Cotswold Water Park & Beach

The Cotswold Water Park is an area of about 40 square miles, featuring more than 150 lakes, set across the countryside crossing borders at Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire: why not plan a hike and time it so they can tell school they walked between 3 counties in however many minutes? There is alot of scenic walking to be done here and that's part of the appeal because however many people are in the park there always seems plenty of room for you and yours! You can pick up a map of cycling trails or The Walks Guide at the Gateway Information Centre.

There are 23 miles of the nicer end of the Thames running through the park too (hence the titular 'water') which encourages a huge amount of natural wildlife to track and spot. This can include bats, water voles, dragonflies and butterflies, glow worms and various songbirds like reed bunting, reed warblers and the blackcap.

There are also plenty of well set cycle paths bisecting the park, with loads of safe 'off-road' opportunities too, plus the National Cycle Route 45 passes through it as well! There are no hire facilities however so be sure to bring everything you need with youincluding helmets!

Plus get lakeside and have a go at cable skiing, take a family trip on a large inflatable banana, or if you prefer something more peaceful, try some family tuition in windsurfing, sailing, or kayaking! There is only open water swimming available on 3 out of the 150 lakes, for safety, so be sure you're at the right ones! Lakes 31, 32 and 12. You can do fishing here too but you need a licence from the office and a map.