Cotswold Little Explorers

Chipping Campden is a well known market town in the north Cotswolds offering visitors a picturesque town with honey stone buildings and cottages, historic market hall and church offering beautiful pictures and a gorgeous place to explore.

It’s a good place to base yourself as it is also very close to Broadway, Batsford Arboretum and two beautiful National Trust places which are well worth seeing to.

We really like this one with the kids because it has a large playground and playing feilds, which can be a rarity in a Cotswold town or village. There are lots of eating and drinking options and lots of gorgeous walks nearby – we tend to walk on Dovers Hill and then head to town to get something to eat and drink followed by a play in the park.

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Best things to do in Chipping Campden with Kids

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Chipping Campden Playground

In a beautiful Cotswold town, there is always plenty to do for the adults – tearooms, pubs, antique shops and beautiful gardens in abundance, but not always that much for the kids. That’s why it is always most welcome when there is a really good playground nearby. I know some parents are not in to the playground but I love them- free, most popular places to travel to have one and the kids adore them. It gives us all some down time from walking and sightseeing.

Chipping Campden playground is a nice play area and has large playfeilds, and all the usual play equipment. It is quite large and have things for a range of age grips ( not just toddlers and preschoolers which can be the case in some smaller parks). Located behind the main high street, take a 2 minute walk down George Lane (GL55 6DB) to find this hidden gem.

Market Hall

This one is a bit of a red herring- the historic market hall isn’t really a fun activity to do with the kids, but it is a must see sight unique to Chipping Campden which is why I’ve included it- its worth a quick stop, right in the heart of the town, right next to all the lovely cafes and shops.

Dover’s Hill

Dover’s Hill is a National Trust beauty spot with far reaching views of the Cotswolds, overlooking Chipping Campden with a lovely walk along the escarpement and through the Lynches Woods. An easy walk from Vhipping Campden centre ( short but with a moderate incline), it is a great place for a countryside walk and a picnic- it is particularly beautiful in April when the woods are filled with carpets of bluebells. Find out more about walks in Dover’s Hill below.

Batsford Arboretum

Batsford is a lovely arboretum filled with there beautiful tree collection, Japanese style garden, garden centre cafe and play area. Only 7 miles grom Chipping Campden its a 10 minute drive (also near to Moreton-in-Marsh which can be added on to explore). Its picturesque backdrop of the Cotswold Hills offer a stunning backdrop for the walks through the trees. It’s a nice place for a walk and a potter round the garden centre with the play area a bonus for the little ones.

Hidcote Manor Gardens

Hidcote is a National Trust managed Gardens that are famous for cottage planting and floral displays – winding paths through amazing flower gardens, wildflowers fields, lawns and ponds are all here to explore. It is 4 miles from the town centre.

Its surprisingly family friendly and they go out of there way to make families feel welcome – scavenger hunts are avaliable from the ticket office, you can play tennis on the vintage tennis court (which feels like its from a retro film) and there are often lawn games in good weather such as bean bag throwing, skipping and croquet. Unfortunately no playground though. They encourage picnics and we see lots of families enjoying the lawns in the summer. There are also various trails for children on offer in the school holidays.

The landscape gardens are stunning and attract lots of visitors and tour groups from all over the world, however we have never had a problem with it getting to busy or parking because we arrive at opening time – the car park is often one in one out by the time we leave, so be an early bird to make the most of this one!

Snowshill Manor

5 miles.from Chipping Campden, Snowshill is another National Trust gem, with this manor house offering a delightful cafe with views over the valley, and a house full of curiosities to explore (my kids love this!) which include armour, weapons, penny farthings, ships in bottles and a whole host of bizarre and interesting collections acquired around the world by the homes original owner. There is also a beautiful orchard, a model village and the gorgeous tiny village of Snowshill a stones throw away.