With the relocation across the Atlantic still fresh, the idea of planning a half term vacation was a bit daunting. The hubs suggested several locations in Europe to spend the kids October break. For me, the thought of boarding a plane again and figuring out another new country was the last thing I wanted to do. We needed an easy family getaway.
Thankfully, the UK has so many destinations that it was an easy sell to the family that we were going to explore our new home country. After considering Norfolk, Brighton, and Cornwall for a 4-5 day trip, I finally settled on Bath and the Cotswolds area. Since I was booking so late, I really had to pull it together fast.
My first discovery was that every dog boarding option in St Albans had been booked nearly 6 months prior, so this quickly became our first full family vacation. Lucky for us, this is a dog-loving country.
Finding a hotel to accept your dog is far easier than you’ll imagine it to be.
Things To Do In Bath
We started our short family vacation in Bath, which ended up being the kids favorite part of the trip. We stayed at the Roseate Villa Hotel which was perfectly located for us and had the most amazing room on the first floor. This allowed for easy access in and out of the building for our dog.
There is a park immediately across the street, and it’s about a 10-minute walk to all the sights Bath has to offer. The hotel staff was welcoming, and the breakfast they served was top notch. There was even a little fridge in the lobby with fresh milk that the kids could get whenever they were a little thirsty.
We did all the main things to do in Bath in a couple of days:
– Roman Baths – This was by far the kids favorite because they could listen along with their own kid-friendly audio tour. They really enjoyed it and tasting the water at the end (which was terrible!).
– Bath Abbey
– Tea at the Pump Room – Well, to be fair we didn’t actually have tea. We stood in line and the kids had no desire going in there so we decided to not torture them or ourselves and left. It is a rather fancy place to take kids, and it is exceptionally quiet.
– Canal Ride on River Avon – This was awful. It was cold and started raining on us, and the view was brown, murky water. That’s it. There was nothing to really see. It just went up the river and back. If the weather isn’t cooperating, I would consider passing on this.
– The Royal Crescent – This may actually have been my favorite activity. We walked from the Roseate Hotel, through town and to The Royal Crescent. The weather was perfect and the buildings and parks along the way were so picturesque and simply beautiful. It was the perfect family walk and a fantastic way to end our Bath visit.
Where to eat in Bath
We had two fantastic meals in Bath that I must share with all of you.
Ponte Vecchio – This is by far the best pizza in England. The hubs and I finished our meals (which were great but not as memorable as the pizza) and our son’s meal. Order the Margherita pizza! You will not be disappointed. We would drive back just for this pizza.
The Herd Steak Restaurant – Coming from Texas, we know a thing or two about a good steak. We used to have steak every week, but since moving here we have had it only a handful of times because we were so disappointed with our first experiences. We gave this place a shot and the entire family was raving about it. It’s amazing. Aside from Prime in St Albans, this place will not disappoint.
Things To Do In Cotswolds
Cotswolds is only a 90-minute drive from Bath, which made it perfect for the kids since they are terrible long-distance passengers.
Bourton-on-the-Water
We started our journey at Bourton-on-the-Water since it was on the way. It’s a small, quaint little village that we explored fairly quickly as it was raining again. If we were to go back, we’d plan on arriving a bit earlier to allow the kids to do the Dragonfly Maze which is located next to the town car park. It was just closing upon arrival.
A highlight of this little town is St Lawrence’s Church, where we wrote Mom a prayer for their prayer tree. (It is something we try to do in every church we visit – either light a candle or write a prayer request. Both are a nice way to support someone long distance.)
Lower Slaughter
From Bourton-on-the-Water, we went to Lower Slaughter and checked into The Slaughters Country Inn, which felt fitting for the time of year, Halloween.
The Inn and little town are so cute, with the Old Mill within close walking distance. There were cows outside our family suite window and plenty of land for our dog to run around and catch some playtime.
The pub at the hotel had a nonstop burning fire and the best mushy peas we’ve had yet. It’s an incredibly popular pub. In fact, if we hadn’t been staying there, they wouldn’t have been able to seat us.
Breakfast is in the Inn’s main dining area and offers quite a spread, but also full service if that is more preferred.
Sudeley Castle
Our outdoor adventures in Cotswolds focused around Sudeley Castle and exploring another village, Broadway. Sudeley Castle was far more interesting and entertaining than we imagined. We spent 5 hours at the castle. They had tons of Halloween activities going on, but aside from that, there is so much to see and do – ghost tours, bat talks, exploring the entire castle, visiting the grounds, using the playground, and seeing Batman, of course.
The castle offers a cafeteria with seating inside and out. It was quite good, and because the sun was shining, it was a great day for sitting and enjoying the outdoors.
Broadway
Since we had spent so much time at the Castle, our visit to Broadway was quite short. There is a playground just north of the High Street which we found for the kids.
Aside from some light shopping, a walkthrough of Lygon Arms Hotel, an ice cream (because why not?) and the playground, there really wasn’t a whole lot to do, which worked out best for us anyhow since we were wiped from the Castle. It just gave us another reason to get back to the Lower Slaughters Country Inn in time to visit the Old Mill and get to the pub early for dinner.
Blenheim Palace
We hit our final destination on our way back to St Albans, Blenheim Palace. This place is quite extraordinary.
We went on one of the tours to get the history of the various Palace rooms and learn of Winston Churchill’s life. This was the hubs favorite part but for the kids, it was a bit boring. Thankfully they weaved in a Halloween crow hunt during the tour so that the kids had to spot all 10 crows throughout the tour. You simply got bragging rights if you found them all, but it was entertainment for them.
There were a number of Halloween activities going on, including a spooky train tour and an animal show of the strange kind (skunks, spiders, lizards). The kids enjoyed these parts but preferred the kid area to explore the butterfly farm and maze the most. The maze was hard! I couldn’t find my way out without the help of the hubs!
An interesting bit on Blenheim Palace tickets is that if you tell the person at the booth upon car entry that you want your tickets to be valid for the whole year, they are the same price as same-day admission tickets. Crazy, huh? All you do is go inside the palace upon arrival and head to the member kiosk where you complete some light paperwork, they take your picture, and they print Blenheim Palace ID cards for you. It’s brilliant! We will go back.
p.s. If you need more help planning your trip, I found this one day and 3-day trip planner extra helpful for planning our time in the Cotswolds.
Looking for more easy trips from London? Try these.
- Things To Do In Oxford
- Things To Do In Norfolk With Kids
- Moving abroad? Get step-by-step help 👉🏻 HERE
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