guide to family days out

, and karaoke. Early bird tickets have already sold out, so get in fast for 2010. Visit www.secretgardenparty.co.uk6. JULY 23–25 Womad, Wiltshire This festival offers a world of music with performers from as far afield as Ethiopia, India and New Zealand

and an outdoors play space.Spring Plant Fair May 6Green-fingered types can stock up on all things leafy at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate. The garden's log maze, family trails and woodland dens will keep little visitors busy.RHS Chelsea Flower ShowMay 22

of days-out rolled into one. And a playground and remote-controlled boasts the fun factor further.Not many people know this but… Beckonscot is the world's oldest model village.Don’t forget to pack A camera so you can capture some great Gulliver’s Travels

is the tallest in Britain (and a warm retreat should the Scottish weather turn cauld). With its labyrinthine lay-out, the Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden is fun to explore. And inside the John Hope Gateway visitor centre there are interactive exhibits to explain

or box juices are great because containers are easy to take back to camp when they're empty. A great green alternative are the funky Sigg bottles that come in a range of groovy designs.RULE 2 Keep out of the crush. Stay back from the big events. Take

hosts special A Day Out With Thomas events when children can board the Thomas The Tank Engine train.Star attractions The pedal car models by Bugatti, Jaguar, Maserati and Lotus will excite speed demons large and small, although in reality their top speed

exhibition are full of delightful diversions. Children dress as a Cavalier, mount a wooden steed and try out a replica manège saddle and enter a scale model of the Little Castle (a castle within the castle) to sit down as special guests at an extravagant

If John Lennon had not been singing about playing in the garden of a certain Sally Army house in Liverpool, his dreamy melody, Strawberry Fields Forever, could just as well have been an homage to the green and red-spotted surroundings of Millets

-themed day out to discover more about the fascinating range of wildlife out and about during the early autumn season.Harvest Fair And Scarecrow TrailOctober 2Nothing signals the arrival of autumn like the new season’s harvest, so bring your family along