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Itinerary Suggestions Please

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We have 10 nights in England at the end of April. We arrive late, so our first night will be near Heathrow. We have then booked 3 nights in Bath. Our final night is also near Heathrow. We have 5 nights in the middle that I am trying to plan, we know we would like to spend three of them in the Cotswolds but not sure what to do with the other 2 nights.

We will be traveling with our 3 kids - ages 7, 10 and 12 - and will have rental car. We are interested in a mix of historic attractions, pretty villages, countryside walks and kid friendly activities. Our preference is for smaller villages/towns and countryside over cities.

Any suggestions of where to base ourselves for those extra 2 nights would be appreciated.

Bonus Question: Feedback on Warwick Castle .... I'm interested in English history so the castle is interesting to me but is it too theme-parky? It seems quite pricy, so wondering if it is worth it.

Posted by
980 posts

I would simplify and do 2 stops of 4 nights each. Moving wastes so much time. You can day trip and see different places, eg from Bath go to Wells, Cheddar Valley, Glastonbury, Lacock, Avebury, Dyhram Park. Some of these are reachable from the Cotswolds depending where you stay.

Cotswolds isn’t so interesting for kids. National Trust places like Newark Park, and Snowshill. They would probably enjoy Warwick Castle but it is quite theme parky. Woodchester Park is NT and has a play trail for kids.

Posted by
585 posts

For the five nights you might consider basing yourself in Cirencester which is on the edge of the Cotswolds and is an easy drive to some of the prettiest areas and villages. Cirencester itself is an attractive market town with lots of history dating back to pre-Roman times. Corinium Museum has excellent displays relating to the towns early history. Have a look at the website for the nearby Cotswold Water Park with its nature trails and water related activities that may interest your kids. There is also the Roman Villa at Chedworth just a short drive away.

When you travel from Bathto the Cotswolds be sure to stop at Avebury the largest stone circle in Europe. I find it more interesting than Stonehenge as you can walk within the circle and touch the stones. There is a village partly within the circle which includes an attractive pub serving food.

Posted by
274 posts

We were in England this past fall with our son (who was 5 at the time). We didn't have a car, so we stayed in Oxford and took a day trip to Blenheim Palace, which is just outside the village of Woodstock. Since you'll have a car, you could do the reverse - stay in Woodstock and take the bus into Oxford for the day. We loved Woodstock and found Blenheim palace extremely interesting and kid-friendly. From the village, it's a delightful 10 minute walk to the entrance of Blenheim Palace. If you go to Oxford, I highly recommend the Ashmolean museum (which our son also loved).

Posted by
7634 posts

Bath is great, consider the Brooks Guesthouse and the great seafood restaurant, the Scallop Shell.

Warwick Castle would be a great choice for you and the kids. We did it in 2017 and saw more kids there than anywhere in the UK.

Oxford is worth a day to visit, also, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.

Windsor Castle is not terribly far from Heathrow. Also, Salisbury and Winchester are nice.

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