| Antique Fair | you never know, there may just be something there you fancy taking home with you. |
| Aquarium | see some REALLY big fish (no chips, sorry). |
| Archery | your chance to be Robin Hood. |
| Auction - | don’t go if you suffer from a twitch! |
| Barbeque | you just need a garden, plenty of food, alcohol, and a fire extinguisher. |
| Beer Festival | arranged by CAMRA, they’re a great day/night out, a great chance to taste some real beer/cider/perry, a great chance to get marinated ….. |
| Car Boot Sale | either go to have a root around, or have a go yourself (and boost your group funds). |
| Casino | a classy way to lose money, but don’t worry, you don’t have to spend big to have big fun, and it’s a nice excuse to dress up a bit. |
| Caving | don’t worry, you don’t have to get filthy and crawl through tiny spaces; you may still get a bit damp. |
| Cinema | a little trick here; you don’t necessarily have to all see the same film. |
| Circus | of the ‘Lions and Clowns’, or the newer ‘Circqe du Soleil’ variety, it’s up to you. |
| City Visit | spend a day somewhere like Chester or York, seeing the sights, the history, the bars. |
| Classical Concert | not as stuffy as you might think.In the summer, there are many ‘Concerts In The Park’, offering light Classical music in lovely surroundings. |
| Classic Vehicle Show - | Car rallies, American rallies, Bus rallies, Steam Vehicle rallies; a great chance to see some wonderful old vehicles. |
| Clubbing | don’t assume it’s just ‘Club’ music out there; check out your local listings for Rock, 70s/80s nights, etc |
| Comedy Club | they may not always be funny, but that’s half the fun (along with the heckling). |
| Country Park | take a picnic, laze around and soak up the scenery/sunshine (hopefully). |
| Cross-Country Pub Crawl | Pick two points of a map (or a stretch of railway line), drive between them, and stop where you see the sign ….. |
| Cycling | hire some bikes for the day, and go for a little ride, take a packed lunch, or find a nice pub (be careful, you can be done for being drunk in charge of a bike!) |
| Dry Slope Skiing | pretend you’re on the piste (yes, that’s how it’s spelt) – watch your thumbs, and don’t do it if you have bad knees. |
| Funfair | if there’s one going on nearby, have a night out, some candyfloss, a few rides (OK, maybe the rides BEFORE the candyfloss). |
| Gardening Party | bring a spade, a strong back and get ready to get mucky. |
| Ghost Hunting | many places are officially haunted, and organized tours are available – not for the nervous. |
| Go-Karts | your chance to be Michael Schumacher (or someone popular), and you don’t even need to be able to drive to do it. |
| Greyhound Racing | a fun night out, shame you can’t bet on the hare ….. |
| Horse Racing | a great day (or night) out, and if you’re good/lucky, you can actually make money on the deal. |
| Horse Riding | spend a day in the saddle, followed by a couple of days walking around very gingerly. |
| Ice Hockey | good, honest violence, oh yes, and a great sport. |
| Ice Skating | for the budding Torvill and Deans, as long as you don’t mind spending time with a wet bottom (and mind your hands). |
| Laser Quest | high-tec action with guns, have fun zapping people. |
| Market | a chance to have a nose around, you might just pick up a bargain. |
| Meal Out | there’s something out there to suit all tastes (sic): Italian, TGI Fridays, Chinese, Greek, Turkish etc. |
| Model Railway Exhibition | it may seem ‘bobble hat’, but you can admire the work and effort that goes into them ….. OK, some of them will be bobble hat wearers. |
| Murder Mystery | try to work out ‘whodunnit’, then ‘whydunnit’. |
| Museum | not just rooms full of fossils, you know; museums are modern, interactive, fun – honest. |
| Narrowboat Cruise | you can go for a meal or a night cruise, all at a sedate 4mph. |
| National Park | stunning scenes, a chance to get some real fresh air – you also might get very wet….. |
| Nuclear Bunker | now they’re open to the public, your chance to see how the lucky few would have survived if the ‘Red Button’ had been pressed ….. |
| Paintball | messy and painful, but the feeling of power – you can shoot someone and they don’t know who did it. |
| Picnic | pick a nice location, have a relaxing meal in the open, but don’t forget to take your litter home ….. |
| Pitch and Putt | golf for those who can’t play golf.. Think of it as a good 3-hour walk interrupted by whacking a ball with a stick. |
| Pool | no, not swimming; many places allow you to hire American pool tables by the hour, so have a mini-tournament of 8 or 9-ball . |
| Pop Concert | from Kylie Minouge down to Jason Donovan (yes, he’s still around), there’s someone out there to suit most tastes. |
| Preserved Railways | a chance to see good old fashioned steam trains, see some lovely scenery, and get soot in your hair. |
| Pub Crawl | pick two points, start walking, keep walking/staggering/crawling …. |
| Pub Meal | find somewhere nice in the countryside, drive there, have a relaxing afternoon |
| Safari Park | drive around, watching wild animals remember, though, they’re no doubt looking at you the same way we look at a tin of sardines! |
| SCUBA Diving | many places do ‘taster dives’, in the safety of a Swimming Pool; if you’ve never tried it, have a go – you’ll not regret it. |
| Seaside | get some ozone, some fairground rides, some sand in your shoes/food. |
| Shopping | spend a day somewhere like Meadowhall or the Trafford Center; you may not buy anything, but you can still have a good time. |
| Sleepover Party | just make sure there’s enough room for everyone to sleep (and you all actually want to sleep) |
| Stately Home | visit some serious old money. |
| Stock Car Racing | see people destroy cars in the name of sport – yeah! |
| Swimming | great exercise, as well as great fun (and maybe a nice body or two). |
| Ten-Pin Bowling | doesn’t matter if you’re no good, just have a chuck. |
| Theatre | go and see a play, or a comedy show, or even a pantomime. |
| Theme Parks | a day out at somewhere like Alton Towers. |
| Village Fete | you may see posters or ads for one nearby – go and support it, have a pub lunch, see some countryside. |
| War Shelter | places like Stockport have cave networks that were converted into War Shelters;see how our relatives survived the Germans’ best efforts. |
| Weekend Away | book a cheap flight to Dublin or Amsterdam (don’t forget your Euros!), or spend two nights in a B and B somewhere. |
| Wine/Beer Tasting | visit a vineyard or a brewery, and sample their wares afterwards. |
| Working Museum | set up as recreations of the past (NationalTramway Museum for instance), a chance to have fun and learn without really realizing it. |
| Zoo | more than just animals in cages. |
Written by Mark Randall
Page created by
John A Smith, 27 July 2002