The amount of time children in the UK spend outside in parks, woods and fields has shrunk significantly according to new research[1] and parents are often left yearning for children to ditch the gadgets and enjoy the great outdoors.

Luxury Family Hotels, the pioneers of luxury family breaks in the UK, is encouraging children to ditch their gadgets and enjoy some outdoor fun this summer.

It has pulled together a top 20 list of fun things children can do while staying at one of its eight properties scattered around England without having to switch on, allowing them to switch off and have real, good old-fashioned fun. 

Luxury Family Hotels' top 20 ingredients for a fun family holiday this summer:

1. Join the world's largest treasure hunt - take a walk along the South West Coast Path at the bottom of the garden at Moonfleet Manor and see how many of the Geocaches you can find! Using GPS, participants navigate using a set of coordinates and attempt to find the Geocache (container) at that location. There are some within a mile or two of the hotel making it easy walking for the smaller guests.
2. Den Building at New Park Manor – after exploring the grounds to collect sticks, leaves and twigs, the walled garden is the perfect place for the children (and big kids – the dads!) to build a wild Den supervised by hotel staff. Certificates are awarded for the best Dens – and there are a lot of great ones particularly as the dads can get quite competitive!
3. Scavenger Hunt at New Park Manor – families will love the challenge of the new scavenger hunt that takes place in the hotel's grounds. The summer will also see the launch of a new Fairy Trail which is guaranteed to be a hit with younger guests.
4. On your bike at The Ickworth – take advantage of the complimentary bike hire and explore the 1,800 acres of Ickworth National Trust parkland and gardens, where you can find the fairy lake, the river Linnet, St Mary's Church and much more.
5. Bring history to life – find out more about the history of Anglo Saxons at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village just 15 minutes from The Ickworth Hotel. They hold living history and event days, workshops, walks and talks. weststow.org
6. Go wild at The Elms – take advantage of the VIP experiences at the nearby Safari Park and get up close and personal with the animals, feed giraffes and leopards, meet the lemurs and be a Keeper for the Day. http://www.wmsp.co.uk/vip-experiences/
7. Enter the world of the Stick Man – why not follow the Stick Man trail at the Wyre Forest with activity packs available and an onsite café. It will be great fun for all Julia Donaldson fans who stay at The Elms. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/stickman
8. Spellbound at Woolley Grange – guests can mix their own magic herbal potions with the gardening team in the walled garden and make a spell in the Woolley Witch House. The hotel's Head Gardener Eliza Reid has redesigned and replanted a new witches herb garden this year, which is sure to appeal to all the children's senses.
9. Get physical at the Polurrian Bay Hotel – this summer the Polurrian Olympics will take place in the hotel's scenic gardens. Activities will include races for all the family including the egg and spoon, frisbee, discus and much more.
10. Pick up a bucket and spade! - Polurrian Bay Hotel has a stunning beach literally on the doorstep, with a little path snaking through the gardens down to the pristine sands of Polurrian Cove below – buckets, spades and crab lines are available from the hotel to take down to the beach. One of the hotel's very important little people discovered an octopus on the beach; while another was captivated by a starfish she had found hiding between the rocks.
11. Grab a picnic and go discover a secluded beach at Fowey Hall – menus are created using the best local ingredients from fresh seafood landed by Fowey's fisherman, sausages from nearby farms and even herbs grown at the hotel. After enjoying a hearty breakfast, the hotel's chef will organise a delicious family picnic.
12. Board games al fresco at the Polurrian Bay Hotel– a giant chessboard, snakes and ladders and other outdoor games have been created on one of the hotel's terraces. These provide brilliant fun for all the family with the added benefit of being outdoors and having the most amazing views overlooking the stunning Cornish coastline.  In addition, a willow den that children can play in has also been built in the garden to amuse and entertain little guests.
13. Get back to nature at Woolley Grange Hotel – grab a basket and collect fresh eggs from the chicken coop and search the walled garden for duck eggs. Children can write their names on the eggs and have them for breakfast or take them home in egg boxes provided.
14. Anyone for tennis? – guests can release their inner Andy Murray and enjoy a game of tennis on The Ickworth, The Elms, Polurrian Bay and Moonfleet Manor outdoor tennis courts.
15. Crabbing at Fowey Hall – the quaint village of Poluran is only a short ferry ride away and is where you can grab crab nets and dangle bait from the quayside. Fill a bucket with water and take a close look at the crabs before popping them back in the water. Top tip: Use bacon as bait! Buy the bacon in Fowey, or ask the hotel for some.
16. Mountain biking in the New Forest – this year New Park Manor is introducing its new bikes and complimentary bike hire for active guests. A selection of bikes will be available including tag-alongs, bike seats and even a trailer to allow the whole family to enjoy a ride.
17. Ewe's your eyes and follow the Woolley Sheep Trail – using a poem that gives clues, count the sheep around the grounds of Woolley Grange and complete the trail to be rewarded with a bag of chocolate sheep droppings!
18. Release your inner Baywatch – try body boarding at our own Polurrian Cove. The Polurrian Bay hotel has plenty of beach gear to borrow for seaside adventures and the cove is just five minutes away down the coast path. Nearby Poldhu is also an excellent spot for bodyboarding.
19. Fun in the Fairy Garden - a huge new play area has been added to The Fairy Garden at The Ickworth. In addition, Stick Igloos are new in the Lodge Garden providing even more opportunity for outdoor play this summer.
20. Marshmallow toasting & bonfire making – marshmallow toasting is an enjoyable, exciting and scrumptious activity and a delicious after dinner delight! All ages are welcome to join in at Woolley Grange, The Elms and Polurrian Bay where they will be supervised by the friendly Den Team. Other activities include pizza and bonfire making which offer fantastic fun for guests big and small.

Adrian Burley, Marketing Director of Luxury Family Hotels says: “At Luxury Family Hotels we want to re-ignite those treasured childhood memories of playing outdoors and getting up close and personal with nature. The planned activities offer fun, interesting and educational things for parents to enjoy with their children.”

While there's plenty of enjoyment to be had in the great outdoors, because we know that the sun cannot be guaranteed to shine during the British summer, there's masses to do indoors too.  For example, there is fun to be had whatever the weather at Moonfleet Manor with its new Slack-Line Challenge  - a tightrope for adults and kids – which features in its indoor play barn. For the smaller VILP (very important little people) there's Floppy, a new 20ft beanbag bunny for them to jump and hop around on! Every Saturday at New Park Manor, under the supervision of one of the chefs, kids can make their own pizzas. Each child has a ball of dough that they knead, stretch and roll out. They then choose their toppings, decorate the pizza and it is served when they go for dinner that night.

Each of Luxury Family Hotels (apart from Thornbury Castle) organises daily craft sessions in its Ofsted-registered crèches (The Den). The Den is also open to parents to come along and play with their children outside of the booked session times.

With books, games and toys provided for children of all ages, swimming pools, DVDs to borrow as well as two hours free childcare each day in the Ofsted-registered crèche, rainy days are still guaranteed to be action-packed.

More information is available at www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk or by telephoning its Central Reservations team on 0844 482 2152. Children go free when staying in parents' room.

Follow Luxury Family Hotels on Twitter @LFHotels, Facebook and Instagram www.facebook.com/luxuryfamilyhotels. 

Ends

For more information please contact the team at MB Communications Ltd:

Maria Boyle                                                        Suzanne Trisk

0208 876 8444                                                  0208 876 8444

0788 764 7855                                                  07710 207164                      

maria@mbcomms.co.uk                                suzanne@mbcomms.co.uk 

Twitter: @mbcommsltd

Images available on request at Luxury Family Hotels media photo library.

About Luxury Family Hotels

Luxury Family Hotels is a group of eight luxurious country house style hotels across the UK. The properties in the group are:

• The Elms, Worcestershire: an elegant Queen Anne mansion with 23 rooms, set in beautiful gardens and overlooking the Teme Valley
• Fowey Hall, Fowey, Cornwall: an impressive Queen Anne mansion thought to be Toad's original 'Toad Hall', with 36 rooms, rambling gardens and spectacular views of the estuary and coastline
• The Ickworth, Suffolk: a magnificent 18th century estate owned by the National Trust, surrounded by 1,800 acres of parkland with 27 bedrooms, 11 apartments in The Lodge and a three bedroom apartment in its Butler's Lodge
• Moonfleet Manor, Dorset: a handsome Georgian manor overlooking Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon with 36 bedrooms, extensive gardens and a magical setting
• New Park Manor, The New Forest: a 17th century hunting lodge in the heart of the New Forest reputed to be King Charles II's favourite, with 21 bedrooms, an outstanding spa and wonderful views out over the surrounding wildlife and forest landscape
• Polurrian Bay Hotel, Mullion, Cornwall: the ultimate family seaside hotel, with 41 rooms, outstanding views over Mounts Bay and beautiful gardens leading down to the sandy beach at Polurrian Cove below
• Woolley Grange, Bradford-on-Avon: the original Luxury Family Hotel, a Jacobean Manor House which has 25 individually style bedrooms, a great spa and pool and 14 acres of gardens to enjoy, complete with tennis, an outdoor pool and lawns just perfect for cricket or football
• In addition, Thornbury Castle is part of the group, and the hotel is recommended for couples and families with children aged nine and upward. Thornbury Castle, near Bristol; the only Tudor castle to be open as a hotel complete with turrets, winding staircases and Tudor Hall. Its 29 bedchambers include rooms slept in by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and the largest four poster bed in the country. 

[1] A study in March 2016 by Persil revealed that 74% of UK kids are getting less than one hour of outdoor play time (recommended by the UN) and 18% get no outdoor play time at all on an average day.