Fishponds, Bristol
Snuff Mills · Photo: William Avery
A gentle, free morning for little legs: a woodland riverside stroll past an old stone mill, ending at a playground with a kiosk café and proper toilets.
Nature & gardens · 10:00–10:50 (50m)
Look for the stone mill and ducks; the tea hut is handy for a warm drink.
A wooded riverside stretch of the Frome valley with an old stone mill, a tea hut and easy paths along the water. Walk upstream and you reach the play park at Oldbury Court.
Photo: William Avery
Park · 11:15–12:45 (1h30m)
Playground for under-13s with a kiosk café alongside; toilets with baby change.
An outdoor park in Bristol.
Photo: William Avery
South WestShuttaford Barns, Holne
Base yourselves in a converted barn in a quiet Dartmoor valley with a games room for wet evenings, then spend a day around Buckfastleigh: piggy cuddles and tractor rides at Pennywell Farm, lunch at Buckfast Abbey, steam engines at Buckfastleigh station and otter feeding time at the sanctuary next to the steam railway. Everything is within 15 minutes of the barn.
Shuttaford Barns → Pennywell Farm → Buckfast Abbey restaurant → South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh station + 1 more
South WestBristol city centre
Three indoor stops a short walk apart around Bristol's floating harbour: hands-on science, the free city museum and Brunel's great ship. Good for curious 6-12s when the weather is grim.
M Shed → Brunel's SS Great Britain
South WestBath city centre
Start early at the Roman Baths before the queues, then let off steam in Royal Victoria Park, which has one of the best playgrounds in the city.
Roman Baths
