I've been visiting California Country Park since I was a small child, and I still find it as…read morebreathtaking as I ever did. The forest is enchanting, with ferns and moss clearings, the nature trails are incredible, winding through the hidden bogs and woodland, and the lake is beautiful, teeming with fish and birds. Bring the children to feed the swans, meet the baby ducklings and play in the log themed playground, complete with zip line and a paddling pool in the summer. Have a cup of coffee, slice of cake or ice cream at Jackson's Cafe, and wander the park, breathing in the fresh air of true nature. It is one of my favourite places in the world, I hope you enjoy it just as much.

The castle is lovely and grounds are absolutely stunning. Although the structure and landscaping…read moreare lovely, our tour guide felt the need to weave her strong political views into most topics. Examples would be regarding a pitcher/jug that is displayed in one of the glass cases. She said the pitcher "should not be here" and if she had her way "it would be returned" because it was "stolen from a masque." She also said when referring to Dr. Edward Jenner being the first to develop a successful vaccination for small pox that "it really is a question if he were the first." She said he barely beat Africa and Turkey in this world altering vaccine. To which doctors to whom was she referring to in Africa or Turkey? She made a comment of, " My grandfather always said, 'Whatever horrible acts done have been done have been done by the English first.' and I firmly believe this." She was also railing against the decisions of the monarchs before the addition of the parliament. Then she went on to say she wished she could get rid of the current government. A guide should concentrate on the facts and remove biases. It is quite distracting and unnecessary.

What can you say about one of the oldest inhabited castles in the world which is still owned by the…read moresame family from 900 years ago. You have to go. Its where Edward II was murdered with a red hot poker up his fundament .

Located on an industrial estate between a welders workshop and site for building materials, this…read moreperky lime green warehouse stands out a mile. Yummy mummies and their 4x4's stream in and out of the well guarded gates and high walls that lead to a sanitary paradise of indoor-outdoor adventure. Parc (Welsh for park) is marketed as an 'all weather playground' and it divvies up as two thirds indoors and one third out. The outdoor bit has a fantastic sandy 'beach' area, with large wooden boat complete with pirate flags. In-between the in and the outdoors there is a zip wire, water play area, two swings and a large slide. Inside there are two 'tube' slides, wooden adventure walkway with bridges and ropes and a toddlers area aimed at the 1-4's. The facilities include a cafe area, lots of seating throughout and toilets. I love the little touches such as the double-seater stripy deckchairs. In winter the heated cafe area, with clear views of the toddlers area, is the place to be. I have to admit it I've had my eye on this place from the outset. We live across the river from Parc and when I saw the sign go up wizzed over for a preview. I met the builders (our new, but temporary neighbours) and came back with a carboot full of wood offcuts for the burner. I thought - "a wooden playground on an industrial estate? I like!" ...And I still do, but as I mentioned earlier I do find this type of indoor 'gated' playground a little too sanitary for my taste and in many ways prefer taking my toddler to the beach or the park - But shock horror what if it rains?! A: I just let him get wet. Another small gripe, it seems that there is a small jump from toddler to confident child in terms of the equipment on offer. There could be more for the 3-6's here I feel. All in all well worth a visit, good place to hang out with your mummy mates. Bring your own picnic, sit down, chillax and have a natter...ok if you've got an under 5 that mayyy not happen! Opening hours: Weekdays 10am - 6:30pm last entry 5pm, weekends & school holidays 10am - 6pm last entry 4:30pm Cost: Adults £1.50 peak, £1 off peak. Children £5 peak, £3.50 off peak, reductions for more than 1 child. Note: Parties catered for - but pre-book. Also note: Visits are limited to 2.5 hours on very busy day (but that's about right anyway) Tip: As you can imagine it gets busy during school holidays and after school Tip: Free wifi Top tip: Walk , train it or cycle and get 50p off!

You'd think a place like this would be my idea of hell, but I have to admit I was really impressed…read morewith the facilities at Parc - it's too bad they didn't have play areas like this when I was a kid! I'd never be privy to playgrounds if it weren't for my beloved's two year daughter, who tires herself out by running endlessly from tunnel to slide and back again. I can't wait until she's a bit older so I can live vicariously through her as she tears through Parc on the zip wire... After chasing her around screaming for half an hour, I needed some sort of refreshment (I realised this is neither the time nor the place for a pint), but luckily, Parc has this covered as well, selling coffees and canned drinks, as well as hot dogs and even packs of Oreos (yes!). The best time to go is on a Sunday morning, where you'll pretty much have the place to yourself; otherwise get ready for an onslaught of families and hyperactive children, which isn't so bad, if you can be all Zen about it like the kind lady working the snack hut who simply says, "You don't even hear the screaming after a while - it's like white noise".

Gayle and I arrived at the very cool Broadway Tower as we hiked up from town and then on our way to…read moreChipping Campden. It was built in 1798 on the second highest point in the Cotswolds and a very cool scenic place to take it all in. It's also a folly - a building that looks like it has a useful purpose (in this case, a strategic lookout), but is really just for decoration or personal enjoyment. In this case, it was commissioned by the 6th Earl of Coventry as a token of affection for his wife Lady Barbara.

This place was great- we were just going to drive by and then were enticed inside where we found a…read moredelightful gift shop and cafe. We purchased cute greeting cards and two lattes- delicious. They can make one mean mocha! Cute holidays ornaments, builder sets & more. Outside there are nice tables and cute kids play toys like a teepee to go into etc 2nd cafe & shop had lovely clothes and bags... We ended up doing the loop hike and saw so many cute sheep and a herd of deer with a magnificent buck; many places to rest and take up a view of the valley on a comfy bench...the tower tour came w listening device with history..: view from roof was amazing. There's a small shop at the bottom of the tower stocked w similar to first shop. My 75 year old mom was a little tired going up some of the hills but crushed it; I was just as tired ha ha

Hinksey is the park I tend to forget about and every time we go to the outdoor pool I think - why…read moredon't we come here more often? The answer is that we live on the other side of the city and Oxford has so many lovely green spaces. On the other hand Hinksey is just outside the centre of Oxford and has things the other parks don't have. There is a small children's play area, a lake on which there used to be pedalos for hire, a lake on which you sometimes see people sailing their radio controlled boats, tennis courts, fishing and the outdoor swimming pool. The paddling pool has been replaced by a free fountain / water feature play area. I've not been to this one at the right time of year but the one in Abingdon is great fun. Remember the fun of running under the hose in the garden? Fountain play areas recreate that experience. I've just looked at the city council website to check out the details for this park and I found out that it is a "Green Flag" winner. I've heard of different coloured flags being awarded to beaches but I didn't know there were flags for parks - I can feel myself just about to waste half an hour looking up other "green flag" parks to see if my other favorite places have won anything. (And I've found out from the website there are fresh water sponges and zebra mussels in the park - who'd have thought it!)

This is as good a park as any, and it's a lovely haven of green and fun. If you live in central…read moreOxford, there are plenty of nearer parks, but if you're young at heart or have kids, and if it's a warm day, this is definitely the place to be. Why? Water! There's a 'Splash' water feature, open from 10am-8pm May to September, but sometimes earlier in the year if it's warm enough. The outdoor swimming pool is brilliant: it's heated, free for under-17s and surrounded by sun-loungers. It's like being on holiday: sun, water and ice-cream, yet only a short drive from home. There's also tennis, fishing and a lake with a myriad of interesting birds (still waiting to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher!) and underwater life. A word of warning: if, like me, you enjoy evening walks with friends or a four-legged companion, watch out because although the park's always open (unlike the University Parks for example), there's no way to get a car in after a certain time. This changes throughout the year, the earliest being aroudn 5pm in winter, I think. Definitely worth checking, but not a disaster if it's shut, as there's plenty of parking nearby.

What a fantastic day out. This place offers a lot for family's…read more Great value for £8 per adult and £5 for children over two, under twos are free ! The grounds are fantastic lots of open space for the children to wonder and explore and also paths that follow through the trees and gardens. There's a big adventure playground full of lots to explore, zip wire, slide climbing frame etc. There were also blow up slides and a paddling pool. There was a separate area with Wendy houses, trampolines and a climbing frame for the smaller children which was in a really nice relaxing area. You can get up close with pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens in Pet's Corner. There is 66 acres of beautiful gardens and woodland walks, the views across the River Severn and Wales and spectacular ! There's also a cafe and shop. The cafe is really nice I had a caramel latte with a cheese and chutney sandwich came to £5.50 wich Is good value. Plenty of parking available. Overall a fantastic day out which was really enjoyed by all.

Old Down Country Park is not your typical stately home. It is a farm/zoo/park/house. Great for the…read morewhole family too. They have large lawn areas for picnics, a café for those who didn't pre-prepare food, and lots and ltos of animals. Expect to find your typical farm animals. Goats? Check. Pigs? Check. Sheep? Check. Ponies? Check. Wallabies????check!!! Entry is only a fiver and you can spend the whole day there (weather permitting) walking along the Victorian walls and cooing at all the cute animals.

Two areas which are part of the Forest of Avon. The Combe is the lower part which has a gentle path…read morewith access to climbing the rocks. The Wood is a trail through, well, woods above it. It takes a sharp climb either on a path or some steps depending on where you go up. There is an environmental centre here which hosts school camps and wilderness days for local school children so you may suddenly encounter large groups of small people on the paths. The whole area is just beautiful for dog walking - lots of space and not many other people walking here. You can sometimes walk for an hour or so and not come across anyone else.

Lydiard Park is a gorgeous old house surrounded by 18th-century parkland (around 260 acres)…read more Visitors are welcome to enjoy both the house and the surrounding land. Unlike other heritage sites it is open all year, and you are free to wander round at your leisure rather than being herded through. There is also a church, a walled garden, a children's play area, a cafe/visitor centre, and wonderfully climbable trees! I grew up in Swindon, and some of my fondest memories as a child are of spending the day at Lydiard Park. It's a great place for kids because it has an atmosphere of complete and utter freedom, the playground is amazing (as I remember), and there is so much to explore.

Beautiful surroundings, a great place for walk on the weekend. I have enjoyed many a walk with my…read moregirlfriend. Great place for the dogs to get a run around as well!

This is such a lovely family day out, there is so much to do it's impossible to get bored…read more They have a variety of farm animals spread out across the park, they even have a cow barn at the end with a milking parlour that you can have a look at. Inside they have a huge soft play area with lots of different slides. This is usually really busy but they do have a toddler section for smaller children and babies which is good. Next to soft play is a large seating area with a cafe selling a wide variety of hot & cold food. There are several play areas outside, one being a sandpit with diggers, a huge bouncy cushion and another further in with different swings and slides. They also have a tractor track for children to wizz round on plastic tractors and a few other electrical toys that you have to pay for. Before you leave you must visit the farm shop which sells lots of lovely cheese, meats and other delicious treats. This also has a restaurant attached. Prices are £6.70 Adults £7.70 children Under 3's free. Puxton park is a great day out for all the family.

Really good place to take your little 'un. I have been taking my daughter there since she was 14…read moremonths and she loves it. It's cheaper in the winter months which is great as you can go just to enjoy the soft play area. The farm shop has a wide range and you can get in to that and the restaurant without paying to go in to the park. Recommended for all parents (with your kids of course). I notice the restaurant is popular with the more elderly...

Streamleaze road park is great for the little ones ,some swings ,a slide , rope climb etc all…read moreenclosed and gated