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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Things to do with a toddler in or Around Swindon

4 replies

maggie75 · 01/06/2010 12:41

Myself and my dd (2.7yrs) will be visiting Granny in Swindon for a long weekend this coming weekend. My DH and Grandad are off going away so it will be just me, Granny and DD.

Granny is very accomodating and lots of fun, but I just wondered if any local MNetters had any inspiration for things to do. They live near Coate Water so we go there a lot and have of course been to the Oasis, Lydiard and soft play. But just wondered if there are any hidden gems (willing to travel). we are a bit spoilt in London with parks with fab paddling pools/water features - anything like that around? Ive never seen the one on Coate Water open?

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Ellokitty · 01/06/2010 13:21

Outdoor stuff (if the weather is good):
If the weather turns hot, quite often they turn on the water fountains at the North Swindon Orbital. My children can literally spend hours splashing in the fountains (take plastic shoes and swimming costume though).

About 40 mins away is Bowood (between calne and chippenham). Quite expensive (about £8 per adult and £7 per child) and that is mostly outdoors but you can easily spend a day there.

Or just a day out at the stones at Avebury. My children love just running round the stones...

What about the beach out at Ashton Keynes? Its a man made beach in the lake, but great for paddling, making sandcastles etc. The beach itself is free, but car parking is quite expensive.

There's the river out at Lechlade. You can have a ride on the boat, feed the ducks, walk along the banks of the river...

Bit further afield, but chippenham makes a great day out. My kids love catching the train up, feeding the ducks in the river and then walking up to John Coles park (fab park!).

If a bit wetter:

There are a few farms around -
Roves farm (near Highworth) - Lots of soft play, Farmer Gows (near Faringdon), Butts farm near Cirencester, Lower Shaw Farm sometimes has events for children..?

Swindon Library has story time on a saturday, if stuck.

Steam museum has lots of regular events on.

Blooms garden centre just off the M4. That has got soft play, butterfly place, pottery painting and that sort of thing.

A bit further afield is Millet's farm garden centre near Abingdon.

The £1 cinema club on a saturday and sunday morning. (Cineworld saturday mornings only, Empire cinemas sat and sun mornings).

Hopefully, that should be enough to get you started, but I'll keep thinking :-)

maggie75 · 01/06/2010 13:42

thanks so much for posting, that is fab! What is the North Swindon Orbital - a park? Never heard of Ashton Keynes - that sounds great too.

My dh used to go to Bowood as a kid and I think it is still his fave place ever!

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Ellokitty · 01/06/2010 13:49

We have a season pass for Bowood - and yes it is the best place ever .

The north orbital is just a shopping centre - it has a huge ASDA walmart there, Next, M&S, Pizza Hut and so on. But it has also got a small children's play area and an area with water fountains. Supposed to be a 'water feature' but whenever it is hot, it is full of little children running and and out of the fountains getting very wet. My girls love it there!

The beach at Ashton Keynes is pretty fab too. "waterpark www.cotswoldwaterpark.org/keynes-country-park.htm"

Have fun - there is actually loads of things to do in the countryside, you just need to be able to drive to get there

maggie75 · 01/06/2010 14:05

oh right - wondered why Id never heard of it - in face, shopping is def on the agenda with daddy and grandad out of the way!

Im really looking forward to our mini break in swindon, such beautiful countryside surrounds the town - i cant drive, so it will be great being chauffeured by granny for a few days around the lovely wiltshire countryside!

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