A weekend in Bournemouth with the kids

This weekend has a gentle shape: two stately homes on day one, just 7.4 miles apart, then a fuller day two that links Corfe Castle, lunch at The Village Inn and an afternoon at Dorset Adventure Park. The Village Inn holds a 5/5 food hygiene rating, and the theme park is only 3.9 miles further on, so there's little time spent strapped into car seats once you're there. The longest hop is the 23.6 miles to Corfe Castle, so pack snacks for the car and save everyone's energy for the afternoon.

For a base, Saltwater Breeze in Bournemouth sleeps 4 and sits 0.2 miles from Bournemouth Pier beach, where the bathing water is rated Excellent by the Environment Agency. Bournemouth station is 1 mile away if you're arriving by train. Bigger groups can spread out at Arnewood Corner, which sleeps 12 and is 0.8 miles from Sway station. Campers should note that the nearest bathing water to Tom's Field Camping, the River Avon at Fordingbridge, is rated Poor.