Activities In The Local Area For Couple’s At Center Parcs May 4, 2012

If you’re coming from far away or just want to explore the surrounding areas then there are plenty of places that you can visit:

Bath

Bath is well known for its stunning architecture, Roman Baths and is a World Heritage City. Conveniently it is only about half an hour’s drive from Center Parcs  as well. Bath is the perfect city for a couple to take a romantic stroll, taking in all the beautiful buildings and enjoying the mixture of street entertainers and quaint shops.

There is something to meet all needs and tastes in bath. You may want to go to the local racecourse and have a flutter. There are various bars and restaurants that you may wish to visit, Yak Yeti Yak is a Nepalese restaurant where you can choose to sit on a table or on the floor. It is a little bit different and may be somewhere you wish to go for a more quirky meal.

Similarly there is the new South Gate shopping centre that has recently opened. Here there are all the usual types of shops that you would expect in a shopping centre, but the building, although new, were designed to fit in with the surrounding architecture.

The Roman Bath’s are a great place to learn about the history of the city and are reasonably prices at £12.25 per adult. This is again a great place to experience something new and to learn about the history of our country.

Heaven’s Gate

This is only a 5 minute drive from Center Parcs. If it wasn’t for the security fences around Center Parcs you could walk there in the space of 5 minutes. This is part of the Longleat estate but is free to enter and wonder around in.

This is a great place for couple’s to come and enjoy an evening stroll. There is picturesque countryside on all sides and various route’s and paths that you may wish to take. One route takes you through onto a hillside looking across the Longleat estate. It is a fantastic view and something you can sit and enjoy together.

Furthermore there are modern granite stones and a granite walkway. This is all whilst being surrounded by the local wildlife and nature.

Another of the paths takes you down towards Shearwater which is also part of the Longleat estate. This is a large lake built by Lord Bath (the owner of Longleat) and is where local fisherman like to go and relax. It is surrounded by beautiful woodlands and a short walk away from neighbouring villages and country pubs.

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Activities In The Local Area For Families At Center Parcs Longleat

When you’re on holiday you might not want to be stuck inside Center Parcs facilities for the whole time you’re there. Here are my top three recommendations for families:

Longleat Grounds & Safari Park

This is situated directly opposite but it is still worth getting in the car to go other. There is a busy road in between and the walk from the top down into the centre of the grounds will take a good half an hour.

My first piece of advice would be to book online before you even get to Center Parcs. Plan your holiday before and recognise which day you would preferably wish to go to Center Parcs. If you can’t do this then still book online before you leave the park as there is a 15% discount on online tickets.

Secondly decide which ticket is best for your family. Prices are expensive with it costing £27.50 per adult and £19.50 for a child. Decide whether you wish to use everything in the park, for example the Safari and the Adventure Playground, if not then get a House & Gardens ticket which are considerably cheaper at £13.50. Bearing that in mind the Safari and Adventure offer great fun and excitement for the children. I would advise that if you have children between 5-16 then pay the extra for the all day ticket.

The Safari is one of only three in the UK and will give you a chance to see lions, tigers, rhinos and monkeys. However the monkeys do try to take bits off of your car so be a little wary.

Bristol Zoo

Bristol Zoo is about an hour’s drive from Center Parcs but is easy to get too and uses mainly A roads. Its more than likely that you won’t want to do this and Longleat but this is a good option if Longleat doesn’t appeal to you or if you’ve been there before.

It is advisable to leave early and leave plenty of time to get there to be able to fully appreciate and enjoy your day. The roads can get busy and you don’t want to spend more time in the car than in the zoo. Again there is a discount for online bookings and the prices are more reasonable than Longleat. This is a great place for younger children and also offers more interaction and talks about the various animals than you would find at Longleat.

Westbury White Horse

Westbury is around a 10 minute drive from Center Parcs. It is free and perfect for a hot sunny day. You might decide to take a picnic or just go for a walk around the area. There has been a horse on the site for 300 years and it is the oldest of 13 white horse landmarks that Wiltshire is famous for.

With it being free it is something that you can enjoy without having to pay a premium for. The area is lovely and you will have views of the beautiful countryside around as well as neighbouring towns. However you will also have a view of a large, concrete chimney that has been the bane of campaigners lives for many years now. However it has been shut down recently so may, someday in the future, be demolished.

Here are some useful links for more information about Center Parcs & the surrounding area:

www.longleat.co.uk

www.bristolzoo.org.uk

http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/site/around-wiltshire/tourist-information-centres

Twitter: @LongleatCPBlog