Family fun is big in the Cotswolds. For all creatures great and small, head to Abbey Home Farm to enjoy Cotswold working cart horses, sheep shearing, milking tours and lots of children’s activities. Or maybe Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, to handle chicks or rabbits, learn about milking and discover rare breeds.
Up the animal ante with a trip to Longleat, where lions roam, tigers stalk, monkeys swing and the mazes are magical. For a vitamin-D fix, try the easy stroll between two of the area’s prettiest villages, Upper and Lower Slaughter, following the River Eye and crossing open pasture.
Ride horses at Barton End Equestrian Centre, see 50 aviaries and 500 birds at Birdland, walk the Miniature Village like Gulliver in Lilliput, a small-scale recreation of Bourton, or see Brum, the TV car, plus a fascinating collection of cars, motorcycles, caravans and memorabilia at the Cotswold Motoring Museum.
Steam along the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway through lovely villages such as Didbrook, Winchcombe and Gotherington. Feed and stroke the Prinknash deer. Catch some history and see the jousting, fighting and falconry at Warwick Castle. Or try the mazes, railway and a parklands picnic at Blenheim Palace.
The 550 acres of lake and woodland are perfect for bikes, boats and running shoes. Just a few minutes’ walk away is your own spa, an exceptionally tranquil sanctuary packed with stress-free indulgence.
Add to the outdoor eco-pool, two more 20-metre heated pools, steam room, sauna, technogym and reading lounge.
Pick from over sixty treatments, including facials, body exfoliation and bumps, hot stones, daisy pregnancy treatments, massages, manicures, pedicures and body waxing. Relax, rejuvenate and revel in soothing, harmonious products from the Natural Spa Factory.
Get down to the Activity Hub to hire bikes, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Or pop into the Cotswolds – a land of honeystone cottages, country houses, craft shops, delicatessens, French-style farmers’ markets and small fashion boutiques. Enjoy Michelin-starred dining, gastro-bars, traditional cream teas or fireside pints.
Locally, you can tackle jet-skiing, water-skiing, paintballing, sky-diving, hot-air ballooning, cable-skiing, windsurfing, riding, sailing and golf. Or drive over to Bath for hot springs, gorgeous Georgian architecture, festivals, museums, galleries, theatre and sports. The Cotswolds are a wonder for wellbeing.
