■ St Fagan’s, Cardiff

MORE than 40 original buildings from different historical periods have been rebuilt in 100 acres of parkland. Among them are houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and the splendid Workmen’s Institute, not to mention a stone pig-sty.

There are also workshops where craftsmen demonstrate their traditional skills ... and bread is baked daily at the Derwen Bake House, while the Gwalia Stores, above which is a 1920s style tearoom, sells fine Welsh foods.

INFO: museumwales.ac.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 66 miles, 1hr 20min. PRICE: free

■ Bristol Zoo

EXPERIENCE life among the tree tops at Bristol Zoo where Europe’s first aerial ropes course set in a zoo will take you round 17 sections of the zoo using a net ramp, a plank bridge, hanging tyres, looped vines, hanging logs and a balance beam, finishing with a zipwire onto the zoo’s main lawn.

ZooRopia is subject to availability on a first come, first served basis and there is an additional charge.

More than 450 species can be discovered at Bristol Zoo – make sure you see Seal and Penguin Coasts, Gorilla Island and Zona while you’re there.

INFO: bristolzoo.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 64 miles, 1 hr 25 min. PRICE: Adult, £12.50, child £7.75, family (2+2) £36.50.

■ Cadbury World

FOURTEEN chocolate-themed zones combine to create a fantastic chocolately day out.

From the history of everybody’s favourite treat to hands-on activities and a glimpse of how it all gets made ... as well as the chance to try some, Cadbury World is a sure-fire hit.

INFO: cadburyworld.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 54 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: From £10.10 per child to £48.90 family (2+3).

■ Dudley Zoo and Castle

HOME to some of the world’s biggest, rarest and most exotic animals.

See some of the endangered species Dudley Zoo is helping to save including Asiatic lions, Sumtran tigers, lemurs and penguins.

Then visit historic Dudley Castle and learn about its eventful past.

INFO: dudleyzoo.org.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 57 miles, 1hr 15min. PRICE: Adult £10.90, children £7.70, under-threes free. Plus £3 parking.

■ National Sealife Centre, Birmingham

SEE a wealth of marine life up close in a range of spectacular displays, from touch pools to walkthrough underwater tunnels providing close encounters with everything from humble shrimps and starfish to seahorses, sharks and rays.

INFO: sealifeeurope.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 56 miles, 1hr.

15min. PRICE: Adult £17, child £12.50.

■ Twycross Zoo

TWYCROSS, near Tamworth, is one of the major British zoos, particularly renowned for its collection of primates, the most comprehensive in the western world.

INFO: twycrosszoo.org.

FROM HEREFORD: 85 miles, 1 hr, 35min. PRICE: Adult £11, child £7, family (2+2) £33, family (2+3) £39.

■ Warwick Castle

WATCH the jousting, see the guests at a Royal Weekend House Party at the castle, Join Richard Neville, Kingmaker and Earl of Warwick as he prepares his extensive household for the Battle of Barnet in 1471 and see what medieval life was really like.

New this year is The Princess Tower, home to the castle’s very own fairytale princess, Princess Arabella.

INFO: warwick-castle.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 67 miles, 1hr 20min. PRICE: Family (2+2) £43.20 booked in advance, £48 on the day.

With dungeons, £70/£78.

■ Cardiff Castle

YOU’LL find Cardiff Castle right in the heart of the city, a stunning reminder of the past set in the middle of a thriving retail centre (allowing you to mix it up with a bit of history and a bit of shopping on your day out).

There was originally a Norman keep on the site, but Cardiff Castle is remarkable now for its extravagant transformation by architect William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute. Each magnificent room has its own special theme, including Mediterranean gardens, Italian and Arabian decorations. The new Interpretation Centre opened in June last year to provide a memorable experience of Cardiff Castle.

INFO: cardiffcastle.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 58 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: Adult £8.95, child £6.35

■ Heritage Motor Centre

TO coincide with the International Mini Meet to be held in Birmingham on August 8-9, the Heritage Motor Centre will be organising a series of Mini-themed events which will include a series of guided tours, lectures and children’s activities linked to the 50 Years of the Mini exhibition.

Event details at minifestival.co.uk over the coming months.

Activities are on Thursdays throughout the summer holidays.

INFO: heritage-motor-centre.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 75 miles, 1hr 25min. PRICE: Family ticket (2+3), £28, under-fives free.

■ Berkeley Castle

BERKELEY in Gloucestershire is a castle with a very special atmosphere, a Norman fortress built and enlarged through the middle ages and beyond to become a substantial home. See the King’s Gallery with the dungeons where King Edward II was imprisoned and murdered.

The gardens were planted with the help of the renowned garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll, at the turn of the last century and the grounds also include a butterfly house with hundreds of butterflies in a peaceful indoor garden.

INFO: berkeley-castle.com.

FROM HEREFORD: 57 miles, 1hr 20min. PRICE: adult £7.50, child £4.50, family (2+2) £21

■ Castell Coch

WALES’S fairytale castle, Castell Coch is another Burges/ Marquess of Bute collaboration, the result of a unique combination of eccentric architect and untold wealth.

Designed by the Marquess as a country residence to complement his main home in Cardiff, Castell Coch, built on medieval remains, is a remarkable monument to a Victorian flight of fancy, lavishly decorated and furnished and unlike any other castle in the country.

INFO: cadw.wales.gov.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 59 miles, 1hr 10min. PRICE: Adult £3.60, child £3.20.

■ SS Great Britain

AN AWARD-winning attraction in the heart of Bristol, step on board the SS Great Britain and you’ll step back in time and discover the true stories behind the ship that changed the world and ocean voyages for ever when she was launched in 1843.

A revolutionary design by engineer Isambard Kingdome Brunel saw the ship breaking the previous transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage.

Embark to experience the sights, sounds and smells of life on board for Victorian passengers and crew.

INFO: ssgreatbritain.org.

FROM HEREFORD:68 miles, 1 hr 25min. PRICE: Adult £10.95, child £8.50, family (2+3) £30, mini family (1+3) £20, grandparent family (2+3) £28, or 2+1, £19.50.

■ Cheddar Gorge

TOUR Gough’s Cave, the largest of the illuminated caves at Cheddar Gorge, to be reminded of just how old the earth is, the caverns having been carved out of the rock by the meltwaters of the last Ice Age.

Cox’s Cave is home to Crystal Quest, “a dark-walk fantasy world of elven magic and bold adventure”.

Add in the climb up Jacob’s Ladder to the top of the Gorge and a threemile clifftop walk, and you’ve got a full day out.

INFO: cheddarcaves.co.uk.

FROM HEREFORD: 93 miles, 1hr 50min. PRICE: adults, £16, children £10, family (2+3) £42.

■ National Waterways Museum, Gloucester Docks

FIND out what it would have been like to live and work on Britain’s inland waterways and visit the new Ecology Gallery to learn about the wildlife that can be found alongside them.

You’ll also be able to discover how canals were built and how locks work, and interactive exhibits and displays add to a fascinating day trip.

INFO: nwm.org.uk/gloucester.

FROM HEREFORD: 34 miles, 54 minutes. PRICE: adult, £3.95, child £2.75, family (2+) £12.