The Easter Holidays
If you are a family with children you may already be thinking about what to do during the Easter holidays to keep the kids entertained. We’ve come up with a holiday plan to suit adults and children alike. There’s something for everyone.
The Route
The holiday starts in Ironbridge, then on to Cannock, Drayton Manor, Stratford, Bourton on the Water and Cirencester.
Ironbridge
We recommend a beautiful campsite less than fifteen minutes drive from Ironbridge in a picturesque village called Much Wenlock. You can walk from the campsite into Much Wenlock in just a few minutes.
Stroll around the town centre and it may seem you have stepped back fifty or more years. You won’t find any ‘big names’, but you will find a great selection of traditional shops. All offering good old-fashioned personal service. Much Wenlock is a place where folk still have time for you. Today, with a population of around 3,000 people, Much Wenlock feels much more like a village than a town.
The holiday that we have planned allows for two days in Ironbridge. We would opt to spend maybe a day and a half exploring Ironbridge and half a day exploring Much Wenlock.
What to do in Ironbridge
Ironbridge is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. There are numerous attractions to visit here, Blists Hill Victorian Town where you will find yourself back in the age of steam.
Enginuity- here you can pull a ten ton locomotive by hand and see through things with a giant x-ray machine.
Jackfield Tile Museum, discover skills and crafts that decorated Victorian Britain.
Coalport China Museum, there you will see Coalport and Caughly China as well as ceramics.
Coalbrookdale Museum of iron, find out how iron and particularly Coalbrooke iron changed the course of the world.
The Ironbridge and Toll House, walk across the first ever cast iron bridge built in 1779 across the River Severn.
Other attractions include Museum of the Gorge, Darby Houses, Tar Tunnel and Broseley Pipeworks. One thing is for certain, you won’t have time to be bored here. You will just need to decide which of the attractions interest you most as you won’t have time to visit them all in the time you will be there. Maybe you will need to plan a return visit another time.
The Campsite
Sytche Caravan & Camping Park, Much Wenlock, Shropshire.
https://sytchecaravanandcamping.co.uk/
Uttoxeter
The main reason for the trip to Uttoxeter is Alton Towers. If you haven’t been before it’s the ultimate in thrills. A great theme park for the whole family, especially if you’re an adrenalin junkie.
We recommend staying at Uttoxeter Racecourse. A popular campsite just under 20 minutes drive from Alton Towers. The campsite is next to a golf course, so if any members of the family are into golf it could be your perfect location.
If there is horse racing on during your visit you will find a fantastic atmosphere and will receive half price Centre Course tickets. From the site you can easily walk in to Uttoxeter. There you will find many bars and restaurants to choose from if you want to go out for food and drinks.
What to do
Definitely pay a visit to Alton Towers, a great day out for all the family. Maybe a round of golf. Venture in to Uttoxeter and if you want to go further afield you can catch a train from there to maybe Stoke on Trent or Derby.
The Campsite
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Cannock
Cannock Chase is a great place to visit, a beautiful area with lots to do for everyone. Cannock Chase Forest is one of the best value family day’s out that the Midlands has to offer.
The campsite that we have selected is beautiful, right in the forest. No need to drive anywhere, it’s on your doorstep.Tranquillity close to the heart of England on a campsite in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
This Club campsite sits on the edge of one the Midlands’ most popular beauty spots, Cannock Chase.
What to do
There is much to do here. All you need to do is decide what suits your interests. With a children’s play area, woodland walks to suit all ages and abilities, and the best family and mountain biking trails in the region, you will not be stuck for something to do.
If you don’t have bikes you can hire them. Take a picnic or choose lunch at the café and come rain or shine you will all go home having had a fantastic forest adventure. Things to choose from include, 4 walking trails, 4 cycling trails, Go Ape, Forest Segway, orienteering, Dog activity trail, play areas.
The Campsite
Drayton Manor
Time for the second theme park of the holiday. Drayton Manor is a smaller theme park than Alton Towers but still has it’s fair share of thrills. In contrast to Alton Towers which is quite spread out, it is compact and very easy to walk around. Less tiring than a day at the previous theme park in this holiday. The campsite is right next to the park, a perfect location. You can see the roller coasters from your pitch. That’s how close you are. It will take you around 5 minutes to get to the park entrance.
What to do there
Obviously visit Drayton Manor theme park, that’s the main reason we have suggested visiting here. There is no shortage of thrills and spills at Drayton Manor with rides to suit everyone from the thrilling white knuckle Maelstrom and Apocalypse to the more sedate traditional carousel ride and Thomas Land attraction with 12 wonderful Thomas-themed rides and indoor play area. Other possibilities from this campsite include Cadbury World, the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, National Forest or Tamworth with its castle and the Snowdome.
If you don’t fancy cooking there are a couple of restaurants and a pub within walking distance from the site. Around a 20 minute walk away.
The Campsite
Stratford Upon Avon
Visit Stratford Upon Avon for a bit of culture and history. A complete contrast from the theme park the day before, but just as good a day out for the family.
We recommend a beautiful campsite from which you can either walk into Stratford, which takes around 25 minutes, or catch a water taxi there (our preferred option as it feels very serene watching the world go by and admiring the beautiful houses and gardens that back on to the river).
What to do
Make a visit to the Royal Shakespeare company a priority. Showcasing the finest theatre productions, you can immerse yourself in British literature at the RSC. From Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet to Midsummer Night Dream and Macbeth, this particular Stratford theatre supplies pure entertainment.
Shakespeare fans will relish the chance to walk in his footsteps. Visit the timbered home where he was born. Explore the house where he courted his wife at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Pay your respects at his final resting place in the Holy Trinity Church.
If shopping is more your thing then there are lots of the high street shops that you would expect to see in larger towns as well as some individual shops too.
The Campsite
Bourton on the Water and Cirencester
Our final destinations for your Easter break are Bourton on the Water and Cirencester. Two very different locations but both well worth a visit. We suggest you stay at a campsite in Cirencester which is in a perfect location. You can walk through the beautiful park into the town.The walk doesn’t take long and the park is wonderful.
It’s worth noting that it closes at dusk so you may need to walk back to site via the road if you’re going back in the evening.
What to do
Cirencester is a market town known as the Capital of the Cotswolds. It’s big enough that there are plenty of things to do in Cirencester itself, but the town is also well located in the middle of the Cotswolds. You can use it as a base to get to pretty much anywhere in this lovely English area in little over an hour.
The History
It has a long history which has been traced back to the Neolithic age. But Cirencester was at its most important back in Roman times when it was called Corinium and was the second largest Roman town in England. Its population then was between 10 and 20 thousand people, which is comparable to Cirencester today.
The Church
The main building that you’ll notice in Cirencester is its enormous wool church, which sits in the market place. It’s nearly as big as a cathedral. St John the Baptist is one of England’s largest parish churches.It’s thought that it is so large due to the Wool Trade. Cirencester has some beautiful streets, both residential and full of shops.
One of the best things to do in Cirencester is simply strolling through its honey coloured streets.
Museum
If you’re interested in Cirencester’s history, then the Corinium Museum is the place to visit. Most of the museum is dedicated to the Roman history of Corinium (as Cirencester was then known) and there are some jaw-dropping mosaics and Roman items to look at. You can also see recreations of Roman homes and shops. There are plenty of hand-on items and games to keep children interested.
The museum also covers Cirencester’s history up until the present day so you can learn more about the town’s role in the Wool Trade and how the modern town has grown.
Bourton on the Water
Pay a visit to nearby Bourton on the Water, around a 25 minute drive from Cirencester.
Regularly voted one of the prettiest villages in England, Bourton on the Water has a unique appeal to visitors and residents alike.
With plenty to see and do, Bourton on the Water offers a wealth of attractions and shops, restaurants and tea rooms, or simply for you to enjoy some tranquil time by the River Windrush with its beautiful bridges throughout.
The campsite
To Conclude
Our Easter motorhome tour that we’ve detailed above would ideally take around 10 days. That would give you plenty of time to take in the attractions that we’ve listed, although obviously in some areas choices would need to be made. It’s not possible in 10 days to do everything listed.
If we were to advise on the time structure it would be:
Day 1&2 Ironbridge
Day 3 &4 Uttoxeter
Day 5&6 Cannock Chase
Day 7&8 Drayton Manor
Day 9 Stratford Upon Avon
Day 10 Cirencester and Bourton on the Water
Of course you can edit it to your own personal preference. There may be too many stops for some people, but the idea is to have a holiday where you make the most of the motorhome and tour rather than stay for too long in one place.