It is shaping up to be a beautiful English summer which let’s face it we aren’t always used to! If you’ve got children you’ll want to be making the most of the beautiful sunshine and discovering all of the best places to visit on a summer day out. Whether you love splashing around in the water, chilling out in gorgeous gardens, or cruising down the river on a boat, there is plenty going on in the Cotswolds to keep you and the family really happy this summer.

Cheltenham Lido

A great spot for all ages and an excellent summer day out, Cheltenham Lido has a huge adult swimming pool and a children’s area too with a pool and small paddle pool for the littlest kids, there is also a slide and a play area. The cafe serves food and drinks so bring a blanket and get yourself a spot in the sun where you can hang out all day long. If you are local to the area you can buy season passes so that you can pop down whenever you fancy. Weekends do get very busy but midweek is usually relatively chilled with plenty of sunbathing spots to find.

Cirencester Beach

One of our favourite places to visit on a summer day out is Cirencester Beach, a lovely stretch of sand that has been placed on the edge of one of the beautiful lakes. An area is roped off for swimming and the water is shallow, clean, and calm, perfect for the children. Aside from the swimming you can take boat rides, play in one of two really nice parks, visit the cafe on the lake, or try your hand at the huge inflatable assault course (this one is definitely not just for the kids!). There are BBQs that can be reserved and there is plenty of grass space for picnics and relaxing. It really is a beautiful, peaceful spot. 

Evesham Splash Park

Evesham Park is fabulous at any time of the year, with beautiful views of the river, loads of activities for the children, and a big sandpit, however during the summer months, the splash park opens and is a whole lot of fun! Pack swimwear, buckets, suncream, and towels, and let your children run wild amid the sprinklers and water jets, they’ll have an absolute ball. Afterward, cool off with an ice cream from the cafe.

Stratford River

Stratford Upon Avon is the Gateway to the Cotswolds and has a beautiful river running through where you can take boat rides past the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and beautiful surrounding countryside or hire out boats and cruise the river in your own time. Pack a picnic and have some chill time in the grassy surroundings, visit the fabulous children’s park with a splash area and sandy zone, or try your hand at mini golf. During the summer months, there are often events happening, particularly over the weekends with lots of people milling around and a great atmosphere making for a perfect summer day out.

Cattle Country

The children never fail to have fun at Cattle Country with so much on offer including tractor rides, animal feeding, soft play, a huge sand pit, so many different outdoor play areas, and during the warm summer months there is a fabulous splash pool that opens and offers a lovely cool down and a lot of fun. Be sure to pack swimwear or spare clothes so that your children can get stuck into the water fun.

Wenchford Forest of Dean

This popular picnic spot between Blakeney and Parkend has streams and pools for splashing and paddling in and is a gorgeous spot for a summer day out. Set in the beautiful Forest of Dean you’ll be immersed in the gorgeous English countryside The Blackpool Brook trickles through the site under the shade of the gorgeous large oak trees and there are BBQ’s and beautiful walks in the area.