h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

To tie in with this month's Create theme, if I was to visit your home town/city, where can I go and what can I do for free? (Depending on number of contributions, this may lead to something put in PeerReview and/or )

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For example, in my home town of Sandown you can walk along the Pier for free and wander around Sandown Barracks Battery, a Victorian fort.

Of course there are lots of walks you can do in the area, as well as bike rides, not to mention the attractions of the beach and the various parks.

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I'd forgotten all about Create. Don't think there's much for free around here, but I'll think about it. Then I may write my own entry.

Hurst castle point a brilliant day out. OK the castle has an entry fee but I find it pales when compared to the landscape.
Views of the IOW needles, wildlife, long walks, bird life wonderful. Keyhaven has a nice pub for refreshment and summer and winter its the best costal walk for miles.
Good for walkers and cyclist's if they remember it's a footpath not a cycle way.

Stafford castle not much to see of the castle but it is free lovely woodland walks never over crowded. The castle mound makes a good viewing point for the surrounding countryside, excellent picnic spot never too busy. There is a small museum and gift shop. Very nice for a quiet afternoon, no long walks though.

I've been to Stafford Castle. Didn't they knock a lot of it down because some kid back in the 60s? decided to be silly and climb on top of it, only to fall off and kill himself. Seems very unfair to blame the castle. If he'd been silly and messed around on a road instead, getting himself run over, would they have closed the road? Somehow I don't think so...

Keep the suggestions coming!

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London
Shed Loads...
We even have websites dedicated to finding things to do for Free / cheap.
http://londonist.com/category/things-to-do

And of course you have the museums as well...

Old Winchester Hill and a very fine hill fort. Long and short walks wild flowers in season, some excellent history and never crowded. Views are fantastic and plenty of wildlife birds especially parking is limited but never impossable. Good for a few hours or a full day. No metal detector's this was a WWII firing range it is safe but there are marked areas that may not have been fully cleared, so don't disregard the signs just in case.

Bring refreshment there is nothing on site or close by.

Stafford castle you are right BB it's still a nice place to visit. Over reaction by councils are causing many problems. There is still enough left to be interesting though.

Saint(e) Suzane 53255 Mayenne France
Nice town surrounding a beautiful fortified town and splendid ruined castle. Plenty to see in the town and free entry to the castle. Long walks are limited but walking the circuit of the walls is very rewarding. Nice little museum and plenty of shops and a cafe, interesting WWI/WWII War Memorial with a well preserved WWI field gun mounted on the monument. Excellent for family visits if pushchairs are not needed.

Shed loads in Liverpool too A87842415

Quite a shock to go somewhere like Hampshire after that, where everything seems to have an entrance charge attached - the moths in my wallet weren't happy at being disturbed so much

There's still a lot to do in Hampshire for free – however most of Southampton's old free museums have been combined into the new SeaCity Museum, which has a charge so the council can recoup some of the £15million cost. The Art Gallery is still free, though, and the old medieval walls are (though have limited access). Sadly the old Bargate gallery has closed.

The Eastleigh Museum is free.

What I don't like are free museums that don't do guidebooks. I love a good guidebook. I'd rather pay an entry fee and then buy a guidebook then enter for free and not have a guide book available. Since having kids, so much of visiting places is learning about them after I've left, as the children don't have the patience to wait and do an audio tour.

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Lilleshall Abbey, Lilleshall, Newport, Shropshire TF10 9HW

A ruined Abbey with free entry. This is a beautiful ruin there is still lots to see even though not as grand as many of the other ruins in the area. However that makes it somehow more likeable. There is enough to make your visit worthwhile the ruins are well cared for by EH and the surrounding countryside makes it a restful place to just eat a packed lunch, or take the opportunity to take some photographs.

Nice place to spend an hour or three

Furzey Gardens New Forest. Entrance to the Gallery Gift and Coffee Shop is free the gallery is excellent though small and prices are reasonable, and it is alone worth the visit. The tea shop has brilliant cakes and serves generous portions and good service. They don't mind you taking your time either.

Entrance to the Gardens is not compulsory, but is chargeable and over £15 for 2 but they are nice and the money goes direct to charity, but there is plenty to see without paying.

Down my way, Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to a reasonably pretty stretch of the Thames and walking the Kingston side can take you from Surbiton to Teddington along the pleasantly kept Portsmouth road and Canbury gardens. Or you could window shop in Kingston town centre or the Bentalls centre. Or browse the Monday morning market and visit the daily fruit market in the old market place. Or try picking out the remaining historic bits in what was/is a Saxon town, like the Coronation stone, the Clattern bridge and All Saints Church. The church is always open and there are occasional choir and musical recitals on Saturday mornings.

Visit/walk in Richmond park, a deer park, and take in the views over the Thames on one side or London on the other. Visit the Isabella plantation in the centre of the park which is mainly rhododendrons and Azalias which give a magnificent free show from March through to May. And if it's your inclination there's a jogging/cycle track around the parks perimeter for 6.5 miles.

Or you could take a stroll along the Thames Path national trail walk which going west will take you to Hampton Court where access to the grounds is free. Or you could walk through Home park or Bushy park to arrive at the same destination. In the other direction, going east along the Thames path you will come to Richmond and the suburbs of London

On Saturday mornings at 9am, if you're a runner, jogger or even a walker, and if you've done the necessary paperwork the night before, you could take part for free in a 5k Parkrun foot race in Bushy park or the alternative Kingston Parkrun along the towpath near Teddington.

Parkruns are great fun – there are ones in most towns and cities in the UK – 5k runs on Saturday mornings, and there are also Junior Parkruns for children too.

If you like cycling, then the Isle of Wight Randonnee is free to enter (you just have to pay for transport, the purchase or hire of a bicycle and for cakes) – you can sign up here: http://www.cycleisland.co.uk


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I live near the border between Boston [capital of Massachusetts as well as county seat of Suffolk County] and Dedham [County seat of Norfolk County].

Lots of sites in Boston are available for a fee. Fewer are free. Here are some:

The Freedom Trail, pertaining to historical sites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Trail

Millennium Park, a fauirly new park in West Roxbury, nicely landscaped so that you wouldn't guess there was a capped landfill under it.

http://takeadaytrip.com/great-places/massachusetts/millenium-park/

The Arnold Arboretum, a botanical garden

Boston Common
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Common

Boston Public Garden
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Garden_(Boston)

My Internet service is sporadic, so I need to post this quickly. I don't have time to find free sites on Dedham just now.

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Around here, there are plenty of gravel pits where you can swim for free (some even with lifeguards), and huge acres of forest where you can walk, dotted with ruins of old castles which you can explore without paying to get in. Along the way, there are large sandstone rocks which free-climbers use for practice - no fee, no one telling you you might fall off.

I live on the upper Rhine - the above is applicable for both the French and German sides of the border. And, now I think of the French side, just driving through the villages in the spring and early summer is a pleasant pastime, as the villages, picturesque in themselves, are richly adorned with flowers on every lamp post, roundabout and window sill. Of course, driving in itself is not a cost-free activity, unless perhaps you are combining the pleasant drive with a journey you had to do anyway.

Details can be supplied, but I'm not sure you can use it as its outside the UK.