This lot should keep you busy this autumn. We've pulled together the 80 (give or take) best ideas from The Sunday Times, The Times and Times Online, for fun, quirky, easy - and in many cases free - days out in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Keep coming back for fresh ideas - we'll be adding new days out every week.

SOUTH-EAST

The Devil’s Punch Bowl, Surrey
According to myth this bowl was formed when the Devil dug up clods of dirt to hurl at Thor. The unique formation of this Site of Special Scientific Interest has kept away developers and even though it lies between Guildford and Portsmouth it is not yet completely overrun by visitors. One can walk for miles with only the Aberdeen Angus cattle for company. On an autumnal morn the drifting fog and flitting shadows lend credence to the plethora of legends surrounding this place which the cold light of day — and £4 National Trust sandwiches — go some way to dissipate.

Britain and Ireland's best pub gardens

It’s the essence of summer: a good pint in the beautiful gardens of a smashing little pub. Here are our favourites

London tours - by water

One's a very green space, one not quite so - we see the sunrise by kayak and try a high-speed boat trip

A bird's eye view of Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens opens a walkway in the sky up in the treetops - by the designers of the London Eye

Related Internet Links

• Read more in our Best of Britain section

Related Links

• The UK's 30 best places for autumn colour

Forest to Freshwater, Hampshire/Isle of Wight
This leisurely 21-mile bike ride starts outside Brockenhurst station and takes you along New Forest bridleways to Lymington, where you catch the Isle of Wight ferry (from £11.40 return) to Yarmouth, then follow the old railway to Freshwater for a seaside lunch. You pass eight pubs on the way. You can get route details and hire bikes (£13.50/£6) from Cyclexperience in Brockenhurst (01590 623407, cyclex.co.uk).

Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport, Hampshire
Walk on board a real submarine at the Royal Navy museum. A special Jolly Roger exhibition opens this summer, where you can learn to speak pirate and find treasure. Adult £9, child £6, www.rnsubmus.co.uk

Board360, Devils Dyke, Brighton
Mountain Boarding (a snowboard four wheels) has come to Brighton in the form of this new adrenalin activity centre. Everyone from beginners to pros are accommodated on the various courses at Devils Dyke. Also onsite is Orb360, where you can climb inside a vast inflated ball and cross or land or water inside it (£25 per person). Boarding costs from £10 an hour including kit hire, www.board360.co.uk

The Secret Gardens of Sandwich, Kent
Recently revamped, these gardens are divided into “rooms”, each with their own character, influenced by Jekyll and Lutyens. Cross the bridge over the lake to reach a pretty little island and finish with an afternoon tea. Adult £5, child £3, www.the-secretgardens.co.uk

Ibstone Windmill, Turville, Buckinghamshire
Climb up the hill behind Turville to reach the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang windmill, then go for lunch at the superb Bull and Butcher pub. Windmill free, www.windmillworld.com; www.thebullandbutcher.com

SOUTH-WEST

Abbey House Gardens, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
If you feel that gardens should be enjoyed in their (and your) natural beauty, visit these “clothes optional” gardens. Leave your clothes at the door and skip through the roses and herbaceous borders. Adult £6.50, child £2.50, www.abbeyhouse gardens.co.uk

Picnic and treetop adventure, Dorset
Pack a picnic and head for the Moors Valley Country Park (01425 470721, www.moors-valley.co.uk), on the edge of the New Forest. There’s a staggering amount of fun on offer here — from fishing lessons (£6.50) and cycling to a free-entry forest play trail and the Go Ape treetop adventure (£25/£20), which involves rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zip slides.

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