Get active by going ape in the Forest of Dean on treetop adventures and forest segways. Hire bikes from Bristol Cycle Shack and discover the local highways and byways. Or ride the Avon Valley Railway, smell the steam and enjoy a station-based buffet and special themed events year-round.
Catch big-screen action at Vue Cinema in Longwell Green. Meet animals from all over the planet, from the mischievous lemurs of Madagascar to magnificent European brown bears at Bristol Zoo. Or bring your kites and buckets for the long sandy beach at Weston-Super-Mare.
The Cotswolds is just down the road, with a bunch of stuff to keep kids happy. See a working farm at Cotswold Farm Park, feed and pet the cuties, and watch an afternoon vanish in the adventure playground. Or try just about anything at the Cotswold Water Park, including watersports, angling and archery, or just play on the beach.
Waterski and wakeboard at Lakeside Ski and Wake. Climb indoors and out at Far Peak Climbing. Cuddle the miniature pigs at Pennywell Farm. Take a ghost tour of Bath. Explore Bristol on a puzzle-solving adventure and find a Banksy piece on the Cabot
Swim and gym at Keynsham Leisure Centre and work out in the 60-station sweatbox with Netflix-friendly interactive tablets. Navigate woodland, lakes and streams on a picturesque round at Tracy Park Golf Course. Or take the dog around the woods and in the water at Golden Valley Nature Reserve.
Explore the area on four legs with Wapley Riding Stables. Fish the large lake at Boyd Valley for carp, barbel, and bream. Tuck into the perfect barrel or make a long, sweeping turn on a longboard, and all inland at The Wave in Bristol. Or take a guided walking tour of the city – and watch out for the Banksy.
Bath’s ancient, but it never gets old. This is Britain’s finest Regency city. Discover the instantly Instagrammable Royal Crescent, see 18th-century life at the museum at Number 1, and enjoy the city at its bizarre best with summertime’s Bath on the Beach, complete with hammocks, cabanas, and wood-fired pizza.
Stay in town to take a dip in the rooftop mineral-rich Thermae Bath Spa, with 360-degree views of the city. Enjoy a sense of Tuscan beauty on the Pulteney Bridge, as well as great shopping. Admire the Gothic interior and vaulted ceiling of Bath Abbey. And discover the ancient bathing and socialising complex at the Roman Baths.
There’s plenty on site to make a hen cluck with glee. Fill an afternoon with long, lazy dips in the 13-metre pool, heated at up to 30 degrees and available all year round. Spend your evenings bubbling and babbling in the six-seat hot tub. Come indoors to catch movies on the 50″ smart TV (and try to remember your passwords).
Elsewhere, get active with rock climbing at Flash Point. Shoot clay at Coombs, with medals, targets and a beginner’s stand. Go full throttle on some of the UK’s fastest karts at Absolutely Karting in Bristol. Or chill in the steaming waters of the rooftop Bath Thermae Spa and the indoor Minerva pool.
Bath is the business for hens and stags. Take a cocktail masterclass at The Botanist. Use your noggin to solve the puzzles within 60 minutes and make it out alive at the Tempo Escape Rooms. Paint pots at Crockadoodledo, taste wine and tapas with Le Vignoble, or perfect your downward dog at Bath Yoga Studio.
Organise an in-house facial or massage with beautician Shami. Make your own cocktails with Tipsy Parties. Figure out whodunnit with 1st Call Murder Mystery. Have a flutter at Bath Racecourse. Light up your night at Zero/Zero, The Second Bridge Cellar, or at Moles, host to bands including Radiohead, The Smiths, and The Killers.
