Midway meeting point between London and Bath.

[EchoLimaYankee]

DH and our children live in London. We’re keen to see our friends from Bath, but neither family can commit to a full weekend.

Can anyone think of a nice family friendly (very young children) place between the two for us to meet for the afternoon? It would be great to have lunch and let the children run around a bit, either inside or outside. Although weather might be a problem for the next few months.

Would you be looking to drive or take the train?

Somewhere in Reading maybe?

Lots of riverside restaurants, Reading Abbey ruins surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Westonbirt Arboretum is great all year round and has a nice restaurant - it's closer to Bath than London though.

Bowood House is also closer to Bath BUT has a massive excellent outdoor play area, but with very young how about:
livingrainforest.org/

Lots to see (indoors) outdoor play area and last time I went which was a long time ago but can't see it'd have changed, a very nice cafe.
Tickets are reasonably priced and allow 1 year entry so you could have more meetups cheaply.

We live in Bath & regularly meet friends from London at a pub just outside Newbury (in Donnington, called the Fox & Hounds, highly recommend it) and then we all have a walk at the nature reserve next to it. Not so great if the weather’s bad though!

Salisbury is lovely.

We've met friends in Winchester before as a midway point - gorgeous.

Another vote for bowood house. Much nearer Bath but it’s brilliant for kids.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park is good for children. Animals and a big playground area. There is also a nice smokehouse nearby for lunch. Can't remember what's it's called.

Thanks all! These sound great. The timing of it is rubbish with weather etc but I don’t want to wait 5 months or so to see them!

We’d be driving, so happy to go off the beaten track a bit.

Bowood is nice but it's closed over the winter doesn't open until March.

If you want to be precise about things there's a pub in the tiny place of Halfway called the Halfway Inn.

I'd suggest www.bealepark.org.uk/, an animal park aimed at younger ones. Just to the left of Reading.

Salisbury is easy for both. Reasonable lunchtime pub called Old Mill at Harnham is a short walk from city centre across meadow path. Good paddling and swimming in summer in the mill pond.

Newbury is halfway

This pub has indoor and outdoor play areas
www.twowatermillspubnewbury.co.uk/our-pub/

This place has an indoor visitor centre and cafe (but probably better when the weather's good enough to make the most of all the outdoors stuff)
www.bbowt.org.uk/explore/visitor-centres/nature-discovery-centre

Basildon park (national trust) east of Newbury
Hungerford - pretty town with lots of antiques shops, a very smart cafe, an olde style tea shop or a pub up by the common called the Downgate which does reasonable and cheapest food - then go for a walk along canal / round common or Hungerford Marsh.
Marlborough is nice for a poke around shops & a meal but less to do.
Lots of nice village pubs around these areas if pub lunch / walk is your thing.