It’s World Book Day today and to celebrate in true bookworm style, the lovely people at holiday letting agency www.cottages.com are giving you the chance to win the complete collection of Beatrix Potter Tales to help fill the bookcases of your little readers!
The cottage company has more than 15,000 properties across the UK and to help you choose your next holiday destination, they have put together a map of places to visit connected with some of our favourite children’s authors and stories.
If you’ve always wanted to explore the places that inspired your favourite authors or keep the family entertained by their favourite characters coming to life, why not use this handy guide to plan your next outing?
The latest hit from favourite Julia Donaldson has been brought to life by The Forestry Commission which has created a series of Stick Man Trails throughout the UK – I’m sure there’s one somewhere near you. Not only is the trail a great way to explore nature, with a host of downloadable activities from their website, you can even have fun on rainy days!
Harry Potter fans are just as lucky as fans of Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man. There are so many places to visit across the UK, all with magical connections to the wizard world of Harry and Hogwarts. Whether it’s a trip to Alnwick Castle or Durham Cathedral to see the locations from the film or a day at Harry Potter World where you can sample Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans straight from Diagon Alley, there’s plenty to suit every J.K Rowling fan.
Little ones, can have heaps of fun at Peppa Pig World where they can enjoy a perfect day out with all the family. Go on Miss Rabbit’s Helicopter Ride, meet some of your favourite characters and jump in some very muddy puddles!
Little train spotters who want to venture a little further than the local train station will love Thomas Land at Drayton Manor with 12 wonderful themed rides and a spectacular indoor play area whereas fans of Paddington Bear will have the adventure of a lifetime while exploring Paddington Station and all the other famous London sights brought to life in Michael Bond’s classic stories or the recent film adaption. Why not take the Paddington Bear bus tour which takes in some of the famous locations from the film?
A visit to the Lake District is a great experience in itself, but with such a strong association to the stories of Beatrix Potter, it’s the perfect opportunity to find out more about this incredible author. Younger children can enjoy the Beatrix Potter Lake District Trail, following the clues to find her iconic characters amongst the countryside and for older children, a visit to her house is a brilliant insight in to the writer’s life.
There’s so much to see and do in the Lake District that it’s definitely worth booking yourself a cottage so you’ve got some time to explore the area. This cottage (The Cottage, High Oxen Fell, nr. Coniston, Property Ref: 948) adjoins a 17th-century farmhouse on a traditional Lakeland working hill farm, once owned by Beatrix Potter, now owned by the National Trust. It enjoys a very quiet and secluded position, in a superb setting surrounded by rocky bracken-covered hills and high fells, in the heart of Lakeland. The views from all windows are across the magnificent Langdale Valley to the surrounding woods and mountains. Enjoy the tranquil splendour of this idyllic setting in a TV free cottage to enable you to relax in peace of a true away from it all holiday. At £419 for seven nights’ self-catering arriving on 26th April 2016 this is a real bargain. Visit www.cottages.com for more details or call 0345 498 6900 for enquiries.
If you want to re-read your favourite Beatrix Potter tales before your trip to the Lake District, make sure to enter our fabulous World Book Day competition courtesy of cottages.com.
To enter the competition, simply fill in the Rafflecopter form following the instructions provided. Please not that false or incomplete entries won’t be counted and entered into the prize draw. Good luck!
It will always be Harry Potter for me… though my son’s a bit small for those yet, so he’d probably choose the Gruffalo 🙂
The enormous crocodile – Roald dahl
The Secret Garden was always my favourite, so enchanting!
Jack and the Beanstalk
georges marvellous medicine roald dahl
My favourite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 🙂
My daughter loves Room on the Broom
the Gruffalo
I used to adore a book called Custard the Dragon – he was afraid if his own roar…
No one else seems to have heard of it!
The tiger who came to tea!
As a family we love we’re going on a bear hunt!
the kids like enid blyton the same as i did
Mallory towers by Enid Blyton.
Since it was on the TV at Christmas the Stick Man is a favourite in our house!
Spot the Dog 🙂
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was my fav as a child
charlie and the chocolate factory is a favourite for my son and me 🙂
Both our favourite is ELMER!
I loved the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
The Secret Garden
The Twits
My daughter loves stickman at the moment. My favorite books when I was younger was secret seven.
The B.F.G
Alice in Wonderland
I love my set of Read It Yourself books, especially ‘The Little Red Hen’!
Wind in the willows
Dr Seuss cat books
We all love The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
My daughter loves stick man x
Narnia – all of them, by C. S. Lewis
The Witches – Roald Dahl
I loved the Famous Five books. My older child is now reading them all.
At the moment it is Stickman. But his favourites can change on a daily basis
the wishing powder by maggie prince
the jolly christmas postman x
The hungry caterpillar
we love our sons schools books
Mine & mjy daughters favourite book is the velveteen rabbit
My daughter loves Guess how much I love you, written by Sam McBratney
Mine was Enid Blyton ‘noddy’ books.
Wind in the willows
10 Little Pirates for the grand kids
My daughter loves Room On a Broom
The Malory Towers series and the St Clares series, both Enid Blyton
I think my faourite childrens book has to be The Count of Monte Cristo.
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Guess How Much I love You
My Granddaughter loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar
the little prince!
we love Peter Rabbit
The BFG
The gruffalo xx
Thomas the Tank Engine and friends
My grandson loves The Very Hungrey Caterpillar
Daughter Gemma used to love the tale of Jemima puddle duck . Now she’s mummy to my first grandaughter Alice who I want to win this for . She’s one on the 6th March we would put these in her nursery on a special shelf till she was older 🙂
My daughter and I both Low the Magic faraway Tree Books
Charlie and the chocolate factory
At the moment we love Superworm
Definitely the Mr men books!
My daughters is Charlotte’s Web, mine was The Tale of Tom Kitten
Charley and the chocolate factory x
My son loves The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, he may be a toddler but he loves the adventure and story line of novels
Any Just William book.
my youngest love the mr men books and my eldest loves anything by enid blyton :0)
we love the Roald Dahl collection
The Secret Garden was my favourite book
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 🙂
My little man loves ‘The Gruffalo’ – my fave is ‘Alice in Wonderland’ x
famous five books.
My favourite was Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden, my son loves Dinosaur Dig.
My daughter loves reading the BFG
Matilda xx
I loved “James and the Giant Peach” (still do at 42!)
Alice in Wonderland 🙂
Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree!
My favourite book is Clan of the Cave Bear
we both love stick man and meg and mog
Mr men books
Harry potter
My little girl loves The Tiger Who Came to Tea
The BFG
Mine was the Famous Five by Enid Blyton x
Tabby McTat
The Gruffalo
love Enid Blyton stories
Mine was The Folk of the Faraway Tree. My girls loved it, now waiting for Tyler to be old enough to enjoy too
The hungry caterpillar
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
The Jolly Postman.
Matilda
The secret garden
I love my Roald Dahl boxset of books, anyone who doesn’t treat them with ultimate respect is banned from reading them!
we love Julia Donaldson. Monkey Puzzle is the favourite at the mo!
The Twits by Roald Dahl
The Faraway Tree books
I loved reading ‘The Famous Five’,Used to get lost in the stories,You used to feel you were going on adventure with them too.
The Gruffalo
Stick man
My sons favourite is 10 Little Dinosaurs
Where the wild things are.
my sons favourite book at the moment is when the dragons came
Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson
Has to be harrying Potter it’s the best books ever x
My children love Spot at the moment.
I loved George’s Marvellous Medicine
My favourite is The Hobbit, my children love Julia Donaldsons books
The lion the witch and the wardrobe
The Witches – Roald Dahl
LOVE THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS THE BEST
My sons and mine is “Love you Forever”. its a real tear jerker!
We love anything by Roald Dahl my sons fave is the BFG the books are full of excitement and imagination
the very hungry caterpillar
Guess How Much I Love You?
The Gruffalo!
The children’s favourite books change constantly but mine are the James Herriot books.
They love the Gruffalo
Winnie The Pooh
I love Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
I loved Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel
my daughter loves now Gruffalo
The Gruffalo and Stick Man.
MATILDA
She loves the ladybird collections at the moment it’s the ugly duckling
Peace at Last by Jill Murphy, daughters favourite but mine are any by Sharon Penman
spiderman x
Matilda- Raold Dahl
Stick Man
Definitely Harry Potter – and Elma the Elephant!
My favourite is the entire “Jill” series of books by Ruby Ferguson 🙂
I love matilda
the magic faraway tree x
The House at Pooh Corner
Love fantastic Mr Fox! So does my little girl, and her twirlywoo books of course! 🙂
Scaredy Cats – Audrey Wood
I loved, and still love Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
wake up iggle piggle
has to be the Gruffalo
Five Go to Mystery Moor
My kids like the Gruffalo and Stick man, also my daughter likes anything with princesses in it
The Hungry Caterpillar
I still love Enid Blyton books….Famous Five, Secret 7, Faraway Tree….
The Gruffalo x
My daughters favourite is Peter rabbit ❤️ I loved the secret garden
The very hungry caterpillar
Room On the Broom & peace at last 🙂
aLIENS LOVE UNDERPANTS
Peace at last and Burgler Bill! X
Funnybones!
The BFG by Roald Dahl
My favourite books as a child were Enid Blyton’s Hop, Skip and Jump and The Far Away Tree – a must for parent to read to their children as I have; it excites the imagination with humour and intrigue
pepper pig
My daughter changes her mind on a regular basis but at the moment she adores traditional fairy tales – her favourites are currently Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs!
I loved Charlie and the chocolate factory when i was little and my boys do now, think its lovely to share a childhood favourite with my kids, beatrix potter was another of my favs!!
My sons was ‘My busy day’
My little boy loves what the ladybird herd
My daughters favorite book is Stick Man 🙂
the jungle crew
I used to love Enid Byton ooks pretty much any of them 🙂
The Gruffalo
Famous Five and Secret Seven xx
Mine is Harry Potter and I can’t wait for my own 3 to be old enough for me to read the books with them, currently our two older boys (4 & 5) favourite books are about dinosaurs and space x
The very hungry caterpillar is my daughters favourite
Charlie and the chocolate factory
Antoine de Saint Exupery The Little Prince
Fox in Socks!
the Gruffalo
My eldest loves Roald Dahl, my youngest loves Winnie the Pooh, I myself love Jemima Puddleduck
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Harry potter