Great West Way® Travel Magazine | Issue 02

Pictured
left-right:
Visitor explores
Shaw House;
Lacock Abbey,
Fox Talbot
Museum; Fawn
on the Great
West Way; a
family enjoying
a day out at
Westonbirt,
The National
Arboretum
HAVE AN EGG-CELLENT EASTER
You can’t beat a spring nature walk on Good Friday or
Easter Monday and they don’t get much better at this time
of year than following the Bath Skyline Family Discovery
Trail. A fun-packed two-mile stretch of the Bath Skyline
loaded with activities. Discover magical doors in the Long
Wood elf and fairy foray, hunt for geocaches, complete a
series of '50 things' challenges or just let off some steam
playing in the woodland play area.
Celebrate the arrival of spring as the Lindt Gold Bunny
Hunt returns to Hampton Court Palace in April. Explore
the palace and its stunning gardens through an adventurefilled
treasure hunt. Lindt Gold Bunny is hidden all around
the palace - where monarchs through the ages have
indulged their sweet tooth!
Bounce into spring by decorating a ceramic bunny in
cheerful spring-like colours, or join in the fun of an Easter
wreath workshop and create your own arrangement
using seasonal flowers at Shaw House, on the outskirts
Newbury - one of the best-preserved Elizabethan mansions
in England. Or for a Quirky Easter Quiz Trail and a great day
out, or even an overnight stay (landmarktrust.org.uk) don’t
miss Beckford's Tower and Museum, Bath. Built between
1826 and 1827, Beckford’s Tower is an extraordinary
building that was once home to one of the greatest
collections of books, furniture and art in Georgian England
and now stands as the only surviving example of William
Beckford’s great architectural achievements.
Easter just wouldn’t be Easter without going on an
Easter egg hunt, and the Great West Way’s National Trust
properties are a great place to find them. Explore Prior
Park Landscape Garden in Bath and enjoy your chocolate
in the intimate 18th-century landscape, where one of only
four Palladian bridges of this design in the world can be
crossed. In Berkshire, visit Basildon Park, an 18th-century
house which survived the threat of being demolished after
the Second World War, and today sits proudly in 400 acres
of historic gardens and parkland - or discover the story of
West Berkshire in the museum of the same name.
While in Wiltshire, Harry Potter fans will love the Easter
trail at Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum and Village,
once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the
photographic negative. Just make sure you have spotted the
cloisters which doubled as part of Hogwarts in Harry Potter
and the Philosopher’s Stone before you leave! Nearby, pop
into the award-winning Wiltshire Museum or Roves Farm is
bound to be a great family day out come rain or shine!
SUMMER SOCIAL
Whether you’re a royal fan or just want to experience a
traditional English day out, Royal Ascot horse races in
June and Henley Royal Regatta in July should be on your
summer agenda. Going to a music festival in a muddy field
is a rite of passage in the UK - a pair of jazzy (preferably
glittery) wellies are essential! There's Reading Festival in
August, one of the biggest, WOMAD at Charlton Park,
Wiltshire in July, Love Saves the Day at Eastville Park,
Bristol in May, and NASS in Bath - a music festival with
skating, BMX and street art.
If opera and classical music is more to your taste, visit
Iford Arts at Belcombe Court and enjoy listening in 45
acres of Cotswold parkland and gardens. Bookworms will
love the Swindon Festival of Literature in May, and for film,
dance, theatre and more the Devizes Arts Festival in June is
a must. A country show is a great way to learn more about
country life in England. Given the rural nature of much of
the touring route, there’ll be plenty to choose from, but one
of the biggest is the Royal Bath & West Show in May/June. →
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