Save on a New Forest family day out this summer

If you are looking for a family day out that does not break the bank, the New Forest is an easy win from Southampton this summer. A number of the area's best-known attractions have lowered their admission prices as part of the Great British Summer Savings scheme, which runs from 25 June to 1 September, so the next few weeks are the time to go before the discounts disappear.

The biggest name on the list is Beaulieu, home to the National Motor Museum, which holds around 285 vehicles ranging from early motor carriages to land-speed record breakers. A ticket gets you into the museum, Palace House and Gardens, Little Beaulieu and Beaulieu Abbey, so it is a lot of ground to cover in one go. The scheme also covers Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway, though the discount applies to garden entry rather than train or event tickets, Longdown Activity Farm, and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, where the saving applies to all tickets. Closer to home, Southampton's own SeaCity Museum and Tudor House and Garden are also part of it, so you could even build a cheaper day around the city itself.

For something more active, Go Ape has joined in with a 15% discount at its Southampton, Moors Valley and Alice Holt sites when you use the code VATSUMMER on bookings made within the scheme dates, though it excludes Forest Biking, Archery Tag, Disc Golf, Forest Shelters, Party Rooms and time extensions. If you are happy to venture a bit further across Hampshire, the savings stretch to Birdworld in Farnham, Clarence Pier in Southsea, a range of country parks and centres including Lepe and Calshot, National Trust properties like Hinton Ampner and The Vyne, and Winchester Cathedral, where a first visit between 25 June and 1 September comes with 12 months of free return visits.

If you want to keep costs down without relying on the scheme, the New Forest is full of free options. Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary has graded walks and deer viewing platforms, Lepe Country Park gives you grassland and shingle beach, and the New Forest Reptile Centre keeps its snakes, lizards and frogs in outdoor enclosures. There are also plenty of landmarks to wander past for nothing, from Bolton's Bench and Knightwood Oak to the Rufus Stone.

For the paid sites, it is worth knowing the usual rates so you can spot the saving. Beaulieu is open 10am to 6pm through the summer, with adult tickets around £24 on the day and £18 in advance, children 5 to 17 at £12 or £9, and families at £64 or £48, with under-fives free. Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway runs 10am to 5pm from 15 March to 2 November, at £11 for adults, £2.75 for children aged 3 to 15 and £24.75 for a family, with a 10% discount for booking online. Longdown Activity Farm is open 10am to 5pm from 14 February to 2 November, at £9 for adults, £8 for children aged 3 to 14 and £30 for a family. Paultons Park, home to Peppa Pig World, is another nearby option with day tickets from £43 and children under one metre free.

A New Forest Card can bag you further discounts on attractions, activities and dining, and the area has over 140 miles of walking and gravel cycle routes if you want to fill the gaps between sites on foot. It is a genuinely easy day trip from Southampton, and with the scheme running until 1 September, there is plenty of time to plan a couple of outings before the prices climb back up.