As the summer season slowly creeps into sight, there are just a few days left until it’s time to celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday 16 June.
With this inevitably comes last-minute card shopping, serious sibling negotiations on dad’s favourite beer and religiously checking the weather forecast in the run-up to the family barbeque.
If gifts prove too tricky and socks for the third year in a row feel like a step too far, why not give your paternal figures the gift of quality time? Food, football, booze and golf are often a good place to start – but there are also plenty of options that are a little more original. There’s whiskies to taste, tandem bikes to pedal and facials to relax dotted across the UK, along with days out doing everything from embracing the Euros to taking a steak-searing masterclass or hurtling down a zip line over a quarry in Wales.
Here are our top picks of things to do with dad for some slightly stereotypical but failsafe fun this Father’s Day.
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Catch the first Euro 2024 England match
To put your best foot forward with football-fanatic dads, the first of England’s Euro 2024 group games has fallen on Father’s Day. Bond over some sport with beers and burgers at your local from 8pm for the England v Serbia game or fire up the barbeque in the garden if the British weather is on side.
England v Serbia 8pm 16 June on BBC One
Whet your palette at a whiskey tasting
Whiskey connoisseurs (over 18) can spend the afternoon at a range of distilleries across the country this Father’s Day. To enjoy a whiskey tipple in Stourton with Dad, visit the Cotswolds Distillery for their daily hour-and-a-half cask warehouse tour and tasting session of award-winning spirits and liqueurs.
Cotswolds Distillery Tour & Tasting from £25 per person; cotswoldsdistillery.com
Take a steak cooking class at The Langham
To fine-tune the steak skills of culinary-inclined fathers, a Shaken & Seared cooking masterclass at Sauce by The Langham promises to teach all things preparation, seasoning and sauce. With a welcome cocktail, steak dinner with wine and sharing dessert included in the class, it’s sure to get the well done from Dad.
Shaken & Seared cooking class, from £145 per person; saucebylangham.com
Relax with a Donnington Valley spa experience
There’s an activity for every proud parent this 16 June, no matter how you choose to unwind. Treat fathers to a spa day – with a side of golf – at Donnington Valley in Berkshire for some R&R and a round of nine holes. Think energising facials, rolling countryside and a terrace bar for the ultimate family kickback.
For Men C+ 55-minute Energy Facial, £80; donningtonvalley.co.uk
Kick back with a couple of rare Cubans
For fathers and sons who savour the finer things, spend some time Edward Sahakian’s Cigar Shop and Sampling Lounge, says Benjamin Parker, deputy travel editor. This sophisticated space, heavy on the wood accents and leather seating, is tucked inside the Bulgari Hotel London, and on offer is a wide selection of cigars – including some vintage Havanas from Edward's private collection. Even if you don't know a Churchill from a corona but fancy indulging, the experts can assist; there are also heady spirit and cocktail menus to pair with your smoke.
Whiskey and cigar pairing experience for two, £160; bulgarihotels.com
Brave a ghostly walking tour in Edinburgh
A ghoulish walk through the dark streets of Edinburgh is not one to be forgotten in a hurry. Thrill-seeking families in the Scottish capital will feel shivers down their spine on this free walking ghost tour through the Old Town, alleyways and graveyards after dark.
Free 1.5-hour ghost tour from 7pm daily with Edinburgh Free Tour; fareharbor.com
Swim under the stars at Bristol Lido
You can treat dad to a mini spa day plus a meal at Bristol’s luxurious outdoor lido. Arrive at 6pm and enjoy two hours use of the heated pool, sauna and steam room before getting back into your clothes for a delicious tapas meal. If you’re not sure that you fancy a swim, there’s also a special set father’s day menu for £30 per person for two courses or £35 for three. Dishes include Devon scallops, Cornish monkfish and chicken roasted over wood fire.
Swim and threes tapas dishes from £45 per person; lidobristol.com
Get competitive with an indoor clay pigeon shoot
If your dad’s got a good aim and excellent hand-eye coordination, take a trip to Clays, either in the City of London or Canary Wharf. The indoor shooting in is the perfect place to test his gun skills and indulge in a little healthy competition, whatever the weather. If your score highly, come back on a Monday night before 10 July to take part in a Skeet league, earning points on eight different immersive shooting stations. The winner will receive free tickets to the Olympic Games to watch the best shooting stars in real-life.
40-minute game at Clay’s Canary Wharf, £12; clays.bar
Pedal in pairs on a tandem bike ride
Why not scrap competitive cycling sessions and take a tandem pedal through the Sussex countryside to relive arguments past on who is doing most of the legwork this Father’s Day? We forecast great views, light squabbling and a lot of laughs.
Sussex Countryside Four Hour Tandem Bike Hire, £51; virginexperiencedays.co.uk
Fly through the sky on a Welsh zipline
Tick off a first this Father’s Day with a bucket list 100mph zipline over the Penrhyn Quarry in Bangor. With Snowdonia views and space for a family of four to fly at the same time – 700 feet high – a voucher for Zip World is a great gift for adrenaline junkies to race 1,555m to the bottom of the ‘Velocity’ line.
Zip World Velocity day flight for four people for £295; zipworld.co.uk
Get adventurous at Lainston House
For a rustic adventure in nature, Lainston House in Winchester has a full-day itinerary including clay pigeon shooting and archery followed by a hog roast with all the trimmings on 16 June. The ‘fit for a king’ fete of activities kicks off at 10am for families to practise their aim and hit bullseye before sitting down for lunch.
Hog roast, clay pigeon shooting and archery experience, from £75 per person; exclusive.co.uk/lainston-house
Venture off-road on a 4x4 driving experience
If fast cars are dad’s thing, an off-road G-Wagon adventure at Mercedes Benz World offers a nerve-wracking drive through a variety of terrains, inclines, water crossings and obstacles on a foot-to-the-floor 10-acre circuit in Weybridge. Whether learning the skills as a driver or feeling the thrill as a passenger, there’s something for everyone on and off the track.
4x4 G-Class Passenger Ride for three people from £40; mercedes-benzworld.co.uk
Immerse yourselves in a virtual reality experience
Although you won’t find a journey back to Ancient Egypt on the departures board at Heathrow, at Horizon of Khufu in Westfield Stratford a virtual reality experience transports visitors into the Great Pyramid of Giza and tombs of Pharaoh Khufu. The 45-minute break from reality is great for a rainy day in London – the whole family will enjoy crawling through ancient burial chambers and navigating the Nile.
Horizon of Khufu, £21 per person; horizonkheopsexperience.com
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