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he family getaway is changing. One of the hottest travel trends for 2019-20 is the microadventure – a term coined by explorer Alastair Humphreys

to describe experiences that are “small and achievable for normal people with real lives”.

Now that snoozing by the pool all day doesn’t cut it any more parents are trading sun loungers and play centres for more physically active family minibreaks.

No surprise then, that companies which offer adrenaline-fuelled challenges and all-action days out are designing options aimed at children as well as adults.

Trying out new activities is brilliant for family bonding. “Even one or two days together can be a great reset,” says Jennifer Howze,

Family minibreaks have never been so intrepid, so prise yourself o the sofa and swap adventure films for your own real life escapades...

Climb every mountain

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Stash a ball, a pop-up goal and a kite in the boot and you can make your own adventures any time. If the kids go everywhere on their scooters take them too – it’ll make the young ones far more eager to explore on days out.

Be optimists – expect to find fun at every turn. Keep wellies within easy reach for that gloriously muddy woodland walk. And don’t forget to pack towels and spare socks in case you find a stream worth crossing and your boots aren’t quite up to the job.

Remember, it’s not quite the same if Mum and Dad are merely

Time your trip for a football match or a tournament with lots of spectator appeal to fire up your family’s sporting spirit.

Has the Rugby World Cup go you gripped? Find a local rugby union match close to where you’re staying. The crowd won’t be as big but the tackles will be seriously real.

Got tickets for a big match? Get more from your day with a stadium tour or a museum visit. At Chelsea FC there are special school holiday tours led by the cuddly mascots Stamford and Bridget. Manchester City run free

(bookable) Kids Fanzone events with pre-match

activities for children aged

5 five to twelve.Or try something

different. The annual Six Day London cycle event

at the Lee Valley Velopark (October 22 to 27) features the world’s top riders competing in a range of races, so any session you see will be a cycling spectacle.

Setting your sights higher? Try an astronomical adventure at the National Space Centre in Leicester, where the interactive galleries and 42 metre high Rocket Tower will have everyone’s jaws dropping.

The British landscape can look just as amazing on a blustery November day as it does under blue skies in August. Invest is some child-friendly binoculars – effective but not madly expensive – and go walking in Snowdonia or pony trekking in the Lake District.

At Cheddar Gorge in Somerset there are challenges for all ages. See who can be first up the 274 steps to the top of Jacob’s Ladder or try the nerve-jangling Black Cat Free Fall experience that drops you into Gough’s Cave (ages eight plus).

Let the kids discover more about the power of nature by taking them

With parents by their side, children are usually more willing to try new challenges that will boost confidence.

Indoor climbing centres from Brighton to St Andrews offer a range of routes for all abilities – and are so much easier to get to than the Himalayas. And whatever the weather outside snow parks like Chill Factore in Manchester conjure the spirit of the Winter Olympics.

Feel the need for speed? On a RIB speedboat tour you can race along the Thames at 35 knots (over 40mph). If you can’t get to the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland to go white water rafting, you can give it a try on the London 2012 Games circuit at Lee Valley.

Even on a wintry day, there’s watery fun to be had. In Snowdonia, lakes like Llyn Padarn and Llyn Tegid are great for bracing walks. Hot chocolate is obligatory back at base.

Water, of course, provides no end of fun. “My family’s absolute favourite thing to do is surfing,” says Jennifer Howze. “We love Watergate Bay in Cornwall. Just rent your board and wetsuit, and spend the day having a splashingly good time.”

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Discover your UK with Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott’s variety of city and rural locations

put you right where the action is. Children stay and eat free*, and knowledgeable staff can help

with local tips on where to go

LEICESTER MARRIOTT HOTELThe ideal base for one of the UK’s sport-loving cities, visit the National Space Centre and National Forest then kick back in the hotel’s pool and sauna.

DURHAM MARRIOTT HOTEL ROYAL COUNTYRelax in the hotel’s leisure club after a day exploring the historic city and its ancient cathedral, paying a visit to Beamish Museum and enjoying the untamed beauty of County Durham.

LONDON MARRIOTT HOTEL CANARY WHARFOverlooking the restaurants and museums of West India Quay and Canary Wharf, you’re well located for Greenwich, the O2 and Olympic Park.

The best hotels for adventure

Think about what’s nearby before you choose your hotel. There’s no point in paying a premium to stay in Theatreland if your brood prefers a playground to a performance.

Wherever you decide to go, be thrillseekers. Even on a weekend in London you can climb a “mountain”. At the O2, anyone with a head for heights is able to brave the walk up and over the 53 metre high dome.

Or you can speed down the world’s longest tunnel slide, which snakes around the ArcelorMittal Orbit at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.

In Manchester families can go skydiving without a plane at the iFLY wind tunnel in Trafford City.

A National Museum of History might sound a little tame but, actually, the one at St Fagans in Cardiff is anything but - the high ropes obstacle course and zipline challenge (open April to November) will leave the family buzzing.

Perhaps you fancy yourselves as a puzzle-busting squad? Many “escape room” activities are for adults but S15 Spymissions run special challenges for families at locations including Nottingham, Cambridge and London.

To make every moment of your minibreak count, opt for a hotel with a pool or golf course so the fun can continue even after you’ve returned to base camp.

travel blogger at Jenography.net. “The change of scenery and a chance to explore lets us experience each other and ourselves differently.”

Vicky Warr, trainer and founder of Bump and Beyond, an online health and fitness studio, says that family breaks are the perfect time to get moving. “Exercise and activity releases endorphins – the ‘happy’ hormones.

“They boost mood and so improve mental health and physical fitness. Many activities such as walking, swimming, hiking and cycling stimulate their release.”

There are a whole host of fabulous spots for microadventures in the UK, so why not make a quick escape and go “off road”? Just be sure to book a hotel that puts you at the heart of the action.

to other awe-inspiring sites like the Jurassic mudstones of Whitby, or Pontneddfechan in the Brecon Beacons, where you can explain how the awesome falls and caves came to be. (It’s basic geography GCSE but no one will judge if you have to look it up on your phone.)

County Durham has some of the most spectacular natural thrills, including High Force, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, where the River Tees takes a 70ft dive into a gorge and you hear the waterfall’s roar long before you see it.

Durham is “dark-sky friendly” too, so you get some of the best stargazing opportunities as the evenings draw in. Wrap up warm, get out and look up. The Dark Sky Discovery website has a guide to great locations all over Britain.

There are more than 50 Marriott Bonvoy hotels in locations across England, Scotland and Wales. Discover your UK and find your ideal family destination at marriottweekends.co.uk

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observing from the sidelines, and nothing is quite as funny as seeing Dad get soaked too.

Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire is ideal for a jolly good scramble, and the tulip trees at Stourhead in Wiltshire are particularly good for climbing.

A bike ride is invariable a winner too. “Buy a cycle carrier for your car and you’ll always be ready for two-wheeled action,” says Vicky Warr. “Alternatively, the hotel you’re staying will tell you where you can hire locally.

“The great thing about holiday cycling is that you can go at a speed that suits all of you. It’s not about rushing to school or work, the fun is getting from A to B. Map out a route, pack a picnic and let the adventures begin.”