Colliery Lane Lodges - Fun Days Out

Twycross Zoo is a 100-acre charity-run zoo near Norton Juxta Twycross in Leicestershire. It is known as a specialist primate centre and is the only zoo in the UK to keep all four types of great ape: gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos. It also has one of the largest collections of gibbons in Europe.

Beyond the apes, you can see Amur leopards, Sumatran tigers, giraffes, black rhinos, meerkats, Humboldt penguins and Chilean flamingos. There is a Butterfly House and a walk-through lorikeet enclosure where you can feed the birds. Keepers and rangers run daily talks and feeds, from meerkats and giraffes to penguins, tortoises and big cats. Gruffalo Discovery Land is also on site, and the zoo runs seasonal events through the year.

Tip: Check the 'What's On' board at the entrance for the day's talk and feed times, and book tickets online ahead to save money.

Drayton Manor Resort is a family theme park and zoo in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, set in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor. It has over 50 rides and attractions split into themed areas, including Adventure Cove, Vikings, Frontier Falls and Thomas Land.

Thomas Land is the big draw for young children, with over 25 Thomas & Friends rides and attractions, and it is described as Europe's only one. Older kids and thrill seekers can head for the roller coasters, including Thor, a Disk'O Coaster, and Loki, the UK's first Zamperla Nebulaz. The 15-acre zoo is home to over 100 animals, including red pandas, Eurasian lynx, monkeys and gibbons. It suits families with toddlers and young children best, and there is a hotel on site if you want to extend the visit.

Tip: Book tickets in advance online to save money, and leave time for the zoo as well as the rides.

Alton Towers is one of the UK's largest and most popular theme parks, set in over 500 acres of Staffordshire countryside. The rides range from big rollercoasters such as Wicker Man, Nemesis Reborn, The Smiler and Oblivion to gentler family rides, and there are over 40 rides and attractions in all. There's also a waterpark, mini golf and landscaped gardens.

It suits thrill-seekers and families alike. Younger children can head to CBeebies Land, while older ones can take on the headline coasters. History fans can wander the original gothic-style Towers, which date from the estate's days as a stately home. Most visitors spend a full day here, and it's busiest at weekends and school holidays.

Tip: Pre-book your ticket online before you go, as everyone needs one and sold-out dates can't be bought on the day.

The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley is an open-air museum of rebuilt, replica and recreated shops, houses and industrial workshops, spread across 26 acres of former industrial land. Historic characters in period settings chat to visitors and demonstrate traditional skills, such as hand-forging nails and casting brass. The visit is self-guided, so you can explore at your own pace.

Highlights include a working replica of the Newcomen steam engine, a colliery with an underground drift, canal-side lime kilns and a 1930s fairground. Electric trams and trolleybuses carry you from the entrance to the village, and a narrowboat trip runs into Dudley Tunnel. There are eateries on site. It suits history fans, families and anyone curious about the Industrial Revolution, and Peaky Blinders fans can see screen-used sets from the show.

Tip: Allow 4 to 5 hours, and head first to the trams or trolleybuses to reach the village at the heart of the site.

Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses. It was fought in 1485 near Ambion Hill, south of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. Richard III, the last Yorkist king, was killed here, and Henry Tudor went on to be crowned king. Historians see it as one of the defining moments of English history, and it forms the climax of Shakespeare's play Richard III.

The Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre was built in 1974 and is the place to start. The exact site of the battle is disputed, though, and memorials stand at different locations. Several scholars have challenged the Centre's site, and a research team suggested in 2009 that the fighting took place about 3 km south-west of Ambion Hill. That debate is part of the appeal for anyone who enjoys English history and likes weighing up the evidence for themselves.

The National Sea Life Centre is an aquarium in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, beside the canal and opposite Arena Birmingham. The building was designed by Sir Norman Foster, and the centre opened in 1996 as the only inland sea life centre in the UK.

The main draw is the 360-degree ocean tunnel, where giant green sea turtles, blacktip reef sharks, rays and tropical fish swim overhead and all around you. Elsewhere you can watch gentoo penguins in the Penguin Ice Adventure habitat, see jellyfish and the creatures of Reef Edge, and look at seahorses from the centre's breeding programme. The Marine Mammal Rescue Facility looks after sea otters rescued in Alaska, and there is a 4-D cinema with wind, spray and seaweed smells to go with the film. It suits families with children and anyone who likes close-up views of sea life.

Tip: Book online in advance, as entry is at a chosen timed slot.

Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed Baroque mansion near Ticknall, built between 1701 and 1704 and cared for by the National Trust. Despite the name, it was never an abbey, though an Augustinian priory once stood on the site. The Harpur family owned it for nearly 300 years, and many rooms are deliberately shown in the state of decline in which the Trust received the house in 1985.

Beyond the house there are gardens, a Kitchen Garden and Physic Garden, stableyards, a shop, a second-hand bookshop and a restaurant. The parkland is a National Nature Reserve, and guided tours of the gardens and parkland are available. Dogs can roam the parkland under close control, and are welcome in the gardens, stableyards, restaurant and shop on a short lead. Inside the house, corridors are narrow, so large backpacks go in free lockers by the west side.

Tip: Check the National Trust website for current parking and admission details before you go. Enter via the Ticknall main entrance only, and note the 3.6-metre height restriction on the archway.

Dudley Zoo & Castle is a 40-acre zoo within the grounds of Dudley Castle, in the Black Country. It opened in 1937 and is run today by a registered charity. The castle ruins share the wooded hillside with the animal enclosures.

Animals include giraffes, tigers, lions, reindeer, wallabies and snow leopards, plus several aviaries, a reptile house and a good range of primates. The zoo is also known for its modernist enclosures and buildings, designed by Berthold Lubetkin and the Tecton Group, with engineering by Ove Arup. A chairlift, relaunched in 2012 after a refurbishment, helps with the steep slopes up towards the elephant house.

It suits animal lovers and anyone curious about the architecture or the castle's history.

Tip: The site is steep, and the car park is barrier-operated with a token needed to exit, so keep that in mind when you arrive.