This year do something different

If the prospect of another family fortnight boiling on a beach fills you with horror, try something more adventurous.

This summer the choice of activities and destinations available to parents has never been better. Throw away the Travel Scrabble. Chuck Jackie Collins in the pool. This is the year to learn something new, tackle a few challenges, and just get out there and explore.

TRY A NEW ACTIVITY

Go wild in Normandy and sign up for a family adventure with Acorn (0800 074 9791; www.acorn-venture.com), whose keenly priced holidays include a daily choice of challenging sports - such as climbing, abseiling, land-yachting and kayaking - for adults and children aged eight or over. A week at Hautville costs £849 for a family of four including weekend ferry supplement and full board under canvas. Similar holidays are also available in the Lake District, Snowdonia, French Mediterranean and the Ardèche.

Take the children cycling in Austria. "Austria is our most popular destination,î explains an expert at the bike holiday specialist Freewheel (01633 681997; www.freewheelholidays.com). "This is because our routes are mostly flat or downhill and you cycle on Tarmac farm roads with little traffic. There are also plenty of swimming opportunities in lakes and at your hotel, which cuts down the whingeing factor."

A 10-day Into the Valley of the Alps package in August costs from £649 adult, £604 ages 12-17, £559 ages two to 11, including B&B but not flights to Salzburg (Freewheel can arrange). Bikes are provided and luggage transported ahead of you, and distances between hotels range from 16 to 21 miles, with optional rest days. Cycling holidays in Denmark, Cantabria and the Loire Valley are also available.

Chill out while the Gameboy generation burns off energy. A Family Fun Week which offers you an induction into the classic English summer holiday into the bargain. Brancaster Millennium Activity Centre (01485 210719; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brancaster), part of a National Trust property on the north Norfolk coast, is a residential centre for groups of 12 children aged eight to 14, who spend five days cycling, sailing and learning skills such as orienteering and kayaking. Parents stay in the family rooms but do their own thing. Week beginning 5 August costs from £116 for an adult, £157 for the first child under 14, £137 for the second, including meals, activities and accommodation.

Try an easy-going riverside walk. A selfguided hike along the new River Parrett Trail that weaves through Dorset and Somerset is perfect for families who like to holiday in organised groups. The full trail runs 50 miles between source and mouth and can be completed in three or four days with accommodation available in hotels and B&Bs along the way. To keep children interested, "cluesî created by artists bring out a hidden aspect of the landscape en route. You can pick up the trail by taking a train down to Crewkerne then return from Bridgwater - for more information see www. riverparretttrail.org.uk. For a copy of the River Parrett Trail Guide (£6.80 inc p&p), which includes detailed route maps and contacts for booking accommodation, call 01935 462462.

DISCOVER ANOTHER CULTURE

Eschew the zoo and do Africa for the real thing. Guerba (0845 130 1770; www.guerba.com) offers two family safari programmes both suitable for ages eight and over. With no jet lag and a highly favourable exchange rate, South Africa is proving extremely popular this year - you can still join a 12-day guided tour visiting the Kruger National Park, the gold rush mining town of Pilgrim's Rest, the Garden Route coast and Cape Town. From £1,155pp (flights extra) departing 17 July or 17 August.

For a longer trip, combine a 10-day safari touring Kenya's game parks with three nights in a beach villa at Mombasa. From £950 adult, £650 ages 12 to 16, £580 ages eight to 11 (flights £950 adult, £650 ages 12 to 16, £580 ages eight to 11 (flights extra, plus visas and kitty contribution), departing 9 or 16 August.

Take a family hike in Morocco with Walks Worldwide (01524 262255; www.walksworldwide.com) - its most popular trip is an eight-day holiday featuring two days' trekking in the Atlas Mountains. Or, new this year is a holiday to the Jura Mountains in Switzerland that includes a four-day trek with mules carrying your baggage and any youngster who tires. Children get to spend a night in a hayloft, sleep in a Tipi, build a stone oven, bake bread and learn how to make Swiss cheese. A 12-day trip departing 3 August costs from £775 adult, £495 ages 12 to 16, £395 ages two to 11, including all meals and accommodation but not flights to Geneva. Other destinations still available are the Pindos Mountains in Greece, the French Alps, Slovakia and the Fundy National Park in eastern Canada.

Go rafting on a real all-American family adventure. Children as young as six can join in this guided voyage by raft and kayak that takes you through the gentle rapids and lofty canyons of Oregon. Nights are spent camping under the stars by the river with tents set up in advance. From £2,250 adult, £1,895 child aged 6-11, including most meals and flights via Seattle departing 27 August with Abercrombie and Kent (0845 0700614; www.abercrombiekent.co.uk).

Keep on backpacking - why stop travelling just because you've had kids? That's the philosophy behind the Family Adventures brochure from Travelbag Adventures (01420 541007; www.travelbag-adventures.com): an enticing choice of small group tours for families to 16 destinations including Sri Lanka, Egypt, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Peru. With a reliably warm climate, deeply spiritual culture and excellent hotels, Bali is perfect for a soft tropical adventure. A 15-day Monkeys and Volcanoes tour departing 27 July costs from £1,239 adult, £916 under-12s, including flights and accommodation. Minimum age is five and groups usually consist of three or four families - highlights include paddy field walks, a dolphinwatching cruise, swimming in a royal water palace and an optional hike up Mount Batur.

BREAKS TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Dive in at the deep end with a synchronised swimming course - the latest addition to the pre-bookable courses available at Eurovillages self-catering resorts in the south of France. Available in four holiday villages, lessons are suitable for both adults and children over six and last 45 minutes at a cost of £41 per person for five days. A 14-night holiday starting 20 July at Les Restanques costs from £2,262 for an apartment sleeping five, including ferry crossing with car. Other courses on offer here include jazz dancing, magic, circus skills and tennis. Call Eurovillages (0870 366 7562; www.eurovillages.co.uk).

Let the little ones look after horses. Rent a horse-drawn gypsy caravan from Slattery's of Tralee, County Kerry, and you are given detailed instructions on how to feed, harness, groom and drive your new four-legged friend. Each caravan sleeps four and comes with gas cooking facilities and bedding supplied. Cresta Holidays (0870 161 0990; www.uk.mytravel.com) has packages with a choice of four locations in Ireland - a week's holiday commencing 27 July costs from £965 for two adults and two children including ferry crossing with car.

Run away to the circus.The circus schools at Club Med (0700 2582 633; www.clubmed.co.uk) have proved a great hit with adults and children. As well as providing achievable challenges in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, you get endless sports, entertainment, kids' clubs and meals included in the price. There are nine circus schools in Europe, all with a flying trapeze suitable for ages eight and over. In Sicily, Kamarina is on the beach and offers tennis, football, inline skating, catamaran sailing and rock'n'roll dance classes. (Once you've signed everyone up, slip off to the Club Med Spa - a five-day Wellbeing package costs from £159.) An all-inclusive week from 3 August costs from £955 adult, £700 ages four to 11, with flights.

Jazz up your Florida holiday by renting a villa with a self-drive motorboat. Elegant Resorts (01244 897444; www.elegantresorts.co.uk) has a selection of waterfront properties in Cape Coral on the Gulf Coast that sleep up to 10. Each comes with its own boat for exploring the 400 miles of scenic canals and lakes in the area - tuition is provided on arrival and no licence is required. The three-bedroom villa Bay Point, which comes with a pool, maid service, bicycles and fishing rods, costs from £1,885 for a week from 4 August, plus flights and car hire.