High tea and honeyed beauty
Stroll the historic streets of Bradford-on-Avon. Delight in Bath’s honeyed beauty. Meet the lions at Longleat, try wakeboarding and wilderness skills at Cotswold Water Park, or take high tea on the Avon Valley Railway. Play Cumberwell Park, Wiltshire’s only 45-hole golf course. Or take home an English sparkling classic from Bluestone vineyard.
Country kids
Meander along all the best hacking routes on horseback with Wellow Trekking. Take to two wheels with TT Cycles or Bath Bike Hire. Explore the water by canoe or stand-up paddleboard with Wiltshire Outdoor Learning. Stick around for Battlezone archery or bushcraft and survival skills.
Combine meeting farm animals with play areas and a café and you’ve got a surefire winner at Farfield Animal Centre. Discover meerkats, penguins and pandas at Bristol Zoo and all manner of aquatic life at Bristol Aquarium. Or meet giraffes eye-to-eye on the high walkway at the Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Try just about any outdoor activity you can imagine at the Cotswold Water Park, including wakeboarding, wilderness skills, rally driving, archery and angling. Meet 120 animals, including the famous lions, on a drive-through safari at Longleat. Or find more animals and ride the zipwires at Avon Valley Adventure Park.
Head into Bath for museums galore, including the Bath Costume Museum, the American Museum, the Roman Baths, and the Jane Austen Centre. Take high tea on board the Avon Valley Railway. Or see the awesome cliffs and stalactite caves at Cheddar Gorge and the animatronic dinosaurs and 4D cinema at Wookey Hole.
For the grown ups
For a covered splash, head to the swimming pool at Bradford-on-Avon. The Arc Climbing Centre in Chippenham has indoor and outdoor challenges and a café for recuperation. Or take a tour and enjoy pint-sized refreshment in the tap room at Wadworth Brewery in Devizes.
Just eight miles away in Bath, there’s rooftop bathing in the steaming waters of Thermae Bath Spa or 2000 years of history waiting to be discovered at the Roman Baths. Wander the pages Jane Austen’s novels on the Royal Crescent and The Circus and celebrate her life at the Jane Austen Centre.
Bring your clubs for Wiltshire’s only 45-hole golf club, Cumberwell Park, awarded four stars by Golf World and just five minutes away. Wander into Bradford-on-Avon for the 13th-century nine-arch bridge, wining and dining, and array of independent shops all cast in glorious honeyed stone.
Love the water? Take a leisurely cruise on a narrowboat in Bradford-on-Avon and Bath with Sally Narrowboats or Bath Narrowboats. Or dive back into history with the National Trust at The Courts Gardens, Chalfield Manor, Lacock Abbey and Dyrham Park or English Heritage’s Farleigh Hungerford Castle.
Happy hens and stags!
If you’re into staying put with Prosecco and pizza on tap, there’s plenty to hold your attention. Let the pro chefs from Queen and Whippet spoil you rotten while you laze and lounge in the 11-metre heated outdoor pool, set up a mini-Wimbledon on the tennis court, or play pool in the games room.
Looking for something different? Head off site to enjoy banter and broken clays at Coombs Clay Shooting. Go wild with the Wiltshire Outdoor Learning Team on water sports, rock climbing, archery, high ropes, tree climbing and more. Or try the bubble version of the beautiful game at Football Zorbing Bath.
Visit the Electric Bear Brewing Co and Taproom to sample award-winning beer, take a tour of the brewery at The Bath Brew House and try their craft ales, or sip gin at the Bath Distillery Gin Bar. Or take a tour and tasting at Bluestone vineyard, then take home an English sparkling classic.
Need pampering? Head to the Vitality Day Spa in Bradford-on-Avon for five-star holistic therapy treatments including aromatherapy, candle massage, hot-stone therapy, facials and body scrubs. End the day with a cheeky summery mango colada or espresso Martini at The Ivy Bath Brasserie.
