Get vertical on the Fun Walls at Rockstar Climbing in Swindon. Make like Lewis Hamilton and try the Karting Nation circuits at Andover or Salisbury. Or catch the latest films, go bowling or laser-questing at Shaw Ridge Leisure and refuel afterwards at Buca di Beppo or Taj Mahal restaurants.
Explore the rich history of the Great Western Railway at Steam Museum in Swindon. Hire bikes from Hayballs in Salisbury or Melksham Cycle Hub. Glide down the Kennet and Avon Canal with a canal boat from White Horse Narrowboats. Or discover the history of British army flying at the Army Flying Museum.
Find all the usual suspects, including pigs, goats, sheep, donkey and ponies, at Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm, while mum and dad pick up tea from the farm shop. Go eye-to-eye with a giraffe and say hi to meerkats, penguins and rhinos at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. Or invade the life-size pirate galleon at Bowood Adventure Playground.
Meet Sam the shire horse from Wadworth Brewery while mum and dad choose a beer or two. Try to solve the mysteries of Stonehenge and Avebury Stone Circle. Explore the tomb and chambers of West Kennet Long Barrow. Or get up close to lions, tigers, wolves, koalas and sealions at Longleat, as you travel by road, rail, waterway and foot.
Burn off your suppers at leisure centres at Pewsey, Marlborough and Devizes. Then top up your calories at Ramsbury Brewery, home of handcrafted beer from plough to pint.
Try simulated game shooting, air rifles and archery at Barbury Shooting School. Or shoot for a low round at Upavon, Marlborough or North Wilts golf clubs.
Walk the Kennet and Avon Canal. Enjoy military-grade sky-dive training with the Army Parachute Association, then take a tandem jump. Stay on terra firma to cast a line at Manningford Trout Fishery. Or pamper yourself at spas at Bowood, Lucknam Park and Rejuvenesce Marlborough.
Visit Avebury Manor and Gardens, with each room furnished to reflect a different time period. Come to Wilton House, offering 21 acres of landscaped parkland and water and rose gardens beside the River Nadder. Or see Bowood House’s Italian-inspired terrace garden and private walled gardens. Keep the kids amused on the life-size pirate ship.
Head into Marlborough and Hungerford for boutiques, Devizes for bookshops and Fisherton Mill for an art gallery, shop and café. Come in autumn for the Marlborough Literature Festival or summer for the new Marlborough Festival, covering music, arts, dance and theatre. Or visit lively, lovely towns such as Castle Combe or Bath.
