Boots, birds and small breeds
Strap on your boots for walking the Welsh border country. Scrub up for the civilised dining and browsing in Malvern and Hereford. Take a hydrotherapy dip at The Malvern Spa. Watch the red kites swoop for lunch at Gigrin Farm. Meet furry friends at the Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre. Or hit the ropes and wires at Go Ape.
Country kids
Explore the Malvern Hills and the pretty lanes of rural Herefordshire on Dawes bikes from Ledbury Cycle Hire. Bring the story of drinking water to life at the Waterworks Museum. Or make like Spiderman and scale the walls at Redpoint Rock Climbing, Worcestershire’s biggest climbing centre.
Master the potter’s wheel at Eastnor Pottery and the Flying Potter. Catch movies in 4D and iMAX at Cineworld in Gloucester. Take a minibus safari and brave the adventure rides at the West Midlands Safari Park. Or meet guinea pigs, rabbits and goats at the Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre.
Ride the steam trains and diesel engines through stunning scenery along the Severn Valley Railway. Try skiing, snowboarding or tubing at Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre, then blast your mates at Battle Hill laser tag. Or take the treetop challenge at Go Ape in the Forest of Dean on the high ropes and newly extended zip wires.
Follow the flower trails around the valley and finish up on the indoor play area at Dick Whittington Farm Park. Try just about everything from angling and archery to golf, cycling and all manner of watersports at Cotswold Water Park. Or catch the magic of movies and live theatre at Gloucester Guildhall.
For the grown ups
This is Welsh border country, an area of high hills and lovely river valleys. So strap on your boots and brave the mud right from the door. Explore the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean, Worcester Woods and Eastnor Deer Park. For civilised dining, browsing and card-brandishing, Malvern, Ledbury, Hereford and Cheltenham are close by.
History buffs can dive back in time at glorious cathedrals: Worcestershire, Hereford and Gloucestershire are all reachable, and there’s more heritage on offer at Eastnor Castle, Croome Court, and the dramatic ruins, beautiful gardens and wild woodlands of Witley Court and Gardens.
If you would like to indulge in some beauty and health pampering our expert beauty therapists from Glo offer a full range of treatments in the comfort of the house. Take a dip in the hydrotherapy pool at The Malvern Spa. Or book a massage and a manicure at The Greenway Spa. Have a swim and gym at Malvern Splash Leisure Complex. Or strike it lucky at Tenpin Gloucester.
Head to Gigrin Farm over the border for 2pm sharp each day, when the wild red kites get fed. Find a hide, then stick around for the mountain-bike trails later. Spoil a lovely walk through Cotswold countryside with the natural hazards and smartly placed bunkers at Puckrup Hall Golf Club. Or Canoe the Wye with… Canoe the Wye.
