What to do out of season at Barn Cottages

What nicer than country walks on a crisp winter’s day or a bright spring morning followed by lunch in a country pub with a roaring fire. The cottages have books of pub walks to help you plan. We think that  you are spoilt for choice over what to do at Barn Cottages over the winter months so we have put together some ideas below ;

Lacock

The village is much quieter out of season and it is very pleasant to stroll around, visit the church and wander over the ford. The grounds and cloisters at the Abbey are open every day, although  The Abbey is only open at weekends. There are always seasonal events in the school holidays and there is a “Christmas In The Cloisters” with stalls and Father Christmas over the weekend of 1^st/2^nd December. Part of the next Harry Potter movie is being filmed in the village at the end of November.

Bath

We visited Thermae Bath Spa in the summer and are determined to go back in the winter in the evening to lie in the roof-top pool and look at Bath Abbey all lit up .If you need to relax after a busy Christmas then this would be ideal for you. There is so much to do in Bath such as visiting the Baths, the Abbey and The Pump Rooms but there are specific winter/spring events that we would highlight.

-Bath Christmas Market .This takes place between 29^th November and 9^th December and comprises over 120 stalls in a outdoor market.

-Culture. If you are into art, literature or film then time your visit to coincide with one of the city’s many festivals, including ,The Bath Film Festival(1-11 Nov. www.bathfilmfestival.org)or The Bath Literature Festival(23 Feb-2Mar. www.bathlitfest.org.uk) Information about the many events in Bath can be found on visitbath .co.uk

-Sport. See England rugby players turning out for Bath. Fixtures include Bath v Wasps on 16^th February. A full list of fixtures can be found at wwwbathrugby.com

Longleat

Nearly everyone who comes to us in season visits Longleat.  But did you know that the House is open all year, all attractions are open at February half term and at weekends in March. Longleat Santa Trains run at weekends from 25^th November.

Westonbirt

The arboretum is stunning in the late autumn with beautiful colours. From 30th November to ^23rd December you can walk through The Enchanted Wood  in the  evening and look at the trees which are lit up. For children there is Santa’s Reindeer trail.

Somerset

The Illuminated Carnivals are part of the autumn scene in many Somerset towns. This is a tradition dating back to the sixteenth century.

50 foot illuminated floats process through town streets and there are often fireworks. Why not combine a visit to the carnival in Wells on the evening of Friday 16^th November with a visit to the beautiful cathedral.

The Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton includes a simulated helicopter ride to a replica of the flight deck of the HMS Ark Royal and a chance to visit the cockpit of the first British Concorde. A family who recently visited our cottages wrote in our guest book that it was the best museum that they had been to in years.

Bristol

There is lots to do in the city as visitbristol.co.uk will prove and we go into more detail elsewhere on our site but in particular, Bristol’s City Museum and Art Gallery has a new Egypt Gallery opening in the autumn  and  there is a baby gorilla in the New Monkey World at Bristol Zoo.

National Trust Properties

There are plenty of places you can use your card out of season:

Bath Assembly Rooms-all year

Dyrham Park-grounds open all year

Prior Park-grounds open all year

Stourhead-grounds open all year.

Salisbury

It might surprise you to know that Salisbury is in the top ten British tourist destinations as voted for by Observer readers but the beautiful Cathedral, with the highest spire in England, The Close, a good mix of shops and a trip to Stonehenge make for a really good day out.