Applegates Glamping

Horse-mad guests (and anyone who enjoys a day in the fresh air) can make a date with Badminton Horse Trials (20 minutes’ drive) over the first weekend in May, or you can hire a day boat to have a putter along the Kennet and Avon Canal from Bathampton (40 minutes’ walk/10 minutes’ drive). If you’d rather stick to dry land, follow the course of the canal to restored Claverton Pumping Station (90 minutes walk) dating from 1813 and open for tours. Historic villages abound in the area: cute Castle Combe (15 minutes’ drive) has been voted England’s prettiest village thanks to its mellow-stone riverside cottages, while exploring National Trust-owned Lacock (20 minutes) turns up an abbey used as a Harry Potter film location, indie shops and a brace of half-timbered inns that first opened their doors over five centuries ago. For more urban pursuits, turn your attention to gorgeous Bath (15 minutes), where you can bask in saunas and swim in a rooftop pool at Thermae Bath Spa, tour the ancient Roman baths and admire the soaring Gothic architecture of the abbey. Culture dealt with, it’s time to browse indie shops and department stores, seek out cosy pubs and dine on a multitude of world cuisines.