Wine, caves and spoonbills
Stay on site for archery, yoga and wine tasting. Venture out to hack the hills on horseback, Go Ape, for pampering at Monart Spa or golf at Cricket St Thomas. Kids can find more than caves at Wookey Hole; alpacas and spoonbills at Axe Valley Wildlife; rides and a zoo farm at Woodlands Theme Park.
Country kids
Book a stand-up paddleboard lesson at Boylo’s Watersports in Lyme Regis. Stay in town for the marine aquarium. And discover exciting museums such as The Haynes Motor Museum, with the UK’s biggest exhibition of cars and motorbikes dating from 1900 to today, plus kids’ play areas.
Take an inspirational fossil walk back through 200 million years of history at the Lyme Regis Fossil Museum. Or, Top Gun fans: discover Europe’s largest naval-aviation museum at the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum with four exhibition halls, over 90 aircraft, more than two million records, and 30,000 artefacts.
Find much more than caves at Wookey Hole, including vintage penny arcades, museums, adventure golf, and soft play zones, and enjoy more underground adventures at Cheddar Gorge, with its awe-inspiring cliffs and extraordinary subterranean stalactite show cave.
Ride through the West-Country scenery with Pecorama Mini Steam Trains and check out the five celestially themed garden rooms. Meet alpacas, macaws, spoonbills and bearded dragons at Axe Valley Wildlife Park. And don’t miss two great theme parks: Crealy, with 60 rides, and Woodlands, featuring rides, falconry and a zoo farm.
For the grown ups
Stay on site for mobile arrows with Archery for You, for yoga, sound healing and massage arranged with the owner, or wine tasting with Moorish and Banham. Find great local ales at Sheppy’s Cider Farm, Lyme Regis Brewery and Palmer’s. Or a fine distillery at Lyme Bay Winery and Gin.
Swim or hit the gym at Chard Leisure Centre, outrally the rellies at Tatworth Public Tennis Courts, and tackle 80 World Cup-standard routes at Jurassic Ridge Climbing Centre. Or hack the Somerset hills on horseback with Hillview Riding Stables or Woodhouse Farm.
Keep the clay-pigeon population in check at Coombe Farm Sporting. Go Ape in Haldon Forest or go karting at The Airfield Dunkeswell Aerodrome. Send the mud flying at the Exeter Quad Safari Centre and the paint spattering at Escape Woods paintball. Or bag some carp at Chard Reservoir or Mangerton Lake.
Pack your clubs for gorgeous golf courses at Cricket St Thomas, Bridport and West Country, Lyme Regis, and Honiton. Lace up your boots for stiff and scenic walks along the South West Coast Path or the Somerset Levels. Pamper yourself at Monart Spa. Or head back into history at Sherborne Castle and Forde Abbey.
