Revealed: the UK’s top 40 best value days out for summer
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The staycation trend is here to stay in 2022, and with the summer holidays just around the corner, families throughout the UK will be looking for fun ways to spend their days for less.
Civil-service and public-sector club Boundless compiled a list with the help of four experts and asked thousands of its members to vote to create the UK’s top 40 best value days out for the summer months. More than 2,500 members responded to create a list that will keep the whole family entertained with attractions across the country.
Coming in at number one is the Eden Project in Cornwall, followed by Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, The British Museum in London, Beamish, the Living Museum of the North in County Durham, and Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland and Cumbria,
Darren Milton at Boundless said: “With ongoing airline issues and big hikes in the cost of living, many people will be looking for affordable ways to inject fun and excitement into time spent with family and friends over the summer.
“Great value doesn’t always mean ‘free’. When we asked our experts to compile their lists of attractions, we asked them to consider whether admission prices offer an incredible great value for money. This includes destinations where you could easily spend an entire day and gain access to other on-site benefits for a single-entry fee, or benefit from an extended access period for the cost of just one visit.
“The result is a fantastic list of attractions, whether you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, or you prefer to soak in Britain’s amazing heritage and great outdoors, there’s something for everyone.”
Many of the attractions are available at even better rates with Boundless membership, which is open to all public-sector employees and civil servants, working and retired, for just £32 a year. For example, members can take advantage of unlimited access to Kew Gardens, all 10 Wildfowl and Wetland Trust sites across the country, 12-month access to Kids Pass and a choice of discounted experiences through Virgin Experience Days.
Milton added: “There are so many benefits to staycationing. It’s greener, easier, helps the local economy, and is usually more affordable than an overseas trip. Boundless’ top 40 has been drawn up to help everyone get the most out of their well-earned break this summer.”
For more information, please visit https://www.boundless.co.uk/bestvaluedaysout
Top 40 Boundless Best Value Days Out:
1 Eden Project, Cornwall
2 Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire
3 British Museum, London
4 Beamish Living Museum of the North, Derbyshire
5 Hadrian’s Wall
6 Beaulieu, Hampshire
7 National Railway Museum, York
8 Hampton Court Palace, London
9 Science Museum, London
10 Portmeirion, Gwynedd
11 The Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire
12 Tower of London, London
13 Kew Gardens, London
14 Holy Island, Northumberland
15 Roman Baths, Somerset
16 Go Ape (multiple locations)
17 Stonehenge, Wiltshire
18 The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall
19 Brownsea Island, Dorset
20 Black Country Museum, Dudley
21 Bournemouth Pier, Dorset
22 Cotswold Wildlife Park, Oxfordshire
23 Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
24 Dover Castle, Kent
25 Cotswold Water Park, Gloucestershire
26 Brooklands Museum, Surrey
27 Osborne House, Isle of Wight
28 Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire
29 Zipworld Llechwedd Caverns, Snowdonia
30 Heights of Abraham, Matlock, Derbyshire
31 Monkey World, Dorset
32 Ullswater Steamers, Cumbria
33 Rutland Water, Rutland
34 Alnwick Garden, Northumberland
35 Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, Gloucestershire
36 St Paul's Cathedral, London
37 WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire
38 Minack Theatre, Cornwall
39 Jodrell Bank Telescope, Cheshire
40 London Transport Museum, London
Ends
Editors notes
Boundless is a membership club for working and retired civil service and public sector workers who are looking for inspiration on getting the most out of their free time.
With a heritage and expertise dating back almost 100 years, Boundless offers its 165,000+ members deals on hundreds of unique experiences, events, volunteer activities and things to do. It’s also mutual, so all profits go straight back into the club to benefit members.
Boundless membership is packed full of exciting ways members can make the most of their free time, grab superb savings, and connect with local interest and community groups.
Methodology:
Boundless asked four experts to create individual shortlists of 25 UK attractions that offer great value for money in a specific category – family, heritage, action or outdoor. These lists of 25 were then combined to create a list of 100, which was sent out to Boundless members to vote on via an online survey. 2,573 members responded to share their thoughts on which were the best-value attractions, which were then ordered by descending popularity (i.e., number of votes).
