Days Out near Glebe House
So much to explore.
Glebe House makes a brilliant base for exploring Wiltshire and beyond. From Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral to safari adventures, castles and days in the New Forest, there’s an extraordinary amount within easy reach.
Whether you’re staying with young children, teenagers, grandparents or a mixture of all three, these are some of our favourite ways to spend a day.
Longleat
A brilliant full day out and one of the area’s big family attractions. Drive through the famous Safari Park before exploring the rest of the estate, with animals, feeding experiences and plenty more to fill the day. Longleat also offers tours of the historic house for those who want to see another side of the estate.
Allow a full day
Paultons Park & Peppa Pig World
For families with younger children, this is a big one. Peppa Pig World sits within Paultons Park and is packed with rides and attractions based around Peppa and her friends, alongside everything else the wider theme park has to offer.
It makes for a very easy full family day out — and if Peppa isn’t your thing, there’s plenty elsewhere in Paultons Park for older children too.
Allow a full day
One of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments — and close enough that it really does feel like something you should see while you’re here.
Visit the stone circle and exhibition, or combine Stonehenge with Salisbury for a day exploring two of Wiltshire’s most famous landmarks.
Easy half-day or combine with Salisbury
Just a short drive from Glebe House, Salisbury is perfect for a morning or afternoon — although there’s easily enough to fill a day.
At its heart is Salisbury Cathedral, home to Britain’s tallest spire and one of only four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. The Cathedral Close and surrounding historic streets are lovely to wander around, with plenty of independent shops, cafés and places to stop for lunch.
For something really memorable, book a Tower Tour and climb up through the Cathedral roof spaces to the base of the spire for extraordinary views over Salisbury and the surrounding countryside. Children need to be 7 or over to take part, so it’s a particularly good one with older children.
Don’t miss the market square while you’re there, and Fisherton Mill is another favourite for coffee, lunch and a browse around its gallery and artists’ studios.
Perfect for half a day or a leisurely full day
A brilliant one with children. Hidden away in the Wiltshire countryside, Old Wardour is an atmospheric ruined castle where you can climb the ancient stone staircases, explore the ruins and make your way up the East Tower for views over the lake and surrounding countryside.
Our advice? Don’t forget to buy a sword and shield at the visitor centre on the way in. It makes exploring a ruined castle considerably more exciting when you’re properly equipped for battle.
Take a picnic and make a relaxed few hours of it — there’s plenty of space outside the castle for children to run around afterwards.
Great for a half-day
One of the most beautiful days out in the area and particularly lovely when you have several generations staying together.
The famous landscaped garden is arranged around a magnificent lake, with temples, a grotto, bridges and wonderful views appearing as you walk around the water. You can also explore Stourhead House, stop for lunch or simply find somewhere beautiful to sit and enjoy the surroundings.
It’s very family friendly too, with buggy-friendly garden paths and seasonal family activities and events, so it works surprisingly well with children as well as adults.
Lovely for half a day or longer
Just a short drive from Glebe House and somewhere we return to again and again.
The historic house is fascinating, but for families the beautiful grounds are the real draw — with the enormous adventure playground, trees and dens to explore, riverside fun in summer and an excellent café.
We’ve included all our tips for making the most of it on our Local Favourites page.
Perfect for a few hours or a full day
The New Forest
A completely different landscape and a wonderful day when you simply want to get outside. Head into the forest for walking, cycling, picnics and the chance to spot the famous free-roaming ponies, or choose one of the many villages and attractions dotted throughout the National Park. The New Forest National Park has routes for a wide range of ages and abilities.
There’s no need for a complicated itinerary — sometimes the best New Forest days are simply a walk, ponies, a good pub lunch and an ice cream.
Allow half a day or a full day
A day at the beach
One of the joys of being here is that you can swap the Wiltshire countryside for the coast for the day. There are lots of fabulous beaches within reach, from long sandy stretches around Bournemouth and Poole to quieter spots along the Dorset coast.
One of our favourites is Hengistbury Head, around 50 minutes away. It’s a beautiful, relatively unspoilt stretch of coast and nature reserve, with walks around the headland and views across Christchurch Harbour.
One of our favourite ways to do it is to head down later in the afternoon, pick up fish and chips at around five and stay to watch the sun go down by the sea. Sometimes the simplest days out are the best ones.
Half-day, full day — or just go for sunset
For bigger adventures
If your children are old enough for something a little more adventurous, there are some brilliant options within reach.
New Forest Water Park has a huge floating inflatable aqua park where you can climb, jump, slide and inevitably end up in the water. It’s for children aged 6+ and over 110cm, and participants need to be confident enough to swim 50m wearing a buoyancy aid.
Dorset Adventure Park, near Corfe Castle, is another fantastic family day out, with two lakes full of floating inflatable obstacles as well as its famously messy Mud Trail. The main water park is also for ages 6+, while there’s now a smaller Splash Castle specifically for children aged 2–6.
Prepare to get wet. Very wet!