Melksham's Summer PIcks – Days out from West Wiltshire
By sashahes | Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 12:13
Now the summer holidays are well and truly under way in Melksham, how are you amusing your youngsters? Here are some suggestions to fill those sunny (sometimes!) days with fun and a little bit of learning.
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Bath Abbey Tower
The half-timbered village of Lacock, just outside Melksham, is a huge draw, both for its Harry Potter connections at the abbey and its pretty cobbled street. There are special events for kids in the summer; this year a crime has been committed around the abbey. Kids can follow the clues to solve the murder every morning at 10.30pm until the end of August.
A bat watch takes place at Lacock Abbey on 23 August from 7.30pm–9pm, booking is essential on 01249 730141 £8 (Children £4). Children must be accompanied, wear suitable clothing and bring a torch.
Talking of Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows Part II will be shown at Melksham Assembly Hall at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm on 21 August.
Brokerswood is a fun day out for families with kids of all ages – the 80-acre country park has a narrow gauge railway, two outdoor adventure parks and a play park for toddlers. There is a nature trail around the fishing lake and the chance for kids to try a cast or two under parental supervision.
The Wiltshire Scrapstore at Bowden Hill has a really popular Summer Art Club running every Thursday and Friday through out the summer holidays. It's £4.50 per child per workshop from 10.30am–12pm. Book ahead on 0124973 0011.
Longleat is close by Melksham; Wiltshire's most popular tourist attraction has a safari park, magnificent Elizabethan stately home, a pets' corner, maze, boating lake and the Cosmic Coaster simulator ride, providing the perfect day out for families with young children.
For older children, Bath offers an interesting day out, with the Roman Baths, Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge giving an insight into two thousand years of local history. There's a great I Spy book to Bath published by Michelin at just £2.50 that points out over 120 of Bath's sights; a clever way to involve kids in learning about the city.
Comments
Day trip to Weymouth by Train ;-)
Sundays 14th, 21st and 28th August direct from Melksham station at 08:45 where there's plenty of free parking. Gets to Weymouth at 10:42. Return train leaves at 17:56 from Weymouth, through to Melksham (again, no need to change) at 19:52
Adult fare 15.60, child 7.80. Reduced fares for groups (4 adults can travel for the price of 2, with children at a pound each on groupsave). Lots to do in Weymouth. Just turn up and book on the train
The service has been running for a few weeks already and has been a huge success ... to the extent that a longer train than planned is now being used, and extra volunteers are helping at Weymouth to ensure that everyone finds the right train home - this is the first time that many people have used the train from Melksham.
This has been described as a "trial service", and its success (or otherwise) will be a significant factor in getting passenger trains back to Melksham at an appropriate level in the future.
By Well House Consultants at 07:42 on 11/08/11
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