!

Join ReAct leader Cathie Woodbury for a week of pirates, treasure and mystery as we start with an old map and create a play in a week. Learn stage fighting and costuming techniques. Come appropriately dressed.

Lunches, snacks and drinks available from our café. For ages 8+. 10am to 3pm. Please book by 7 August. £90 (discounts may be arranged for families with multiple participants).

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BRITISH POPULAR CULTURE, CRAVEN ARMS

LAND of Lost Content – A million memories from the 20th century. See all we enjoyed and all we endured, everything you, your parents, grandparents, sons and daughters owned, used, played with and threw away.

Closed Wednesdays. For more information, visit lolc.org.uk.

INDOOR PLAY CENTRES FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS

INDOOR play centres are the perfect place for little ones to let off plenty of steam. Head for Mickey Miller’s Family Play Barn in Craven Arms.

All year indoor family attraction with slides, challenges and obstacles to climb up, down, over and through.

More information at mickeymillers.com or call 01588 673800.

THE GLOBE AT HAY

KIDS at the Globe, Thursday, July 29. Theatre Workshop with the New World Transitional Collective (NWTC). Join NWTC’s space specialists for a morning workshop, of script devising, image making and acting.

A fun and practical session offering new techniques to make theatre, culminating in your very own Space Performance. An exciting and inspiring summer treat. From 10am-noon. For details, call 01497 821762 or globeathay.co.uk.

RIDE ON THE LAKELANDER AND VISIT THE CUMBRIAN COAST

SATURDAY August 7, Departing from: Newport, Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Crewe, Preston, Carnforth.

Enjoy a memorable day on board a vintage steam hauled train, travelling around the Cumbrian Coast, an area steeped in cultural and maritime history with spectacular views of the Lake District mountains and over the wide panoramic expanse of Morecambe Bay and Irish Sea as the train heads for Ravenglass, where there is the opportunity to ride the legendary Ravenglass & Eskdale miniature Railway into the Lakeland Fells, visit the beautiful gardens at Muncaster Castle, or continue to historic Whitehaven.

Details from statesmanrail.com.

TECHNIQUEST

AN exciting array of more than 160 hands-on exhibits at the popular interactive science centre in Wales.

Keep the family entertained for hours with puzzles and activities including: Test your reaction times, launch a hot air balloon, fire a rocket and loads more.

More details at techniquest.org.

BLAENAVON WORLD HERITAGE SITE

VISIT the ironworkers’ cottages in Stack Square and go underground at Big Pit to experience something of what life was like as a miner, with tours to the coalface conducted by men who worked there before the pit closed.

More details at world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk.

BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM

HISTORY really comes to life at the Black Country Living Museum, where you can travel about the canalside village by tram, experience life underground in the reconstructed mine and take a trip into the world-famous Dudley Canal Tunnel and limestone mines.

Enjoy some fish and chips from the 1930s fish and chip shop with its beautiful tiled interior or have a drink in the Bottle and Glass Inn.

And as you explore the village you’ll come across characters in costume, or even acting out a typical scene.

Try your hand at the toys of the time or experience a lesson in the schoolroom, watch a 1920s movie or enjoy a ride in the Victorian fairground. More details at bclm.co.uk.

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM, SOLIHULL

THE museum offers a nostalgic experience for the older generation, a chance to admire the machines they rode in the past, while younger generations can learn about the golden years of the British motorcycle industry, from the 1930s to the 1960s, when British machines ruled the world.

Details at nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk.

DR WHO UP CLOSE EXHIBITION, CARDIFF

NEW props on display include an Ood Elder from The End of Time, a fly-headed Tritovore and Lady Christina De Souza’s costume from The Planet of the Dead, plus Tarak costumes from The Waters of Mars. There is also a special display from the team behind the show’s monsters, Millennium FX., showing the production process behind creating an Ood. For more details, go to doctorwhoexhibitions.com.