Nobody sane comes to the UK for a beach holiday. There is always the possibility of sunny weather, so it’s good to be near a beach or walking area. But there is always the likelihood of rain, so it’s good to be near indoors attractions too. I would recommend the town where I live – Bradford-on-Avon- or somewhere nearby. The parents of our German au pair came on holiday here twice, each time for a week, in the last year and loved it. I believe an IWE staffer spent a week here this year as well.
The Cotswold countryside is beautiful, with lots of little stone villages and valleys and streams and woods for walking. The Roman city of Bath is nearby (great for shopping too) and the port city of Bristol is half an hour by train. Within a half hour drive there’s Glastonbury, an old magical town full of “alternative” people. The ancient stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury are also with half an hour by car. There are great country parks to visit such as Longleat, Stourhead and Westonburt Arboretum. There’s swimming and paddling in the river Avon if it gets really hot, or a trip to the coast of North Somerset (about one hour west) such as Brean Down or The Jurassic Coast of Dorset, about 90 minutes drive south. There’s horse-riding, paintballing, canoeing, cycling and walking all in and around the town. Cycling along the Avon and Kennet Canal it’s easy to go for many kilometers without seeing a car – just stopping occasionally for a beer or a coffee.
