Rugby bicentenary among fun ideas in new online itineraries
Rugby-mad families can celebrate the 200th anniversary of their favourite sport in the home of the game in 2023. It’s just one of the fun ideas that feature in Visit Warwickshire’s new online itineraries for budget-stretching family days out (visit.warwickshire.gov.uk/budgetfamilydays)
Rugby School, where rugby football was invented by William Webb Ellis (above right), is at the heart of a series of events, which promise extra indulgence for fans already excited about this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.
Activities will include a free exhibition, He Ran With It, on display in the famous school’s Lewis Gallery (5 February to 7 April), and guided tours (various prices) that visit The Close, above left, the birthplace of the game. On 24 June, the school will stage a Re-enactment of the Game (entrance £8) in which Webb Ellis first picked up the ball and ran with it.
Web Ellis statue in Rugby
Beyond the school grounds, there’s the free-to-enter Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum in the former workshop of the bootmaker who Webb Ellis persuaded to stitch rugby balls. And the Pathway of Fame is a free self-guided town trail, with plaques marking local landmarks and saluting rugby heroes.
But the fun in Warwickshire isn’t just reserved for sports fans or confined to Rugby. There are suggestions for affordable days out across the county to suit all tastes in the new itineraries, Budget-stretching Family Days Out, now available to view on Visit Warwickshire’s website. Ten suggested day trips have been compiled, which will entertain both locals and visitors come rain or shine – and many of the ideas are free to enjoy.
Among the choices are a wildlife-spotting bike ride at Kingsbury Water Park and the chance to get hands-on with mechanical contraptions at the MAD Museum. There’s even a suggestion about where families can curl up with a good read – in the hayloft at Astley Book Farm, which stocks a whopping 75,000-plus secondhand books for young and old to enjoy thumbing through.
In fact, all the planning has been done with a keen eye on the purse strings, with timelines that connect attractions, public transport links, and suggestions about where to eat and stay along the way.
