Welcome to

Near and Far Explorers

Helping you plan exciting, eclectic and memorable family adventures, in the UK and beyond.

Welcome to near and far explorers

I help busy families plan meaningful travel, mixing outdoor adventure and culture to create memorable holidays and days out.

We’ve spent the last 14 years working out how to maximise school holidays and weekends to travel and adventure in the UK and beyond. This site is here to help save you time, we’ll do the hard work of finding the best things to do and plan and test itineraries that meet the needs of the whole family.

You won’t find activities just for kids here (and certainly no soft play). We love creating meaningful and memorable experiences that the whole family enjoys. Our guides contain a mix of culture, hiking and outdoor adventure – perfect for families with differing interest like ours.

We create detailed guides to cities and beautiful corners of the UK, family adventure guides and itineraries for road and rail trips across Europe and occasionally we head further afield too.

Thank you for joining us on our travels. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have.

Find out more about Near and Far explorers

Family of five 2 parents and 3 children, at The Great Orme, Llandudno, Wales.

Destinations

View of fields and trees beyond a country gate at sunset

UK

The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford seen from St Marys passage with an old fashioned street light.

South West England

Tŵr Mawr Lighthouse on Ynys LLanddwyn Island, Angelsey. The lighthouse stands on a sand island with a path leading towards it. The sea is behind with the mountains of Snowdonia silhouetted in the distance.

Wales

Colourful houses next to the river in Annecy old town, France

France – Coming soon

Traditional wooden swiss chalet house with window boxes full of flowers at Blatten near Zermatt

Europe

Discover

The South West of England

After living and working in the South of England for most of our lives, we can highly recommend the following locations for your next excursion:

Bristol: An underrated gem. Mind expanding museums, Brunel’s suspension bridge and SS Great Britain and a thriving, creative city centre.
Stonehenge: Awe inspiring ancient history, an immersive visitor experience and easy hiking.
Avebury: Ancient standing stone, excellent hiking and a family friendly National Trust manor.
Oxford: Explore the university buildings, fantastic museums and leisurely boating.
Bath: Roman baths, Georgian buildings and access to bucolic countryside with a great fairy wood and playground.
Cirencester: A fantastic open air Lido, gorgeous gardens and a brilliant Roman museum.
Savernake forest: An ancient forest full of stories, near to the pretty town of Marlborough.
Broadway Tower, The Cotswolds: fascinating history, views for miles and a short hop to one of the Cotswold’s most beautiful villages.
St Ives, Cornwall: Incredible beaches, art and epic hikes.
Woolacombe: Busy seaside town with some of the best surfing in the UK. Home to our favourite beach and curry spot.

Explore

Oxford

The ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford’s 43 Colleges are nestled into the city itself, entwining university and town. Honey-coloured masonry, perfect emerald lawns and dark wood panelling in the college buildings evoke a time long past, and have inspired students and visitors for centuries.

Look beyond the colleges and you’ll find a myriad of mind-expanding museums, tranquil parklands ready to explore on foot, boat or bike and numerous creative ways to while away an afternoon on even the greyest of days.

Explore Oxford