
Bubbles World of Play
Billed as the UK's biggest soft play. A long drive for soft play, but it's the one that turns a rainy day into an actual event, and the seafront is right there.
Wirral, Merseyside

A trampoline park in an industrial unit in Bromborough. The operator puts it at 19,000 square feet: a trampoline court, a foam pit, a large air bag, a bouldering wall, a football area, a jump tower and a small soft play area for the ones too young to bounce hard.
Weekend open bounce is £11 an hour, £13 for 90 minutes or £15 for two hours, and socks are extra. The better deals are on weekdays: Tots Time for under 5s is £5 with parents free, running 10 until 3 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and until 2.30 on Wednesday, and the Friday after-school deal is £7.99 for two hours plus a meal.
The upstairs cafe is aimed squarely at the adults ('extra special just for you', says the operator), with hot and cold food, drinks and desserts, which matters when you are the one sitting out for 90 minutes. Book online and arrive a quarter of an hour early for the safety briefing.
What it costs: Open Bounce (weekends): £11 for 1 hour, £13 for 90 minutes, £15 for 2 hours. Tots Time (4 and under, term time) £5, parents free. Friday after-school deal 4 to 6pm, £7.99 for two hours of bouncing plus a meal. Trampoline socks from £2.50 a pair.
Worth knowing: Tots Time is for 4 and under, term time only.
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One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.