Summer Holiday Activities in Durham: Keeping the Kids Busy

Six weeks is a long stretch when small people are involved, and the summer holidays can feel like a marathon of "I'm bored" and rising costs. Happily, Durham is well set up for keeping children busy, with a compact city, easy riverside greenery and a good spread of attractions and organised clubs within a short drive. This guide splits the summer into three parts: the free days out, the paid attractions worth the ticket, and the organised holiday clubs and camps that give parents a working day back. There is something here for toddlers, tweens and everyone in between.

Free days out and the council's holiday scheme

The cheapest way through the summer is to lean on what Durham gives away for nothing. The riverside path that loops the cathedral peninsula is a proper adventure for children, with medieval bridges, rowing boats to watch and wooded banks to explore, while Wharton Park behind the railway station has a junior playground, a toddler area and the best skyline views in the city. Both are free, open all year and hard to beat for a spur-of-the-moment morning out.

For families on a tight budget, the council also runs a funded scheme worth knowing about. Durham County Council's Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) offers free places on holiday clubs and camps, with a healthy meal included, for children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals. Sessions run across the county every summer, from sports to arts and cooking, and the current list is published at durham.gov.uk/holidayactivities. It is a genuinely useful safety net, and several private providers in this guide accept its "Fun and Food" funding too.

Best for: Best for stretching the budget: free parks plus funded HAF places for eligible families.

Paid attractions worth the ticket

When you want a proper day out, Durham has plenty of paid attractions that earn their entry fee. Adventure Valley at Brasside is the headline family farm park, with animals, indoor and outdoor play, tractor rides and water play that comes into its own on a warm day, easily filling a full day for younger children. It gets busy in the holidays, so booking ahead and arriving early is sensible.

For something greener and gentler, the Durham University Botanic Garden on Hollingside Lane is a lovely surprise: ten hectares of woodland gardens, glasshouses with a desert house and a tropical rainforest, and resident tarantulas and scorpions that children tend to remember for weeks. Under-16s go free, which makes it excellent value, and there is a cafe for the grown-ups. Nearby, Crook Hall Gardens at Sidegate, now cared for by the National Trust, packs a maze, a secret walled garden, an orchard and a wildlife-rich moat pool into a compact site, and lays on self-led sports, crafts and nature activities through the summer holidays.

For a wet afternoon or a change of pace, the Oriental Museum at Elvet Hill runs a busy family events programme alongside its galleries of Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese treasures. It is the only museum in the North East devoted to the art and cultures of Asia and North Africa; admission charges and opening times are published on the university website. Slightly further afield, The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle is a rewarding day trip, a grand French-style chateau in the Durham dales with a family programme, dressing-up and its famous Silver Swan automaton.

Best for: Best for a full day out: Adventure Valley for younger children, the Botanic Garden and Crook Hall for a calmer pace.

Organised holiday clubs and camps

Sometimes what parents need most is a proper day of childcare, and Durham has some well-established sports camps that fit the bill. Durham University's Team Durham runs holiday camps for children aged five to sixteen at its Maiden Castle Sport and Wellbeing Park on Stockton Road, with multi-sport days and specialist coaching across the summer break, using the university's excellent pitches and sports halls. It is a good option for active children who want to try everything from athletics to hockey.

For a friendlier price point and a slightly younger age range, Simply Sport has been running children's holiday clubs across County Durham since 2001, with sessions for children aged four to twelve held at New Ferens Park in Belmont. They offer a mix of sports and games in a secure, safeguarding-focused setting, and accept the council's "Fun and Food" HAF vouchers for eligible families, so cost need not be a barrier. Booking is through their website ahead of each holiday.

Best for: Best for a working day back: Team Durham camps for older children, Simply Sport for primary ages.

Rainy days and winding down

The North East summer being what it is, it pays to have an indoor plan. Bertie's Play Village is a role-play soft play centre that suits toddlers and younger children well, and makes a reliable fallback when the forecast turns. For older children who want to burn off energy, Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre runs public swimming sessions right in the city centre, an easy way to fill a couple of hours and tire everyone out before tea. Between the free parks, the paid attractions and a club or two, six weeks suddenly looks a lot more manageable.

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