Dodwell Park

To Stratford-upon-Avon first: see what the big deal is by catching a Royal Shakespeare Company play before a trip around town to the Shakespeare attractions; buy a Shakespeare Five House Pass to see Hall's Croft, Mary Arden's Farm, Nash's House and New Place and Shakespeare's Grave alongside Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Many companies offer cruises along the Avon, but to save pennies take a trip on the old chain ferry for 20p, or stay on land and take the mile and a quarter route along the Avon for views of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare’s burial place Holy Trinity Church and the Memorial Theatre Gardens. Scores of other walks can be had in the Cotswolds, the biggest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England, with miles’ worth of footpath and bridleways broken up by small villages and market towns. The Cotswold Way runs 102 miles south from Chipping Campden to Bath and passes many historical houses and churches. After Warwick Castle, families can have a day out at the Ragley Hall Estate to get lost in the 3D maze, or go to Kenilworth Castle with its kids' audio trail covering the history of the castle and the lovelorn Robert Dudley who built it in the 16th century to impress Queen Elizabeth I. Kids will probably also like the gizmos at Stratford’s MAD (Mechanical Art and Design) Museum, Hatton Farm Village at Warwick or driving you nuts around the world’s biggest collection of historic British cars at the Heritage Motor Centre, which has the Land Rover Experience, a nature path and a playground.