SWASHBUCKLE DOWN SOUTH, HAMPSHIRE

Portsmouth goes piratical in 2019. A family-friendly adventure will see buccaneers marauding over the Historic Dockyard – get hands-on at an exhibition, follow themed trails, watch live sword-swinging and come face to eye-patched face with “real” pirates. The visitor experience on HMS Warrior will be reimagined, with new parts of the Victorian flagship opened and actors bringing the vessel to life.

Opens Easter. Full Navy Tickets from £31/£18.50 adult/child (023 9283 9766; historicdockyard.co.uk).

TAKE AN ECCLESIASTICAL SPIN, NORFOLK

Norwich Cathedral briefly turns funfair this summer. As part of the Seeing It Differently event, a 40ft helter-skelter will stand in the 900-year-old nave, enabling visitors to experience the ancient space in an alternative way and get closer to the 1,000 medieval roof bosses – the greatest collection in the world. Other installations include yoga mats in the eastern nave, a sit-inside Bible and a blindfold trail in the cloisters. Runs Aug 7-18. Mostly free (01603 218300; cathedral.org.uk).

EXPLORE NEVERLAND, DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

Find inspiration in the childhood playground of J M Barrie. The garden at Moat Brae inspired the writer to pen Peter Pan and, after years of fundraising, this historic house will reopen as the National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling. As well as interactive exhibits and creative workshops inside the Georgian house, there will be a Neverland discovery garden, complete with adventure trails, pirate ship and a ticking croc…

Opens spring (01387 255549; peterpanmoatbrae.org).

DALLY WITH DINOSAURS, HAMPSHIRE

Meet a 26ft T-Rex without fear of getting eaten: this year Marwell Zoo, Winchester, presents Brickosaurs!, 50 life-size Lego dinos, made from more than two million bricks. The Jurassic giants will be spread across the charity-run park, amid a wealth of real wildlife (the zoo houses everything from penguins to pygmy hippos). There’s also a chance to construct your own reptiles at the Brickosaurs Basecamp.

Runs April 5-Sep 1. Entrance £17/£13.50 adult/child (01962 777407; marwell.org.uk).

FIND FAIRIES, ISLE OF MAN

In November last year, tiny houses, castles and doorways tucked into tree trunks (each no more than 12in high) began appearing across the Isle of Man – sadly not the handiwork of the isle’s legendary Little People, but rather the Swedish art collective Anonymouse MMX. In 2019, Visit Isle of Man is creating a trail map of the diminutive dwellings so you can find them, and explore the island’s legends and landscapes as you go.

Visit Isle of Man (01624 686801; visitisleofman.com).

CHANNEL VICTOR HUGO, GUERNSEY

Enjoyed the BBC’s Les Misérables? Then why not visit where it was written? Victor Hugo spent 14 years in exile in Guernsey, living and working in Hauteville House. Following a €3 million (£2.6 million) refurbishment, the five-floor home, which Hugo furnished and decorated himself, reopens in spring. Walk around the author’s garden, library and bedroom, and climb up to the