Bollocks to Alton Towers

A great little book caught my eye in the library the other day, aptly entitled "Bollocks to Alton Towers". It features quirky museums and attractions all across the UK. It turned out we had visited several of them already.

There is a follow up called "More Bollocks to Alton Towers" which was published this year, but which I haven't read yet.

Here are a few of the attractions which feature in the first book (they're not all free of charge):

• Bekonscot Model Village
• Dennis Sever's House
• House of Marbles
• The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
• Portmeirion Village
• Diggerland
• Cumberland Pencil Museum
• The Hamilton Toy Museum
• Eden Ostrich World
• Mad Jack's Sugar Loaf
• Kelvedon Nuclear Bunker
• Morpeth Bagpipe Museum
• Mother Shipton's Cave
• Williamson Tunnels

Secret Museums

This Time Out article lists seventy of London's lesser-known museums. Quite a few of them are free:

http://www.timeout.com/london/museums-attractions/features/1496/1.html

Spotted by Locals

Spotted by Locals provides excellent free travel guides for cities all across Europe including London, written by local people.

http://www.spottedbylocals.com/

National Museums

We are extremely fortunate that there is no entrance fee for most national museums in the UK. A trip to a museum provides probably the best free (or nearly free) day out you can get.The Science Museum is our kids' favourite with it's "Launchpad" area where they can play and experiment for hours.

Here's a list of all the National Museums in the UK from Wikipedia:

United Kingdom

• British Empire and Commonwealth Museum
• British Museum
• HM Customs & Excise National Museum
• Imperial War Museum
• National Army Museum
• National Gallery
• National Horseracing Museum
• National Media Museum
• National Motor Museum
• National Museum of Science and Industry
• National Museums Liverpool
• National Portrait Gallery
• National Railway Museum
• National Space Centre
• National Tramway Museum
• National Waterways Museum
• Natural History Museum
• Royal Armouries
• Science Museum (London)
• Shildon Locomotion Museum
• Sir John Soane's Museum
• Tate
• Victoria & Albert Museum
• Wallace Collection

England

• Museum of London
• National Museums Liverpool

Scotland

• Museum of Flight (Scotland)
• Museum of Scotland
• Museum of Scottish Rural Life, Kittochside
• National Museums of Scotland
• National War Museum of Scotland
• Royal Museum
• Shambellie House Museum of Costume

Wales

• Big Pit National Coal Museum
• National Museum Cardiff
• National Museum Wales
• National Slate Museum
• National Waterfront Museum
• National Woollen Museum
• National Roman Legionary Museum
• St Fagans National History Museum

Northern Ireland

• Ulster Museum
• Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
• Ulster-American Folk Park