WITH a staycation being this year’s holiday of choice for many credit-crunched families, we’re offering a selection of great places to go and things to do to make staying at home as much fun as going away.

This week we bring you ideas for some of the best places to go, from the natural world to living history, from indoor fun to outdoor activities, and all within a couple of hours’ drive from Hereford.

■ Drayton Manor

ONE of the UK’s favourite theme parks, packed with a host of great rides and attractions set in 280 acres of lakes and parkland. Drayton Manor features some of the biggest, wettest and scariest rides around, including ‘the best water ride in the country’, and Thomas Land for younger visitors.

The park is also home to Drayton Manor Zoo, a fascinating place to explore big cats, reptiles, eagles, monkeys, owls, parrots, and the children’s farm.

INFO: draytonmanor.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 75 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: from £60 (three family members) to £100 (five family members), under-fours free.

■Perrygrove Railway

A STEAM railway incorporating a treasure hunt, with stations to hop off at and explore your surroundings.

Also features woodland walks, houses in the trees, an indoor village and undercover play at Foxy Hollow.

INFO: perrygrove.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 24 miles, 40min.

PRICE: adults, £4.95, children £3.95, family (2+2) £16.80.

■ West Midland Safari Park

ALWAYS a favourite with its great mix of safari and exciting rides, West Midland Safari Park has an extra special treat on offer this summer, with its first ever campover on Saturday, August 8.

For £25 per adult and £20 per child the Summer Safari Camp includes a two-day pass to the animal reserves and VIP wristband for unlimited rides in the amusement area, plus an overnight camping pitch. Spaces are limited, so prior booking is essential.

INFO: wmsp.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 42 miles, 52 mins. PRICE: adult, £11.50, child £10.50, family (2+2) £40.

■ Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park

A MIX of adventure fun and animal interaction in a glorious riverside setting. Climb on board the Strawberry Line – the longest fiveinch miniature gauge railway in the West Country, take a stroll around the winding river (with challenging obstacles for the children).

FROM HEREFORD: 73 miles, 1hr 35min. PRICE: adult £16, child £10, family (2+3) £42.

■ Slimbridge Wetland Centre

SEE the largest collection of swans, ducks, flamingos and geese anywhere in the world, many of them rare or endangered species.

Slimbridge has a year-round programme of events, workshops and talks, with Land Rover safaris every day during the school holidays. If you make a really early start you can also join the warden on a Birdwatch morning.

INFO: wwt.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 54 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: adult £8.75, child £4.80, family (2+2) £24.40.

Landrover safaris and Birdwatch mornings extra.

■ Techniquest

SPACE is the theme at Techniquest this summer with the TQ Guide to the Galaxy added to the exciting array of more than 160 hands-on exhibits at Wales’ popular interactive science centre.

This year is the International Year of Astronomy and at Techniquest you’ll find a new hands-on exhibit about the Herschel and Planck telescopes, and opportunities to build a sundial, a Mars Lander and take a space-themed trail around the exhibition.

Keep the family entertained for hours with puzzles and activities including: Test your reaction times, launch a hot air balloon, fire a rocket and loads more.

INFO: techniquest.org.

FROM HEREFORD: 59 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: Adult £7, child £5, family (2+3) £20.

■ Dick Whittington Family Leisure Park

A GREAT all-weather destination for a family day out, with plenty of indoor and outdoor activities for the children, including 8,000 sq ft of trampolines, slides and ball pools inside and the Rickety Bridge Adventure play area, tractor rides, pets’ corner and a giant sand pit.

INFO: dickwhittington.org.

FROM HEREFORD: 25 miles, 45 min.

PRICE: Adults and over-10s, £5, 3-10 years old, £5.50.

■ Blaenavon World Heritage Site

VISIT the ironworkers’ cottages in Stack Square and go underground at Big Pit to experience something of what life was like as a miner, with tours to the coalface conducted by men who worked there before the pit closed.

INFO:world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 32 miles, 50 minutes. PRICE: free

■ Cotswold Farm Park

RARE breed conservation centre with a comprehensive collection of more than 50 breeding flocks and herds of British rare breed farm animals.

The daily schedule includes bottle feeding, milking and sheep-shearing demonstrations and tractor school.

INFO: cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 56 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: £6.75, child £5.50, family (2+2) £45.

■ Explore At Bristol

MOVE water uphill, put your mind and body to the test or create your own show on Play TV.

More than 30 new exhibits offer the chance to be awed by cosmic rays, get in a spin at the turbulent orb, or try to control a loop of string with a mind of its own then tour the night sky in the planetarium.

INFO: at.bristol.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 68 miles, 1hr 25mins. PRICE: Adult, £11.90, child £7.70, family (2+2) £34.

■ Black Country Living Museum

HISTORY really comes to life at the Black Country Living Museum, where you can travel about the canalside village by tram, experience life underground in the reconstructed mine and take a trip into the world-famous Dudley Canal Tunnel and limestone mines.

Enjoy some fish and chips from the 1930s fish and chip shop with its beautiful tiled interior or have a drink in the Bottle and Glass Inn.

And as you explore the village you’ll come across characters in costume, or even acting out a typical scene.

Try your hand at the toys of the time or experience a lesson in the schoolroom, watch a 1920s movie or enjoy a ride in the Victorian fairground.

INFO: bclm.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 57 miles, 1 hr 15min. PRICE: Family (2+3) £34.95, or 1+1 £18.

■ National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull

THE world’s largest motorcycle museum, with important and famous machines constantly being added to the collection.

The museum offers a nostalgic experience for the older generation, a chance to admire the machines they rode in the past, while younger generations can learn about the golden years of the British motorcycle industry, from the 1930s to the 1960s, when British machines ruled the world.

INFO: nationalmotorcyclemuseum.

co.uk. FROM HEREFORD: 65 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: Adult £6.95, child £4.95, family (2+3) £20.

■ Doctor Who Up Close Exhibition, Cardiff

GET up close to a Cyberman and a Dalek, and see monsters, costumes and props from Doctor Who, most of which was filmed in Cardiff.

The interactive exhibition also features props from the original series, and a Doctor Who shop.

INFO: doctorwhoexhibition.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 59 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: Adult £6, child £4.50, family £18