Just off Marlborough Road - a country park with lakes. Lots of wildlife and lots of 'Ranger'…read morecourses take place here. Also Swindon Sailing Club meet here. A good place to walk - the walk around the lake is approx. 2 miles. Small cafe serving hot drinks and ice creams. A very small railway operates at weekends - good for the children - about 50p a ride. Swings and slides. Plenty of ducks to feed on the lake. Fishing. Crazy golf and pitch and putt - 18 holes.

Coate water is a great place to go for a family walk with the dog. It has a huge lake in the middle…read morewith a nature walk all the way around, which takes about a hour to get around. They also have a big golf course for the more serious golfer and a crazy golf course for some fun! There is also a paddling pool that is open in the summer months and a hut that sells chips/burgers/sweets and drinks! Every sunday during the summer there is also a little ride on train that goes round a little track for the kids! In August each year they do a night called 'Lanterns on the Lake' where people can come and make a lantern with a tea light and then they are all released onto the lake which is such a pretty view! - A must see!

An old church might seem like an odd place to have a climbing wall but it actually works…read moresurprisingly well. The high walls are perfect, with climbs in excess of thirty feet. The view when you get to the top is amazing as well; you literally get a totally different perspective on the building. Plus, it doesn't have that hot sweaty feeling that some climbing walls have - all the space means you can breathe a little better. All the space means the sound gets soaked up a bit too - sometimes gyms can sound like factories with all the machines going, but this place certainly doesn't. Usually the only sounds that will interrupt your thoughts are the echoes of whatever the receptionist has decided to put on the sound system. As well as conventional climbing walls there's a large bouldering area, with soft crash mats that have caught my body on the many occasions that my fingers have decided to give out. The atmosphere's great though, and nobody judges you if your new or just a bit crap like me. If you do want to improve they have excellent instructors on hand, who are very patient (they get a lot of school groups in here so they have plenty of practice. Bristol Climbing Centre is unique, a great place to learn to climb, and a wonderful environment to do it in.

it just never ceases to amaze me the wealth of exiting and slightly unusual things to do in and…read morearound Bristol. Set within an old church, god knows how much effort must have been put in to convert the building to a climbing centre, the South West's biggest Climbing centre - if you didn't know! There are all sorts of levels of walls and sessions available to accommodate for the real beginner (which is where I was) and the more experiences climber. 12 meters doesn't sound very high until you get half way up it and feel like you might be able to reach the clouds with your next step up! They run things like Easter courses so great for kids but also for adults.

Very simple fun, but my step-kids (6-11) LOVE running around the maze chasing each other and trying…read moreto find their way to the middle (with a bit of cheating!). The maze is made up of bricks laid into the ground, so there's very little to hurt themsleves on and it looks crazy as they dart left and right trying (or pretending) to stay on the paths.

No prizes for guessing which era the Victoria Park was made. Yep, around 1887 according to the…read morelocal information - to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. Quite a large green area, the park is divided into two sections. At the top of {ark Road are the Mary bnailing Playing Fields (which still count as the Vic, according to us locals). Here there is a children's playground area with some generic swings, slides and climbing frames. Plus a large green playing field big enough for a couple of games of football at least to be played all at the same time. And a skateboard ramp section. From a small entry you can then walk through to the Victoria Park proper, another large area with a side-entrance on to Weymouth Road. It's not bad for a town park, in all fairness. There's tennis courts and a bowling green and a putting green (That's been there for Donkey's Years, I remember playing rounds of putting as a treat when I was a wee lass!). And, there's a covered bandstand too - a relic of days gone by, very traditional in appearance and still put to good use in summer when local bands play there. So for somewhere for the kids to run about it's a good free option. Not adviseable to let youngsters wander off unattended though. And - avoid the toilets if at all possible. Dank, horrid and (on the occasions when they're unlocked) sometimes flooded. Or blocked. Either way, not nice.

Chippenham's leisure centre - now run by DC Leisure. So if you join kinetika at the other North…read moreWilts leisure centres you can also use the gym here. All the usual sports activities are available here and the good size pool also boosts some slides. Nice cafe with small play area for the kids. Plenty of parking - but it is pay and display!

Allways in need of new players irrespective of age, fitness or height whether you are looking for a…read morecompetitive team or just want to play socially for fitness then come along.

A friendly, local outdoor lawn bowling club. Open through the summer from 1st May to end of…read moreSeptember. Six of the finest bowling rinks in Berkshire, set within Newbury's Victoria Park. A members club, open to the public upon request and during summer open days where members of the public can try the sport for themselves. Monday nights are 'club nights' when any member of the public interested in playing bowls can try the sport, with equipment provided free-of-charge on the night (remember to wear flat shoes) the club also has a very reasonably priced bar.

I used the Dorcan leisure centre to attend the canoe club which meets there on Wednesday evenings…read more Have to be honest and say I have never seen such a small pool and was quite amazed that canoeing really does take place there. But once in the water it proved to be more than adequate and I had great fun. Staff at the front desk were helpful and friendly. The changing facilities for the pool were more than adequate, however the area between the showers and changing area is open for all to view so more of a rinse off type shower facility than wash and go.

Dorcan is my local leisure centre in Swindon. Although small compared to the Link centre or Oasis i…read morelove it all the same. The swimming pool is quite small- but it does its job. I use the complex mainly to play badminton- it doesn`t get too crowded and the staff and equipment are good. There is plenty of parking and the facilities are opened till late. You can also hire out the courts and astro turf pitches. The facilities recently had a renovation so it's even best to use now!