By Tom Chivers Published: 8:55AM GMT 07 Jan 2010  Flying high: Impress your date with a ride in a hot air balloon Photo: AP  The first date is a tricky thing, at least if you're not 21 years old any more and can't get away with drinking heavily in a loud nightclub until you've built up enough courage to make a move. So for that reason alone, here are 10 possibilities for grown-ups.  Hot-air ballooning isn't cheap, but it will certainly impress. Get a couples' flight complete with champagne toast to finish from balloonflightsuk.co.uk. Wrap up warm this time of year, though. If heights aren't your thing, a river cruise should go down well, and they'll have a nice cosy bar if the weather's chilly.  Walks are always a good date, at least if the weather holds (holding hands on a sunlit riverbank is a very different experience to sprinting for cover in a sideways downpour), and everyone likes a good old-fashioned pub. One route that combines both would be to walk across Oxford's Port Meadow from the famous old Perch pub, finishing with a late lunch or early supper at the magnificently situated Trout in Wolvercote. One thing: the Trout has a gorgeous garden, backing onto the Isis river, with fish swimming past and peacocks roaming the garden, but a renovation a few years ago turned the interior from decrepit-yet-characterful to a sort of high-class chain pub feel. Stay outside.  We almost didn't include this because it's such a cliché, but if you're in London, go on the London Eye. It's an amazing experience, it's not too pricey, and the view is breathtaking. It's probably most impressive if you do it at night, when London lights up like a vast Christmas tree, but the sun glinting off the Thames is beautiful too. Of course, a sullen grey cloud reflected in a dirty sluggish brown river is not so magical, so maybe it's safer not to gamble on the weather, and go under cover of darkness.  The great thing about Britain is you are never more than an hour or so from something quite impressive. Honestly. We've arbitrarily picked Edinburgh Castle as an example, but you could go to both of Liverpool's cathedrals on either end of Hope Street, or pretty much anywhere in London, or Oxford, or Cambridge, or Kent, or Canterbury, or Chester, or anywhere, really. Outside of the cities are countless picturesque villages, and of the countryside itself, especially if you're lucky enough to live near the Peaks, the Lakes, the Dales or any part of the coast. Just go for a couple of hours' walk and end up in a warm ramblers' pub for a steak and ale pie, all rosy-cheeked and exhilarated.  Is the datee the sporty type? Can you keep up with them if so? Why not try an afternoon rock-climbing or abseiling, or perhaps going sailing, if it's a nice day. Other suggestions have included pot-holing, but we would say it's not what a nice girl does on a first date. Sky-diving is also an option, but very pricey, and make sure they've got a head (and stomach) for heights first.  Careful: going for a drink can easily turn into going for too many drinks, especially if you haven't eaten first, so if you know you're not very good at stopping after the second, maybe go for The Foodie, below. But if you have sufficient self-restraint, sharing a good bottle of Pinot Noir will always oil the wheels. Gordon's Wine Bar in London's Charing Cross is cramped, busy and you may have to wait ages for a table at busy times, but it is atmospheric, cosy, and – let's not shy away from the word – romantic.  Taking him/her out for a meal is hardly groundbreaking stuff, and is to be avoided if you're a messy eater or someone who can't stop eyeing up the other person's food as soon as you've wolfed down your own. But if you've got acceptable table manners it can be a nice ice-breaker with a couple of glasses of wine, and, of course, it gives you the all-important easy conversations: “how's the veal?” might not be sparkling wit, but it keeps things flowing. Just pick a favourite and make sure it's an appropriate budget. Call us old-fashioned, but on a first date, we think it's nice if the chap picks up the tab: others will disagree, obviously. Don't force the issue either way.  We're aware we're being quite London-centric, but London Zoo is genuinely amazing: the reptile house is particularly impressive, although it might not have the cute-factor that will get hearts melting. For that, the tropical jungle house with its adorable collection of endangered monkeys will serve. Outside of the capital, try the beautifully situated Cotswold Wildlife Park, the adorable Monkey World in Dorset, or Chester Zoo – which has cheetahs, surely the world's most beautiful cat. Alternatively, try an aquarium: London's, again, is astonishing if crowded, while the Blue Reef in Portsmouth is very impressive.  Is he/she quite the arty type? While whispering your way around a gallery isn't everyone's idea of fun, it gives you an obvious talking point if you can both appreciate it. Make sure they do, though, or you might as well be dragging them around the local library. Quite a lot of art galleries do late-night showings: the Hayward Gallery on London's South Bank is open until 10pm on Fridays, for instance, if you like contemporary art, while Tate Britain is open until 10pm on the first Friday of every month.  First: NOT the theatre. We cannot stress this highly enough. You know how bad cinemas are for first dates when you're not 15 any more? The theatre, sadly, is just grown-up cinema. It doesn't matter how brilliant Tom Stoppard's dialogue is, you can't talk to each other for three hours, so you won't get to know each other. If you want culture, try late-night openings at a museum: the British Museum is open until 8:30pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and its lovely Great Court restaurant is open late those nights as well.  Find your own first date with the Telegraph's online dating service, Kindred Spirits. Create your own profile for free today...
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