School’s out and six glorious weeks of summer stretch ahead ... if you’re already wondering how you’ll fill those lovely sunny days, we’ve compiled a two-part guide to what to do and where to go - here’s Part 1.

Children’s Summer Holiday Club
Oaker Wood Leisure, near Leominster 
Multi-activity days for children aged 7-12 including a range of Adventurous Activities, Rafting, Climbing, Zip Wire, Low rope assault course, Target shooting and more. 9am – 3.30pm Tues, Wed and Thurs in the Summer Holidays, July 30,31, August 1; August 6, 7 and 8, 13, 14 and 15, 20, 21 and 22. 
Teen Adventure Days for 12-16 year olds. Paintball, Quads and adrenaline.Wednesdays, 9 – 3.30pm.
Oaker Wood Leisure 01568 780111
oakerwoodleisure.co.uk/holiday 

Learn to swim
Hereford Leisure Pool

Free summer holiday learn to swim crash courses for children 4+
July 22-26; July 29 to August 2; August 5-9; August 12-16; August 19-23 and August 26-30.
Leominster Leisure Centre; Ross Swimming Pool and Ledbury Swimming Pool Summer Holiday activities all holiday-long, £6.50 per session
haloleisure.org.uk

Hands on History
July 20 to September 1
Goodrich Castle
Discover what it was like to live, work and fight in a real-life castle. Whether it’s learning to sword fight, taking part in pike drills, or transforming into a Roundhead or cavalier, there’s plenty of hands-on fun to keep the kids entertained at Goodrich Castle this summer. And once the little adventurers have put their skills to the test, let imaginations run wild exploring the castle walls and spooky dungeon. 
www.english-heritage.org.uk

Make & Take: Air dried clay workshops
July 21 to 25, 10.30am to 5.30pm
Eastnor Pottery
Create an ‘air dry’ clay creation to take home with you.
eastnorpottery.com

The Greatest Kingdom
July 20 to August 12
Maylords
Enter the Enchanted Kingdom and witness the Greatest Show. Prepare to be amazed as you watch a selection of your favourite songs from the movie soundtrack brought to life by the professional cast. Suitable for all ages, under 12 months are free.
enchantedkingdomhereford.co.uk

Circus skills workshops and entertainment
July 20 at Hampton Court Castle​
An interactive family day out.
Animal encounters
July 24 to August 29
Every Wednesday and Thursday of the school holidays get up close with some exotic animals with Trevor Hill’s popular animal encounters.
hamptoncourtcastle.co.uk
Flying birds of prey spectacular
July 28
Meet eagles, caracaras, hawks, falcons and owls.
hamptoncourtcastle.co.uk

Storytime and Drawing Workshop
July 26
The Gateway Cinema, Ross Labels, Ross-on-Wye

Meet the author and illustrator of Bear on a Bike and Disgusting Sandwich, Hannah Shaw. There is also the unique opportunity to watch Hannah draw and even learn a few tips. Find out more at www.labelsshopping.co.uk/events

Eggs on Legs
Saturday, July 20, 11am
The Courtyard
Meet the zany Eggs on Legs as they try to hatch a huge egg that appears in their tree. Is it a dinosaur egg and can they protect it from the slithery snake? A cracking family show bursting with wonder and surprise – Free pre-show activity from 10.30am – Make a long legged chicken.
courtyard.org.uk/01432 340555

Art at the Yard - Storytime holiday workshop

July 25, 10am

Dive in to a good book as we take inspiration from some classic tales and recreate much loved characters and scenes using a variety of techniques and materials. Children will follow a guided art session, teaching them techniques they can develop through their own art work. 
courtyard.org.uk/01432 340555

The Canterbury Tales
July 29, 10.30am and 11.30am
Queenswood Country Park
Join Hereford’s Courtyard Senior Youth Group and WildPlay for a fun outdoor theatre experience! Meet the characters and follow their storytelling adventure through the Autumn Garden. Please book at queenswoodandbodenhamlake.co.uk

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Adventure Club
Tuesdays, July 23 and 30, August 6, 13 and 20, 9am to 4pm
Summer inspired adventures in woods,including campfire cooking,fire lighting,den building,using tools,games,seasonal crafts and more!

Get Crafty with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
Drop in nature based crafts for children aged 2-13, accompanied by parents/carers. There is always sensory/free play activity to suit younger children. No need to book, just pop in to Queenswood’s visitor centre to pay!
£2 per child, under 2s free.


There's plenty to see and do a little further afield with living museums and hands-on science centres within easy driving distance!

St Fagan’s National Museum of History
St Fagan’s near Cardiff
There couldn’t be a better year in which to visit this fantastic museum, as it has been voted the Art Fund Museum of the Year for the UK. Already Wales’s most popular heritage attraction for many years St Fagans is a people’s museum, showcasing historic buildings relocated from across Wales, including a farm, a tannery, mills and a chapel. Free entry
museum.wales/stfagans

Black Country Living Museum 
History comes to life at ‘Britain’s friendliest open-air museum’, where costumed demonstrators and working craftsmen bring the past to live in historical buildings. On July 20-21 the Museum presents a 1940s Weekend - join in and dress up, or visit to experience what it was like to live and party in the 40s. bclm.co.uk

The Big Pit
Find out what it feels like to descend to the coal face, and learn about mining from a former miner at this award-winning visitor attraction in Blaenavon. museum.wales/bigpit

Techniquest, Cardiff and/or We The Curious in Bristol
Hands-on science guaranteeing hours of fun ... and some cunningly disguised education. Techniquest offers a holiday club for 7-11 year olds, running from August 5 to 23 (weekdays) giving kids the chance to get hands on with everything from rockets to robots and plants to puzzles.
techniquest.org; wethecurious.org

The Judge’s Lodging in Presteigne
Explore the ‘upstairs, downstairs’ life of the Victorian Judges, their servants and felonious guests. Explore their gaslit world - from the restored judge’s apartments to the dingy servants’ quarters below. judgeslodging.org.uk

Hereford Cider Museum
Learn how apples were milled and pressed and how the resulting juice was fermented to produce cider: a centuries-old tradition still developing today. The collection includes cider mills, presses, bottles, old photographs, watercolours, advertising memorabilia and a rare collection of English lead crystal cider flutes, all housed in the original 1888 Bulmer’s factory.
cidermuseum.co.uk