Activities

Places to visit

Bath is about 4 miles away or 10 minutes by car.  It is a delightful place to visit, with its Georgian crescents and squares, the Roman Baths and the hot water Spa.  The best way to get there is by the Park and Ride service which is about a mile from the Oak House and easily walkable.  It runs every 15 minutes between 7.30am and 8.15pm.

Further afield, 1 hour or less by car, there is:

To the North: the Cotswold towns of Tetbury, Cirencester and Malmsbury, the National Arboretum at Westonbirt and the lovely wooded valleys around Stroud.

To the West: the Slimbridge Wildfowl Centre and Berkely Castle (and a little further, the Severn Bridges for the Wye Valley and the Brecon Beacons National Park).

To the South: the Mendip Hills and Cheddar Gorge (and a little further, Glastonbury and Wells).

To the East: the National Trust village of Lacock and the lovely old town of Castle Combe.

Nearby there are several houses, gardens and parks, for example the National Trust's Dyrham Park a few miles away and Holt near Badford-on-Avon.

Active leisure

The Cotswold Way borders the property and just a few steps brings you out on to the open path with spectacular 180 degree views.  To the north and west the view ranges between the Cotswold escarpment (of which Lansdown is part), taking in the Severn valley with the Welsh hills in the distance and both Severn bridges and finally, the city of Bristol.  Walk a little further and you have a lovely  view of the Mendip hills.  Walking west, the Cotswold Way ends in Bath about 6 miles away along the footpath.  Walking the other way, it stretches for nearly 100 miles as far as Oxfordshire with well signposted and mapped sections in between.

From Bath, the Kennet and Avon canal provides a easy walk south and east into Wiltshire and there is the famous Bath Skyline Walk which takes a more strenuous path!  Bath tourist information centre has plenty of imaginative ideas for all ages and bicycles can be hired in town.

There are two golf courses close by - Lansdown Golf Club and Tracy Park.

Eating and Drinking

At the Oak House there is tea, coffee, milk, sugar, olive oil and salt and pepper (plus dishwasher tablets, matches, wood, charcoal and paraffin for the lamps).

About 10 minutes by car is the Bath suburb of Weston which has a supermarket, post office, chemist and fish and chip shop.

There are three pubs within 5 minutes by car and all are walkable in less than 1 hour and do good food:

The Hare and Hounds - 3 miles at the other end of Lansdown with lovely views.  Best by car. www.hareandhoundsbath.com

The Charlcombe Inn - the nearest at 1or 2 miles along the main Lansdown road but an easy walk cross country. www.charlecombeinn.co.uk

The Upton Inn - in Upton Cheyney about 2 or 3 miles cross country or 15 minutes by car. www.theupton.co.uk

Bath is full of restaurants, cafes and pubs and its best to consult either www.visitbath.com or the Information Centre in town.

Directions and maps are provided for all this in the Oak House.