Cotswolds

[CottonSock]

Hi. We are booked into a small farm type stay for a week in August. Lots to do in area (sedgebarrow). Can you give me the best picks for kids age 6 and 3.

Wildlife park or all things wild?
National trust, Hailes Abbey or Snowshill? Or both (We are members).
Big houses Sezincote or Sudeley? Or just do the national trust ones?

Anything I've missed?
Any kid friendly foodie pubs?
One in village looks worth a try but probably quite basic food.

Any nicer places for picnics like country parks?

Thanks for reading.

The Wildlife Park is lovely, one of the nicest I’ve been to.

Snowshill is full of quirky things inside and is not very big. Go for a picnic at Broadway Tower. The steam railway might be working at Toddington.

Sudeley is great in my view. We love visiting Lower Slaughter and the stream there. It is beyond pretty. Naunton is another great village with a good pub. You might also like to see if you can have lunch at The Fish above Broadway. It is family friendly.

Broadway, Burford, Winchcombe and all the villages around there such as Stanton are fabulous. Stow on the Wold also has family friendly places to eat.

Sudeley is by far the better with kids that age. There’s a willow maze, wooden fort, adventure playground with zip wire, assault course, dressing up area family friendly events all year round.
Cotswold Farm Park is excellent.
Bourton-on-the-Water is an ideal place to visit for its individual shops, tea-rooms and attractions which include Bourton Model railway, Model Village, Birdland, The Perfumery, Cotswold Motor Museum and The Dragonfly Maze. I definitely recommend the model railway, Model Village, the maze and Birdland Park and Gardens.
Perrygrove Railway is more than just a steam train. It’s great fun for the dc in the treetop adventure and indoor village with secret passages. There’s a trail to complete with hidden treasure boxes. Lots of picnic tables outside and under cover. Your ticket lasts all day: enjoy as many train rides as you like!
Beechenhurst is lovely if you want something wild. There are several family-friendly walking trails including a sculpture trail and a Zog Activity Trail. The play equipment at Beechenhurst always goes down a storm with the kids. Plenty of picnic tables, including mini ones for the dc, but there’s also a cafe with children’s menu.

This is brilliant. Thanks so much. I think people do the trip to perrygrove from our home in Wales so it must be good!

Farm park or wildlife park both great!

All things wild is OK, a bit run down.

National trust - best one for kids we’ve found is Croome. It has a big house, lovely grounds including a lake and a grotto, a great playground and a woodland play / obstacle area. Kids would be happy for ages on there!

Agree bourton on the water is lovely. Broadway tower worth a look but imo not worth the fiver to go to the top of the tower. Would Just do the free bit (standing on the hill looking at the tower). If you go to broadway town (which is also lovely) make sure to find the playground. It’s a bit off the Beaten track but is amazing - huge - and has loads of fun things to do - zip wire , climbing wall as well as all the usual things.

Hope you get good weather so you can go for lovely picnics!

All Things Wild is a bit rough around the edges BUT is excellent value there is so much to do there for the £40 entrance fee. It is also excellent if you have dinosaur fans in tow.

The wildlife park is very good too, as is the farm park.

The Cotswold zoo is fantastic. So much to do in there!

Bumping this for rainy day ideas!
Looking very mixed.

The Cotswold Farm Park is brilliant for that age - play areas, and animals, some of which you can feed. But not for your rainy days.

If it's not set to rain all day I'd go for one of the NT type properties, then go in the house when actually raining and enjoy grounds etc when not.

Thanks @Ellmau. I've seen that Midlands safari is only an hour away. Do you know if better than farm park? Kids will love both but I need to ration them to one.

Sorry, only been to the Cotswolds one.

We go every August bank holiday in a big group with lots of children of all ages.
We loved the Cotswold Wildlife park.
NT: We liked Snowshill and Hidcote. Also Chedworth Roman Villa.
Bourton on the Water is lovely and the model village is so cute. A model village of a model village of a model village (it’s a model of Bourton on the Water ).
Enjoy!

Slimbridge WWT is nice if you don't mind the drive. Also, take a picnic to Coaley Peak for great views. Stroud is an odd place if you want to go shopping, lots of independent shops and a good farmers market on Saturday.

We've just got back from a week in the Cotswolds with little ones (3 and 1). We were in the Cotswolds water park area which was great but can definitely recommend Cotswold Farm Park (known as Adams farm on Countryfile- so much so do there for a full day) and Cotswolds country park and beach- the beach and swimming lake is really lovely!

Have visited the farm park and it's ok, lots to do there however if the weather is bad have you looked into cattle country? They have a huge indoor play area, as well as lots of attractions outside. I haven't been to the safari park in a few years but there's lots to do there as well. Just depends if the little ones want to be stuck in the car for a long time. Slimbridge is good, they have a wellyboot land/splash park for a sunny day (however does get very busy)! You must visit bourton on the water - plenty to do there including birdland! The wildlife park is huge, so that's a good day out to! Also if you fancy visiting a little village Bibury is beautiful, lovely pubs and beautiful setting! They have a trout farm where you can feed the fish and ducks too!