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 .

The Apex Park is an informal leisure and wildlife park, created around the former clay pits - now…read moresmall lakes - of the Apex Brick works. The works closed in 1966, and the park was created and opened in 1972. The park, consisting of grassland, trees and hedgerows, covers some 42 acres. There are two main lakes: the larger, central one has an attractive hour-glass shape and its banks are lined with rushes. There are walks around this lake with park benches, and footpaths branch off to go to Highbridge (along the line of the old railway) and to Burnham's South Promenade, following the river bank of the River Brue (very muddy after wet weather!). There is a large car park off Marine Drive, which leads to a broad slipway into the lake. The other lake forms the park's north west boundary and lies partly within the Haven Holiday Village. Popular activities include BMX biking, model radio-controlled boating, jogging (there's a 'trim-trail' with various pieces of keep-fit apparatus) and fishing - the lakes are stocked with carp and bream. Dog obedience sessions also take place most Sunday mornings in good weather, and there's a children's play area and skate park. As well as the fish, wildlife includes birds, including geese, ducks, swans and various different types of sea bird, and the hedgerows contain a variety of different types of trees and bushes, home to insect and bird life. NB: The Highbridge Angling Association holds the fishing rights for the Apex Park. Permits can be obtained from Thyers Tackle Shop, 1A Church St, Highbridge - telephone 01278 786934.

Apex park is a beautiful wildlife reserve consisting of lakes, fish, sea birds, outdoor gym and…read morecarpark. There is loads to do with the features of the park including skating at the skate park, a rope climb and dog poo total wipeout. There is also adult entertainment with the odd dogger in the carpark on a summer Sunday evening. Overall apex park is a beautiful visit with activities fort all the family

The 7-mile stretch of sand and dunes that make up Brean beach lies just over two miles down the…read morecoast from Weston-super-Mare.  It boasts one of the longest stretches of sand in Europe and at low tide a vast expanse of mud flats are exposed. It is however dangerous to walk too far out at low tide and there are warning signs about staying away from the mud flats on the beach. The beach is popular with walkers, dog walkers and beach sport enthusiasts (both on and off the water). Access to the beach is easy as there is plenty of parking both next to and literally on the beach in designated areas. Toilets and drinking water are available and there are usually snacks in the form of an ice cream vans and a burger van. From the beach, Brean Down dominates the skyline.  This 97 metre high headland stretches out into the sea, forming a natural pier.  The more energetic may enjoy climbing up the down and will be rewarded with excellent views over the Bristol Channel and the Somerset Levels. The down is also home to a number of interesting archaeological sites.  There is evidence of the area having been inhabited in the Stone Age.  The remains of a Roman temple have been excavated on the south side of the down whilst the remains of an Iron-Age fort lie on the east side.  At the summit, the remains of a 19th century fort, built to defend against a possible Napoleonic invasion, can be found.

This is a fabulous, 7-mile long stretch of dune-backed beach running from Burnham-on-Sea in the…read moresouth to Brean Down, in the north, located on the North Somerset coast. I spent a lot of my childhood playing in the sand dunes here, but I also had my first (and last) driving lesson from my Dad on the beach - part of it is accessible to vehicles and you can park on the sand. As well as traditional beach activities like building sand castles, it's a favourite area for training racing horses, paragliding and sand yachting. At one end - close to the mediaeval church at Berrow - is the remains of the wreck of the Norwegian barque SS Nornen, which was blown onto the sand banks during a storm in 1897. The crew of ten and the chip's dog were rescued by the Burnham lifeboat during a heroic rescue. Like the rest of this coast, the tremendous tidal range of the Bristol Channel (the second highest in the world after the Bay of Fundy in Canada) means that the sea disappears over a mile out at low Spring tides, exposing extensive mud flats. These provide rich pickings for birdlife, but can be a death trap for the unwary, as the tide comes in at walking pace. Recent years have seen some dramatic rescues of people, vehicles and animals stuck (literally) in the mud as the waters rise around them. Following the death in 2002 of a five-year-old girl from Worcester called Lelaina Hall, a campaign was started to fund an inshore hovercraft, to help deal with such situations. It has been named Spirit of Lelaina in her honour. The advice is to stick to the firm sand close to shore - it's also rather nicer than the mud (which, ironically, is worse at he Burnham end). There are lots of caravan sites along this stretch of coast, and a few shops and a pub, although that's about the limit of facilities here. Nearby Brean Down - a large limestone promontory with fabulous views over the Bristol Channel - is a National Trust nature reserve, is notable for archaeology dating back 4,000 years, and has a well-preserved late 19th Century 'Palmerston Fort' at one end. Brean village - more a hamlet really - has a small 13th century church, unusually dedicated to St Bridget. Overall, it's a great place to walk and to blow away the cobwebs.

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.

A tourist attraction and a camp site. Essentially, a place for a walk in the woods, with some basic…read morechildrens' play areas, a small lake to walk around and a small children's train. Also some picnic and BBQ locations. There's a small café on site. Cheap entry and fresh air are the main attractions, but it's a simple site which may not meet the expectations of modern youngsters. Roads leading to it sometimes drop to single lane so not for drivers who aren't comfortable with the idea of reversing down a country lane.

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".

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.

Beautiful gardens grounds and the house was ok but £19 is a bit steep. Nice area for a walk and…read morescenery for photos

This is a brilliant National Trust place located 30-40 miles away from Bristol. The gardens were…read moreinteresting, and so was the house, but not all furniture was original. It is a great day out for the kids and they sold delicious raspberry ripple icecream! I would definitely visit this location again, and I'd recommend this to Warminster residents or tourists

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