Are We There Yet?

How To Keep Kids Busy in Huntingdonshire

Lisa Durbin
localsecrets.com Tuesday, 24 Jul 2012

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It’s that time of year – the “I’m booooooorrrrrreeeed” committee has reconvened for the summer. Gone are the days when kids run around woodlands and abandoned houses unsupervised (what WERE our parents thinking?); today’s children need us to keep them occupied.

There is an abundance of activities available to children during the summer holidays, but often at a price. Holiday clubs can run anywhere from £150-200 per week, per child. We’ve come up with some ideas for things to do in Huntingdonshire when faced with six weeks off school, a limited budget, and children with boundless energy.

Bundle up the kids, blankets, and a picnic basket and head for one of the local parks. What better way for the kids to let off some steam and (hopefully) soak up some rays?

Riverside Park in Godmanchester has two play areas: a larger wooden play structure for older children, and an enclosed play area for the under-fives. If you bring bread, you’ll have an endless supply of feathered friends (although keep an eye on the swans, who are nesting at the moment and are generally a bit grumpy.)

If you’re after something a bit bigger, Hinchingbrooke Country Park covers 170 acres of grasslands, meadows, and woodlands with cycle trails, wildlife aplenty, and play areas. If the Country Park still isn’t big enough for you, Grafham Water is a massive 2,400 acres and offers a huge range of outdoor activities.

All parks have parking facilities, cafés or restaurants nearby, and public toilets – the latter being a must for anyone with children.
For something on a smaller scale and out of the ordinary, you can visit Johnson’s Farm shop in Oldhurst to see animals roam in the field and take a peek at the crocodiles. Yes, that’s right, crocodiles – they have their own house with large windows for safe croc viewing. There is also a small play area, complete with toy ride-on tractors.

The Huntingdonshire leisure centres provide indoor and outdoor entertainment, ranging from free activities to reasonably priced classes. The Activity Roadshows and Playtimes sessions are free of charge, and run in dozens of locations. For details of what’s on offer this summer, see their brochure 

All local leisure centres have swim sessions for various age groups, and floats fun sessions with inflatables and toys for the little ones. We love the slide and shallow toddler pool at the St. Neots Leisure Centre. Under-fives swim for free if you have a One Card or a membership at the One Leisure gyms.

And here are some tips on saving pennies this summer:

•Check out deals here on localsecrets! You can filter your search by location and type of deal to help find something to suit you.

•Join film rental sites for rainy days; many have free trial periods.

•Investigate annual or monthly passes for places you visit most. Some passes are the equivalent to only three visits.

Now, where did we put that sunshine?