TAKE the kids to explore a city for an October half-term treat. You don’t have to go to London for a choice of fantastic attractions and experiences.

You’ll find it cheaper to stay and pay for family fun at other favourite cities across the UK. Trisha Harbord brings you a selection of the best things to see and do in these walkable cities.

Edinburgh

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THE cobbled Royal Mile is one of the UK’s most famous streets. Visit the castle on the hill then start your walk to the Scottish Parliament.

You’ll pass St Giles’ Cathedral, Parliament Square, cashmere shops, the famous World’s End pub, one-time jail Canongate Tolbooth and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

FREE: The Museum of Childhood with toys and games from across generations. Harry Potter fans can join a free tour around the town with stops including the inspiration behind Diagon Alley and Voldemort’s grave, see pottertrail.com.

THRILL: Re-live Edinburgh’s darkest history in the Dungeon, with special effects, scary actors and a drop ride.

If you have a car, ride the waves at the new Lost Shore surf centre, 25 minutes from the city.

GO: Two nights’ B&B for two adults and two children at Arrandale Guest House is from £430. See visitscotland.com for details.

Cardiff

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WALK the walls of the castle. Once a Roman fort, it’s a mix of buildings from all eras and now a Gothic extravaganza.

Visit Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades and stop off at Spillers, the oldest record shop in the world.

Bute Park is the green heart of the city with natural play features.

FREE: Try a walking tour to learn the city’s 2,000-year history, fogosfreetours .com.

Visit the National Museum or open-air St Fagans to see craftsmen showing traditional skills.

THRILL: The Principality Stadium is the home of Welsh rugby. If you fancy, you can walk along the edge of the 75,000-seat roof, zip wire across the canopy, then abseil down.

GO: A family room at the Parkgate Hotel is from £173 a night. See the parkgatehotel.wales and visitwales.com.

Newcastle/Gateshead

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ENJOY a circular Quayside walk from the tilting Gateshead Millennium Bridge, taking in stunning views from both the Newcastle and Gateshead sides of the River Tyne.

Check out music at Sage Gateshead and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

See the Norman castle and the fantastic science attraction Centre for Life.

FREE: Visit the Discovery Museum and the centre for kids’ books, Seven Stories. Stroll through Leazes Park and Victorian Saltwell Park in Gateshead, with a lake, play areas, an animal house, maze and cafe.

THRILL: Newcastle Climbing Centre has walls for all abilities.

GO: Family room at easyHotel from £55 a night. See easyhotel.com and newcastlegateshead.com.

Birmingham

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THIS city has more canals than Venice, so weave your way through Brindleyplace with its cafes and squares.

It is close to the National Sea Life Centre, with the UK’s only 360-degree ocean tunnel to see the marine life.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first Cadbury shop in the city, so do visit Cadbury World with its new Chocolate Quest ride.

FREE: Take a free family trail around the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery to see Egyptian mummies, and the Staffordshire Hoard Gallery has the biggest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found.

THRILL: Try 11 adventure activities including sky diving over at The Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC.

GO: Family room at the Ibis Styles from £94 a night. See all.accor.com and visitbirmingham.com

York

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THIS historic hub boasts more attractions per square mile than any other UK city. Step back in time to discover the 10th century at the Jorvik Viking Centre.

Tour the amazing York Minster cathedral, see artefacts at Dig, a hands-on adventure based on real-life digs.

York’s Chocolate Story has interactive exhibits, tastings and make your own lolly.

FREE: Stroll along York’s historic walls that have protected the city for 2,000 years. Visit the National Railway Museum, full of iconic engines.

THRILL: Visit ghost tours, escape rooms, wizard walks, a dungeon and handling eagles at the Bird of Prey Centre.

GO: Family room at Travelodge York Hull Road is from £148 a night. See travelodge.co.uk and visit york.org.

Manchester

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HALF-TERM falls over Halloween and Manchester Monsters are out in force, with free events from October 25, and a spectacular procession.

See the world’s largest football collection at the National Football Museum, visit Legoland Discovery Centre and watch 2,000 creatures at Sea Life’s underwater world.

FREE: Enjoy the city’s museums, including Manchester Museum, which houses 4.5million objects from archaeology to zoology. Young gamers will love the 150 consoles playing from Mario to Minecraft at the Science and Industry Museum.

THRILL: There’s indoor skydiving at iFLY as well as carts on virtual tracks at Chaos Karts.

GO: A family room at the city centre Premier Inn, is from £87 a night. See premier inn.com and visitmanch ester.com

Brighton

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RENOWNED as the finest ever, Brighton’s 1,722ft pier has attractions for everyone from fairground favourites to thrill coasters.

Tuck into fish and chips, pizza or ice cream while enjoying sea views.

A must-visit is the magnificent 18th century Brighton Pavilion, the palace of King George IV.

The Toy and Model Museum is an amazing Aladdin’s cave of trains, boats, dolls and puppets.

FREE: See the taxidermy collection and a killer whale skeleton at the Booth Museum of Natural History.

THRILL: Glide 450ft into the air for 360-degree views on British Airways i360.

GO: Family rooms at the beach-front Best Western Princes Marine Hotel, from £99 a night. See booking.com and visit brighton.com

Bristol

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WITH more than 400 parks and green spaces, no wonder Bristol has European Green Capital status.

The streets are adorned with art including the elusive Banksy, who was born here.

Explore the world’s first ocean liner at Brunel’s SS Great Britain and travel through space in the 3D planetarium at We The Curious.

FREE: Bristol’s iconic Clifton Suspension bridge over the River Avon. Walk across to the visitor centre to learn about one of engineer Brunel’s masterpieces.

THRILL: Wake The Tiger, an immersive high-tech experience where you walk through a labyrinth of 40 spaces of art and kaleidoscope colours.

GO: Family room at Moxy from £123 a night. See marriott.com and visitbristol.co.uk.

A SEA of sparkling fairy lights, giant Christmas trees and illuminated archways greeted us as we walked through the hotel doors.

Classic festive tunes drifted across the holiday park, as scores of parents and their excited offspring hurtled around in their Rudolph jumpers, elf hats and Santa suits.

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Christmas had officially arrived.

I was at Butlin’s Bognor Regis which had become a little less “Hi-de-Hi” and more “ho, ho, ho”.

The resort, better known for Redcoats and red sunburnt faces in the summer months, had been transformed into a winter wonderland for a series of special Christmas breaks.

And it’s already preparing to do the same for 2024.

Christmas at Butlin’s is a non-stop round of festive parties, Crimbo films, themed activities and special stage shows including Goldilocks And The Three Bears.

And completely new for this year, a favourite character from Butlin’s Jack And The Beanstalk show, Dotty, will be dishing out presents in her dairy for those who don’t have time to visit Santa himself.

We’d barely finished checking into our room at the Wave Hotel before my children were dragging us to a festive pottery painting session.

My son Harvey, 11, picked out the Nutcracker soldier plaster cast, while daughter Luella, nine, grabbed a sign that read “Family” and got to work bringing their models to life with a splash of colour.

Then it was straight on to the much-anticipated Father Christmas’ Express Delivery, newly launched in 2023 and returning this year.

The children began their immersive grotto experience by scrawling their wish lists and posting them into the “magic letter box”.

When the light on the lift went green, it meant Father Christmas had received the letters and was ready to receive us too.

The jolly red man cheerfully, and meticulously, went through every item on their lists before asking whether they had been naughty or nice — I don’t suspect the answer mattered that much as he handed them a chocolate multipack each.

Real magic happens

There is so much for the kids to do at Butlin’s, that it makes for a dream getaway for adults, too, who needn’t worry about what to do next.

A couple of rounds of Wild-West style laser tag got our children’s blood pumping. And if you have a head for heights, Aerial Adventures with a climbing wall and high ropes course are a must.

Then there’s the Football Academy, for boys and girls, offering an hour-long session on Astroturf, helping kids become the next Harry Kane or Lucy Bronze.

Whatever you do, do not leave Butlin’s without visiting Splash Waterworld.

This seaside-themed water park is a godsend in the winter months when the weather is not good enough for the real beach.

The Adrenaline Flume had us zooming through tunnels in pitch black, and the high-velocity Stick of Rock slides saw me almost lose my shorts.

We couldn’t leave without taking advantage of the on-stage entertainment either, especially as it’s such a huge perk at Butlin’s.

Christmas movies were broadcast in the Skyline Pavilion earlier in the day.

But it’s the evening that the real magic happens with shows like Festival Rock hosting sing-along sessions with Queen’s We Will Rock You and The Killers’ Mr Brightside.

Then, the perfect way to end a festive trip, with a performance from an Elton John tribute act. The encore of Step Into Christmas left us truly in the festive spirit.

I can already guess the first item on my kids’ Christmas list for this year: a return trip to Butlin’s.

THE Kingdom of Fife has no king and never did – but this magnificent peninsula which stretches from the doorstep of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, right up past the home of golf, St Andrews, proved to be majestic.

I was staying about 20 minutes away from St Andrews at Letham Feus (pronounced fuse) Holiday Park in a beautiful log cabin with its own hot tub, just a short drive from the south east coast of Fife in Leven.

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Lochleven Castle, the first place Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in 1567, was close by.

Feeling royally looked after at the holiday park, the regal theme continued at Scone Palace (pronounced scoon) in Perth, a 45-minute drive – where Scottish kings were enthroned since the first monarch Kenneth MacAlpin.

Subsequently the most famous Scottish kings, Macbeth and Robert the Bruce, were enthroned there with the Stone of Destiny, most recently used in King Charles III’s coronation in 2023.

It was also the Scottish Parliament from the year 910.

The reason I know all this is because I was privileged to have the Viscount William Stormont take me on a tour of the Palace, his ancestral home.

His ancestor was David Murray of Gospertie, who was best pals with King James VI (later James I of England).

Of course that had its downside as he was a whipping boy for the king, which meant that when the young monarch was naughty it was poor Murray who got the punishment because, as the Viscount revealed, they could not smack the royal backside.

After a busy day it was great to get back to our own hot tub at the lodge, tucking into some of the lovely treats left for us, including Mrs Tilly’s Scottish Tablet (you won’t get this on prescription as it’s made of sugar, cream, condensed milk and butter).

It was an idyllic location with a farm nearby and a delightful woodland walk where you can watch the Scottish “coos” and sheep doing their thing.

That was before a lovely night’s sleep in a comfortable double bed with an en-suite.

The holiday park is also just 50 minutes by car to Edinburgh.

We spent the day strolling its historic streets and refuelling with some traditional Scottish grub like haggis, neeps and tatties.

Local attraction

Being a keen golfer I was also excited to get a walking tour of St Andrews.

Sports fans will know the famous old bridge on the 18th hole which has seen so many champions pass on their way to Open glory.

It was fascinating to learn the history of the complex – now home to seven golf courses – from tour guide Stephen Hotchkis.

We learnt it has the oldest putting green in the world – dating back to 1867.

Golf is believed to have been played here since the 1400s.

All that walking had worked up an appetite so we headed off to the Bonnybank Inn, a Mexican restaurant just a mile from Letham Feus.

Portions are huge but we did justice to a fabulous range of dishes from enchiladas and fajitas to tacos and tostadas.

We retreated for another relaxing evening in our hot tub. Bliss.

And that was our visit to the Kingdom of Fife, no kings but lots of little treasures.

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PASSENGERS have been left fuming after being forced to check in their hand luggage – only to find the overhead lockers empty anyway.

Several disgruntled travellers took to social media to share their fury – targeted at multiple airlines.

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One United Airlines passenger posted on X: “thank you for stopping me on the jetway saying the overhead bins are full and I have to check my bag.

“Really appreciate you lying to our faces to save yourself time but cost me time on the backend.”

The passenger went on to say they’d been forced to part ways with their bag despite paying for priority boarding.

They said: “Glad priority boarding comes with no perks anymore.”

Another passenger, who had boarded an American Airlines flight from San Luis Obispo, USA to Dallas, USA, wrote: “So angry rn @AmericanAir.

“Was just forced to gate check my roll aboard because I was told the overhead space was full.

“This is the overhead bin directly across from my seat. #AmateurHour.”

A second American Airlines customer posted a picture of empty overhead lockers to the r/americanairlines subreddit, saying: “Weird experience with gate agent checking bags.”

It comes as European passengers learn they will likely experience a hike in flight prices as several airlines bump up hidden costs.

This includes an increase in seat reservation prices by the Lufthansa group – affecting Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss Air.

Meanwhile, Wizz Air passengers were furious to discover their flights had been cancelled amid a confusing “technical issue” impacting the airline’s booking system.

This came after a frustrating summer for flyers, with 40,000 Brits affected by ongoing air traffic control issues last month.

However, jet-setters did receive the more encouraging update that airlines across Europe were working to set standardised rules for hand luggage dimensions.

United Airlines and American Airlines have both been contacted by the Sun for comment.

IF you’re struggling to choose between which Haven park to stay at, the biggest one is found in Devon right next to the beach.

Devon Cliffs is the largest of the Haven parks, with 38 others across the country.

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As the weather worsens, the main indoor attraction is the huge indoor water complex.

Along with a swimming pool, there are also slides and flumes and new this year is their tube slides, where guests sit on inflatable rings.

There is also an indoor soft play for younger kids to enjoy.

If you don’t mind the outdoors, there is everything from NERF activity camps and 4×4 off roaders to outdoor pools, aerial adventures and nature trails.

On-site food choices include Burger King, Papa Johns and Millie’s Cookies as well as the new Chopstix which opened this year.

If you fancy going off-site, then it is a short drive away from both the towns of Exmouth and Sidmouth, as well as the beaches.

The holiday park has 1,641 caravans and lodges to choose from too.

The cheapest caravan stays can be found for just £49 for four nights, working out to around £12 a night.

Or go fancier with their lodges starting from £369 for four nights, or their new gold standard caravans.

It’s easy to get to, with Exmouth Station just a few miles away.

It is also one of the highest rated holiday parks in the UK.

The resort has more more than 4,000 reviews on TripAdvisor, rated four stars.

One person wrote: “One of the best UK holiday parks we have been to.”

Some people said they stayed as long as 10 days as there was so much to do, while others said they had even bought one of the caravans.

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One mum tried out the Haven park that recently welcomed footballer Harry Macguire.

She said: “Like most other Brits, I was surprised to hear that a well-paid footie star stayed at a Haven holiday park.

“But the caravan was definitely celeb-worthy. There was a huge marble kitchen with all the mod cons, as well as a matching bathroom and en-suite.

“With hipster lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows and a 40-inch TV, it was nothing like the caravans of my childhood.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Haven’s new “ultimate family break packages“.

And they have already launched 2025 holidays – here’s how to book.

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A FLIGHT attendant has revealed the types of passenger he hates the most – and it happens before travellers even get on board.

“Gate lice” is the derogatory term give to those passengers who lurk around the airport gate well before it’s time to actually start boarding.

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It seems the phrase originated in a 2005 FlyerTalk discussion forum where one user coined the phrase to denote those who wait close to the gate so they can board as early as possible and ensure they get plenty of overhead bin space.

Brian Hart Hoffman, who was a flight attendant for eight years with US Airways and Alaska Airlines, told the Thrillist: “I absolutely hate gate lice.

“There is no need for it and it absolutely hinders the flow of boarding.”

He added those people who engage in this behaviour were making themselves “appear like [they] are more important than anyone else flying.”

Brian said that not only can gate lice delay take-off by stopping people from boarding but they can also prevent people from getting off the incoming flight.

He said: “Some of the dedicated ‘lice’ are in place and blocking things while the airplane is being deplaned from the inbound flight.”

Other experts agree with Brian’s point of view, saying that gate lice can cause delays to both people getting on or off a flight.

Flight attendant Rich Henderson, who is also the creator of Two Guys on a Plane said that gate lice sometimes also prevent the crew or cleaners from getting on a plane, also causing delays.

Samantha Facteau, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines, said crowding the gate can make it difficult for those who need assistance to reach the gate and for those with mobility devices to get by.

Uncover Mental Health Counselling psychologist Kristie Tse said that “crowding the gate often stems from a mix of anxiety and a desire for control.”

She added: “Individuals may feel an overwhelming urge to secure their position, fearing they might miss out or face consequences if they don’t act quickly.

“This behaviour can indicate underlying insecurities or a lack of trust in the process.”

Frequent traveller Pip Davidson said that for him, anxiety is definitely a motivator as he gets stressed and is “hypersensitive” to crowds.

He said: “The actions and behaviour of a crowd [at the airport] can be overwhelming and trigger heightened anxiety that causes me to feel more alert and more worried.”

As a way to cope with this, he lingers by the gate before boarding.

Pip also noticed that his “gate anxiety” was triggered by other gate lice.

He said there was a “ripple effect” where numerous people start to head towards the gate.

Pip said that once one person started to head towards the gate, “that triggers another person to worry that they’re being cut in line, and that causes another person to have the same worry.”

SECRET CABIN CREW WORDS

Flight attendants have a special language they use to talk about passengers, including the ones they find attractive.

There are a number of other secret phrases used by pilots and cabin crew too, some serious and others less so.

• Cropdusting: If a passenger is being very rude and difficult, then it’s not unheard of for a flight attendant to break wind and ‘cropdust’ past the offender.
• Code Adam: This is used by airport staff to alert other staff of a missing child, in honour of Adam Walsh, a child who was abducted in a department store in 1981.
• 7500: If a pilot “squawks 7500” it means the plane has been hijacked, or a hijacking is a threat.
• Crosscheck: If you hear this phrase, usually made by senior cabin crew, it means that the emergency slides attached to each door have been deactivated.

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