Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Explore the Lee Valley in January and February
Activities in Lee Valley –January and February 2017
January 2017
New Year’s Open Day
Lee Valley Athletics Centre. Get your New Year off with a bang! Come to Lee Valley Athletics Centre’s traditional New Year’s Day open meeting with a range of events for all age groups from under 13 upwards including 60m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 800m and Shot Put.
Date: Sunday 1 January
Time: from 10:00
Price: £6.50 per event; free to spectate.
Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Leisure Complex, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton, London N9 0AR
Tel : 020 8344 7230; www.visitleevalley.org.uk/athletics.
Monthly Walk - Winter Ramble
Broxbourne Old Mill and Meadows. Burn off some of the Christmas excesses with a brisk walk led by the rangers, around the beautiful Broxbourne Old Mill and Meadows.
Date: Sunday 1 January
Time: 10:30 - 12:30
Meet at Broxbourne Old Mill and Meadows car park, Mill Lane, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, EN10 6QT
No need to book, just turn up. To find out more: www.visitleevalley.org.uk or call 03000 030610.
South of England Championships
Lee Valley Athletics Centre. One step down from the National Championships, this event sees some of the best athletes from as far afield as Norfolk to Cornwall compete head to head.
Date: Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 January
Time: from 10:00
Price: free to spectate
Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Leisure Complex, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton, London N9 0AR
Tel: 020 8344 7230; www.visitleevalley.org.uk/athletics
London Indoor Games
Lee Valley Athletics Centre. Once again Lee Valley Athletics Centre is organising the London Indoor Games for the U20/Senior individual championships. Come and support the athletes in action!
Date: Saturday 21 – Sunday 22 January.
Time: from 10:00
Price: £7.50 per event; free to spectate
Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Leisure Complex, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton, London N9 0AR
Tel: 020 8344 7230; www.visitleevalley.org.uk/athletics
Bittern Roost Watch
Fishers Green, River Lee Country Park. Join the conservation team for a visit to the Bittern Information Point where you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an elusive Bittern coming in to roost. After a brief introductory talk, the group will move to the hide for refreshments and to hopefully see a Bittern amongst the other wildlife on view.
Date: Sunday 22 January
Time: 15:45 - dark
Meet Fishers Green car park, River Lee Country Park, Waltham Abbey, Essex, EN9 2EG To find out more: www.visitleevalley.org.uk
Ultimate Snowdrop Sale
A chance to snap up snowdrops priced from as little as £5 to sums of £1,000 per plant! Come to Myddelton House Gardens for their annual snowdrop sale, where a select range of nurseries will be selling both common and rare snowdrops. This sale is a must for early snowdrop purchases, but you need to be quick as another fast and furious sale is expected!
Date: Saturday 28 January
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Myddleton House Gardens, Bulls Cross, Enfield EN2 9HG
www.visitleevalley.org.uk/gardens
London Indoor Games
Lee Valley Athletics Centre. Once again, Lee Valley Athletics Centre is organising the London Indoor Games for a range of age groups. Either take part in the games or come down to watch some great athletes compete.
Date: Saturday 28 - Sunday 29 January
Time: from 10:00
Price: £7.50 per event; free to spectate
Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Leisure Complex, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton, London N9 0AR
Tel: 020 8344 7230; www.visitleevalley.org.uk/athletics
February 2017
Gardeners’ Coffee Morning - Snowdrops
Myddelton House Gardens,
Join the gardeners for a seasonal tour of Myddelton House Gardens, complete with a hot drink and a slice of cake. See the Gardens’ impressive collection of snowdrops on the first tour of the New Year.
Date: Wednesday 1 February
Time: 10:00 - 11:30
Price: £10
Myddleton House Gardens, Bulls Cross, Enfield EN2 9HG
www.visitleevalley.org.uk/gardens
Monthly Walk - Winter Birds II
Pindar car park. Join the Rangers and experts from East London Birders to look at the winter residents in the west of the Lee Valley Regional Park.
Date: Sunday 5 February
Time: 10:30 - 12:30
Meet at Pindar car park, River Lee Country Park, Windmill Lane, Cheshunt,
Hertfordshire, EN8 9AJ
No need to book, just turn up. To find out more: www.visitleevalley.org.uk or call 03000 030610.
Opening Weekend, Lee Valley Park Farms
Say hello to the 300 furry and feathered friends at Lee Valley Park Farms and kick start half term to see what’s new as the farm opens the gates for the start of the 2017 season. Catch up with all the animals and see who’s been sleeping in the farmyard and whose been plodding around the paddocks over winter. Families can enjoy a host of fun activities on the farm, including meeting cheeky Meerkats, llamas, guinea pigs, rabbits and exotic species such as Bearded Dragons, as well as taking a ride on Tex the Tractor to a working dairy farm. And little ones can also get up close to some of the smaller animals.
Lee Valley Park Farms: open daily until 30 October
Date: Saturday 11 - Sunday 12 February
Time: 10:00-17:00
Price: Adults: £9.50 Children: £8.50 Under 2s go FREE
Address: Stubbins Hall Lane, Waltham Abbey, Essex, EN9 2EF
To book or to find out more: www.lvfarms.co.uk or 01992 892 781.
Minithon
Lee Valley Athletics Centre. Do you have a budding athlete at home? Get them to test their athletics skills in the centre’s competition for school years 3 to 7. Each competitor can choose up to three athletic disciplines to take part in, from hurdles to high jump, all scored using the same point type system as the heptathlon and decathlon. See if your little one can be the next Jessica Ennis and a medal winner!
Date: Saturday 25 February
Time: from 10:00
Price: £15
Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Lee Valley Leisure Complex, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton, London N9 0AR. Tel : 020 8344 7230; www.visitleevalley.org.uk/athletics
Experience cycling at Lee Valley VeloPark
Book a cycling experience at Lee Valley VeloPark in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Choose from cycling the track in the iconic velodrome, race on the road circuit, tackle the mountain bike trails or jump and bump on the berms of the BMX track. The New Year is a perfect time to get fit and start training for a summer sportive in the VeloStudio, a suite of state-of-the-art static bikes. Ride the course of the Tour de France with the Sufferfest videos or train with a virtual instructor to music and pulsating lights. Look out for the Ride in Movie night on the first Wednesday of the month. Follow Twitter @LeeValleyVP for a chance to vote for your movie choice. For little ones, give them the best start on two wheels with VeloBalance and Pedal Up! sessions that take place in the centre of the track.
For further information, go to: visitleevalley.org.uk/velopark or call 03000 030 610.
Sculpture Trail
A new six mile long sculpture trail, launched by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, is one of the latest highlights of a visit to leafy River Lee Country Park, filled with lakes and green spaces. The 15 handcrafted artworks along the six-mile trail include a Giant Chair, Bird Transition - a stone carving depicting local birds in the River Lee, The Shrine and a Viking Ship. www.visitleevalley.org.uk/sculptures
In the country
For other ideas or a chance to get away from it all, there are plenty of walks or cycle routes in the Lee Valley, with over 30 walking routes and more than 20 cycle routes to find the perfect day out for the family. Bring the family and enjoy discovering the many and varied walks in the award winning open spaces. Go to www.visitleevalley.org.uk and download a range of recommended cycle and walking routes. To book online or to find out more: www.visitleevalley.co.uk or call 03000 030 610.
Stay the weekend
When visiting the Lee Valley and its attractions, including Lee Valley White Water Centre and the open spaces including River Lee Country Park, people can make a weekend of it by staying at one of three camping and caravan parks, including Lee Valley Caravan Park, Dobbs Weir, which offers a range of accommodation including Wigwams®, which are stylish timber cabins.
For more information, go to: www.visitleevalley.org.uk/camping
For more about all activities in the Lee Valley go to: www.visitleevalley.org.uk