In Praise of the Pushbike
They say that travel broadens the mind. And, so it does.
However, getting out your hotel in Manchester, with well known chain, or booking days hotel in London with Day Break Hotels, is the best way to achieve this. Staying indoors – as luxurious as this might feel – won’t do much for your mind at all.
Getting out into your environment is what does it and, even more than this, visiting a site in which learning and enjoyment go hand in hand.
There are plenty of places all around which can expand your understanding through learning. Museums are the most obvious place, and London has hundreds of them.
However, besides these, there are some very interesting visitor ‘experiences’ which let you immerse into learning rather than simply read about it. Lecturing is the least effective form of learning, after all. So, how about a visit to:
The Royal Mint Experience, Pontyclun
See coins made first hand and learn about the different metals which make up our everyday currency. There are daily tours around this working mint, making it a very real and extremely interesting experience.
Find out more about these iconic little cars at the Mini manufacturing plant in South East Oxford. Guided tours take you on an intriguing route round the plant, and all your questions about the car, its history, and its future, will be answered.
This space telescope dominates the skyline and is a fantastic feature full of intrigue and wonder. The discovery centre here includes hands on exhibits and activities suitable for all ages. Expand your mind to encompass the cosmos, here.
An important historical site in terms of Roman history, the baths in the appropriately named Bath are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As well as these impressive waters, there’s the added wonder of Bath’s beautiful architecture and a little ‘spit-spot’ of learning in the fact that Mary Poppins (the original version) was partly filmed here.
Let your little ones become archaeologists themselves at DIG, which teaches children as well as adults all about the archaeological process, evolution, and the different periods of British and world history. There’s a lot to learn about recent, real-life excavations, too. It’s hands on, in the most wonderful sense!
Even if you’re not heading to a place of learning, it’s always nice to carry a guidebook, to delve into local history a little, to visit the town museum or, if in London, a glut of them. Learning is what broadens the mind, not travel in an of itself – put them together, though, and the learning will definitely be a lot of fun, as well as more effective.
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