Steam: £7; senior, £5; child, £4; family (two plus two), £20 Diesel trains cost less (01827 880754).3. Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park Station, East Sussex UK's first volunteer-run preserved railway, on part of old London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, now nine miles long.Open: daily, 11am. Avon Valley Railway, Bitton, near Bristol Six-mile return ride along former branch of the old Midland Railway.Based at Bitton Station, midway between Bristol and Bath.No service Mon and Fri, except bank holidays. £5; senior, £4; child 3-16, £3.50; family (two plus two), £13.50 (0117 932 5538).2. Battlefield Line, Shackerstone Station, Hinckley, Leicestershire Part of former Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway, running from Shackerstone to Shenton Station, in centre of Bosworth Field battle site.Open: weekends, Weds and bank holidays through summer. There are also many wonders to explore at the National Rail Museum in York, and the London Transport Museum. For a comprehensive listing, go to heritagerailways /abc.html 1.
20 of around 100 preserved railways in Britain Most of these run steam trains, although not every day. Almost all pass through the more scenic parts of the country - and nothing beats watching the trains running as they should, along a country branch line. Safer under adult supervision ("Darling, has anyone seen my boxed set of Beethoven quartets?"), and safer still if swaps are not permanent and binding.. Check that there aren't any nut-allergy sufferers around, though.19 Get together with other families and stage "I'm a Mum.. Get Me Out of Here". Mothers have to camp in a garden and do trials set by Dad and kids to earn food and gins and tonics.
Works also with kids, but not with Dads, who are liable to cheat.20 Get them to organise a Swap-Shop day. All their friends bring CDs, DVDs, books, toys, they are tired of, and swap them with each other. One for the littlies - you make some different-coloured marzipan, and they cut or model it into animals and shapes. Junk shops are a useful source of old and odd cookie cutters.
