September 3rd, 2010
Even a weekend in London does not have to cost the earth if you’re willing to put in the leg work in before you go. Here’s our top tips for a budget weekend in London and how we managed to enjoy it without spending a fortune:
Plenty of interactive exhibits at the Science Museum
Check out cheap fares on travel plus railcard discounts; we bought tickets through London Midland trains that are currently running a half price sale on off peak tickets. We discounted this further by using our family & friends railcard for a further third off adult tickets and 60% off child tickets. A return trip from Derby to London for three cost us less than £30!
Keep your eyes out for hotel sales and discounted rooms; we took advantage of the Travelodge sale that ran way back in April and booked a family room for just £12 for a Bank holiday Sunday. The London City Road Travelodge was a relatively upmarket travelodge, (and we’ve seen a few!) just off the Northern Line and it certainly did us proud!
Consider your breakfast options; we could have made use of the Tesco Express two doors down but opted for the all you can eat buffet breakfast at the Travelodge. Kids eat free on this deal and as we had booked in advance, this secured a further discount. Breakfast for three came to £13 and we didn’t need much for lunch!
There’s always free visitor attractions, it’s just finding them; cities are full of free attractions if you are willing to search them out before you go. Here’s a few of the free attractions we managed to fit in:
- The Science Museum, (full of interactive exhibits for children of all ages),
- The Diana Memorial Playground within Kensington Gardens. Based on Peter Pan’s Neverland, this was an idyllic spot for adults and children alike.
- Covent Garden -there is always plenty to entertain at this tourist spot with a constant supply of entertainers on hand.
- Hyde Park – always interesting to see what’s going on at Speaker’s Corner before a picnic in the park.
Diana Memorial playground
Check out the current deals & vouchers for eating out; there is an array of vouchers for eating out nowadays, just find ones that work for you. We chose to eat at Pizza Express Saturday night and managed to combine two seperate vouchers. Voucher 1 offered 2 courses for £10 whilst Voucher 2 offered a free kids meal with any adult meal. Thus a two course meal for three plus bottle of wine & a coke came to £37.
That’s a Topdog weekend!
Liz
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August 27th, 2010
Here’s a discount code for Go Ape that offers you 20% off rope courses that is valid until 5 September. This discount is available at 25 of the Go Ape courses, (excluding Woburn), around the UK.
When booking your course, just use the discount code SMR020. The great news is that this code is valid throughout the week including weekends & the bank holiday!
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August 26th, 2010
Here’s topdogdays’s top 5 most bizarre deals this season;
Run a mile; children who enter the mile fun run at Conkers, Derbyshire on 19 September gain free entry when accompanied by a full paying adult. More details at Conkers; kids go free.
Become a Brownie; all Brownie, Rainbows and Guide can access Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire free of charge with a full paying adult. More details at Trentham Garden deals.
Grow your hair; children with waist length hair can gain free entry to Warwick Castle until 6 September. More information available at Warwick Castle; free entry offer.
Adopt a monkey; adopt an animal at Drayton Manor for £35 and you receive 2 free complimentary tickets to the theme park…cheaper than 2 standard piced tickets and a monkey to boot!
On your bike; the National Trust are offering discounted entry to 50 of it’s settings around the country for those who arrive without the car. For further details of settings taking part in this offer, go to National Trust; discounted entry offers.
For most deals and tips to beat the queues at top visitor attractions go to topdogdays.
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August 24th, 2010
Go Ape are offering half price return tickets to a number of it’s courses around the UK at:
- Go Ape, Black Park
- Go Ape, Wyre
- Go Ape, Rivington
- Go Ape, Buxton
- Go Ape, Whinlatter
- Go Ape, Beecraigs
For more details, check out Go Ape; half price come back deals.
Liz
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August 13th, 2010
There’s plenty to do without spending a fortune this summer with the kids. Here’s a few ideas to start you off:
A Lego Version of Vue Cinemas
Discount cinema tickets: Vue cinema offer 95p tickets each morning during the school holidays to both children and adults alike! This week’s movies are Toothfairy & Astroboy, check your local Vue cinema for listings times.
Free swimming: many local authorities now offer free swimming sessions for under 16’s and over 60’s. This is a great way to stay active whilst amusing the children on the cheap. To find out your nearest pool that offers free swimming sessions, go to free swim sessions for under 16’s.
Free tennis: why not take advantage of Tennis For Free that offers children and families the chance to just turn up at participating tennis court and play for free. For your local listing, go to Tennis For Free.
Why not let us know your top tips for days out on a budget?
Liz
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August 11th, 2010
Brighton Pier in Lego
Looking for a deal at Brighton Pier, check out these special offers running Thurdays afternoons through the summer.
Included in the Brighton Pier Thursday after 5pm deals are:
- 2 for 1 on wristbands.
- 2 for 1 on sideshows, (not hook a duck unfortunately!)
- 2 for 1 on soft drinks
Whilst rides are generally open until 9pm, they are dependant upon the weather!
Have fun!
Liz
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August 10th, 2010
Our topdogdays mantra is that you don’t have to spend a fortune if you are planning a day out with the kids! Here are some of our top tips to keep the costs down during the summer holidays:
A lego family at Legoland, Windsor
Use a voucher; there are plenty of vouchers and deals around for top visitor attractions around the country. If you are planning a day out to Thorpe Park, Cadbury World or Go Ape to name but a few, check out the deals available before you go – of course topdogdays is the obvious choice!
Use a loyalty card; make use of those loyalty card points you have accumulated – Tesco in particular offers you up to four times its value when you redeem vouchers for days out. For example Legoland Discovery Centre will set you back only £3.50 in clubcard vouchers or Drayton Manor only £7.50 in vouchers.
Don’t waste money on additional spend; take a picnic rather than forking out for over priced food. For ride photography; there’s plenty of photo opportunities around a theme park that will capture the day with a regular camera! If you must buy souvenirs; agree an amount with the kids before you enter the store and stick to your budget.
The tube at Legoland, Windsor
London travel; take advantage of the new Barclays cycle hire in London for those aged 14 and over where the first 30 minutes is free. Remember that children under 11 travel for free on buses, tubes & trams in London. Kids aged between 11 & 15, travel on the tube for maximum of £1 a day with an Oyster photocard.
Take advantage of discount travel offers; invest in a family & friends railcard and take advantage of regional rail offers. London Midland trains are offering 50% discounts on off peak travel in August plus your additional discount with a railcard.
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August 6th, 2010
Planning a trip to Conkers, Snibston or Stonehust, then it maybe worth travelling by bus and taking advantage of these vouchers from Leicestershire County Council:
Conkers; one child free voucher with every accompanying adult
Snibston; one child free voucher valid until 31 March 2011
Stonehurst family farm & motor museum; child goes free voucher
Tropical birdland; child goes free voucher
All these vouchers are valid when you travel to your visitor attraction by bus – just download the vouchers and show your relevant bus ticket to your selected attraction. For more information, go to Conkers, Snibston & more discounted vouchers.
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August 2nd, 2010
Looking for a deal for Go Ape, then check out these current offers;
Go Ape, children half price: Go Ape are offering children, 15 and under, half price tickets any day bar Saturdays until 6th August. Just enter the code BAB050.
Buy 4 Go Ape tickets, get 5th for free: if you can club together with friends & family, then this offers free entry for the 5th person in your group. Just enter the code 05GUAR AND THE FIFTH PERSON GOES FREE.
For other regional Go Ape deals, check out Go Ape; further discounts.
Liz
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July 29th, 2010
The CairnGorm Mountain is the sixth highest mountain in the UK and we felt it was time for a climb whatever the weather! The CairGorm was an obvious choice with a funicular railway to start you on your way combined with the recently introduced walk to the top guided tours.
We were lucky enough to be one of the first to experience this guided tour to the top of the CairGorms and one that I can thoroughly recommend. Previously, the trip in the CairnGorm funicular railway meant you were unable to the leave the indoor holding station. These guided tours offer you the opportunity to explore the mountain to its summit with an experienced guider to assist and inform on your ascent/descent. The tours, @the top, are running as part of a pilot scheme over the summer months but must be booked in advance either online or on the day if space is available.
For a deal on CairnGorm funicular railway, pick up the visitscotland discount brochure called ‘ A Perfect Day from tourist offices.’ Within you will find deals and offers for visitor attractions around Scotland including a Buy One Funicular Railway one day ticket and get the second half price.
Off to Edinburgh next!
Liz
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