We have been blessed with the most awesome weather forecast for this week, so we are all overjoyed to be staying at the Far Peak Campsite in Northleach. As a campsite it has lovely green fields, some woodland walking, a great Restaurant and Bar with kids playground and a climbing centre on hand, so no end of fun for the children. Our first day trip was to Chedworth Roman Villa (as my eldest missed his Roman Villa trip due to lockdown with the school). This villa is set in a beautiful valley with outstanding views and you could see it would have been a very grand villa back in the day. As well as all the wet rooms and saunas and plunge pool remnants is also the most amazing unearthed mosaic, now restored in a barn to preserve its beauty forever more. This place is the perfect place to take a picnic and soak in the views amongst the villa grounds.
On our second day, we did a circular walk around the Leach Valley (as mummy still is walking 1000 miles in a year and needs all the help she can get!). This was a beautiful country walk following the River Leach, and really escapes the crowd and traffic, which is exactly what I wanted today. The walk is meandering with one incline up the valley, before you head to the other side, and at this time of year (June), it was awash with buttercups. At the end of the walk there is a lovely pub should you wish refreshment but this time we wanted to head back to our lovely campsite for a bbq and campfire. The next day we hired a boat from Cotswold Boat Hire in Buscot for 3 hours and took a picnic. You can sail from Buscot to Lechlade-on-Thames, going through St John's Lock, which adds extra excitement to your journey. Along the way are two pubs you can moor at should you want refreshments, we did stop at one on the way back for an ice cold drink.
That evening I booked us a treat for an evening meal at The Wheatsheaf Inn, in Northleach, which was around the corner from the campsite. It was one of the nicest meals I have ever had, Crispy Poached Duck Egg on Asparagus, Lemon Sole with a Caper Butter and a Chocolate Fondant with Malted Milk Ice Cream, it was utterly delicious, and the ambience of the garden was very relaxing. Despite erring on the side of luxury, I was thankful this restaurant was happy with families with young children.
On our last day before we headed home, we popped in the Old Prison in Northleach, which is a cafe, set in, you guessed it; an Old Prison. So while you are waiting for your food you can go and mooch around some of the cells, for my youngest this freaked him out when his role play became a reality!
I recommend this campsite as its has so much nearby you don't need to go very far afield at all in order to have a varied experience and lots of fun.
