Emerald Farm
Sleeps 11-25
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
A tipple in the taproom
Test your golf swing at The Oxfordshire. Reward yourself with a tipple in the taproom at Loose Cannon Beers. Explore Dorchester Abbey or Stonor’s Park. Punt the river in Oxford. Meet giraffes and lemurs at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. Brave The Swarm at Thorpe Park or hand-feed the goats and sheep at Odds Farm Park.
For the grown ups
Keep your forehand form at the Vale of White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre. Head down to Didcot to blow clay pigeons apart. Or test your swing at a former European tour venue, The Oxfordshire, a stunning golf course once played by Ballesteros and Faldo. Reward yourself with a tipple in the taproom at Loose Cannon Beers.
Discover Oxfordshire on two wheels with bikes from Pedal Power in Abingdon. Or get out and about on two legs and enjoy great walks at Buscot and Coleshill estates, Greys Court, Waddesdon and Stowe. Fish the Thames. Or potter the gilded state rooms at Blenheim, Britain’s greatest palace.
Explore medieval treasures at Dorchester Abbey or the lush parkland of Stonor’s three gardens, set in a dramatic, sweeping valley deep within the heart of the Chilterns. Or head into Oxford to punt the river and get a guided tour of the colleges and the Bodleian Library (which doubled as Hogwart’s Library).
Stick around in Oxford for great shopping in Westgate, home to prestigious global brands, eclectic restaurants and cafes, and sophisticated rooftop bars and dining. Come in August for the Reading Festival, in July for the Henley Festival, or in late June for Henley Royal Regatta.
Country Kids
Dodge fire and stalk opponents through fog-filled battle zones at Laser Kombat Oxford, an exciting tag game for adults and children using high-tech laser weaponry. Hack across the lovely Oxfordshire countryside with Checkenden Equestrian. Or let loose on the inflatable obstacle course at Oxford Wet n’ Wild.
Hire day boats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards and discover the Thames on the water with AV Boats. Meet giraffes, giant tortoises, Humboldt penguins, tapirs, lemurs and more at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. Or try aerial adventure, archery or all manner of watersports at the Cotswold Water Park.
Visit the Ashmolean, Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, with everything from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and across time. Or discover a unique collection of Great Western Railway steam locomotives, carriages, wagons and buildings at Didcot Railway Centre.
Brave Stealth, the UK’s fastest rollercoaster launching you 205ft at 80mph in just 2.5 seconds or take flight on The Swarm, the UK’s only winged coaster, at Thorpe Park. Meet over 500 birds, including birds of prey, flamingos and a large cassowary at Birdland. Or hand-feed the goats and sheep at Odds Farm Park.
Happy hens (and stags)
Stay on site for the heated pool, the sauna, the indoor and outdoor hot tubs, the gym and the cinema room. Or book in on-site events such as clay-pigeon shooting, axe throwing, paddleboarding, adventure blow-up castle and yoga. Or book a little me-time with treatments and workshops care of Oxford Pamper Parties.
Unwind at Fredrick’s Hotel and Spa, with its hideaway gardens, Sanctuary lounge, therapy sauna and outdoor spa garden with sun terrace in the spa: lose yourself in a Dead Sea flotarium and rasul mud suite. Or head down to Eynsham for inflatable fun playing zorb football.
Mix it up on a cocktail masterclass at All Bar One in Oxford: make, shake and taste your own creations. Let out the inner warrior on a session with Ridgeway Axe Throwing. Splat your mates at Oxford Paintball. Or tackle a collection of challenges on the custom-built 4×4 off-road course at Mud Mayhem.
Live it up on a night out in Oxford with good beer and cider selections at The Tap Social Movement, or with an impressive array of drinks at Raoul’s, Oxford’s oldest cocktail bar. Help yourself to cocktails at Angel’s, split your sides at the Glee Club, or smooth up your night at Sandy’s Piano bar.
