Father’s Day is this weekend and you have absolutely nothing planned, do you? You’re an awful son. Your father worked his fingers to the bone to give you everything you ever wanted in life, and you couldn’t even muster the energy to rustle up a token of your appreciation.
Sure, you could sprint to the shops now and panic-buy a novelty gift he’ll bin as soon as you’re out of sight, but if you want to really show your dad how much he means to you, you should be aiming higher than a “World’s Best Dad” mug. You should be aiming to wow him, and nothing says WOW like an unexpected trip to one of the UK’s 15 National Parks.
It’s the perfect last-minute plan. The parks are scattered all over the country, so wherever your father is he’s bound to be within a couple of hours of one, and you can rock up and visit them anytime. You just need some semblance of a plan of what to do you when you get there. Minimal forethought, maximum returns – it’s the perfect Father’s Day adventure.
When it comes that minimal forethought, your old pal Coach has got you covered (with the help of Sykes Cottages) thanks to this splendid National Parks infographic, which gives four great day-trip plans for each of them.
Depending on your father’s preferences, you can opt to visit a castle, stately home or abbey, or see a famous landmark, or take on something more active like gliding in the South Downs, tree surfing in Dartmoor (we don’t know what this is either) or diving on the Pembrokeshire Coast. Furthermore, the infographic also gives a top tip on where to eat and drink after your visit to the park, including some excellent distilleries if whisky happens to be your old man’s favourite tipple.
So scroll down, take your pick and let dad know he’s in for one hell of a day. If you have siblings, we recommend calling them just as you leave the park, to really twist the knife about how much better at gifts you are than them.
