Bodenham Arboretum, Wolverley, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
With over 134 acres including a working farm to explore at Bodenham Arboretum, this ought to be on your list for days out when you're on your group holidays in Worcestershire, especially if you appreciate the benefits of fresh air, exercise and breathtaking scenery. The Arboretum certainly isn't without its commercial aspect - at its heart is a big pool and a Visitor Centre with an indoor shop, plant centre, loos and a restaurant, but remember this a huge site and there are countless footpaths, so you don't need to wander far before it starts to feel like you have the whole place to yourselves.
What's amazing is the vast number of trees and shrubs here - over 3,000, from all over the world, all catalogued, labelled and mapped out, which must be a painstaking task in itself. So lose yourself; have a stroll around the pools (there are 15 of them), along the Grand Avenue and up the hill to the Gazebo where you can spend a few moments just appreciating the far reaching views and feeling lucky to be there. Discover the dingly dells,the sun dappled glades, the quiet of the plantations, and the tranquility of the waters. The younger folk will enjoy letting off steam and discovering the 'secret' parts of the arbiretum, like Giant's Island, and if you can manage to keep them quiet you might be fortunate enough to spy some of the wilidlife that lives at Bodenham - squirrels, foxes and deer, and in the margins of the ponds, ducks and toads, frogs and dragonflies. Wind by the farm to say hello to the animals - sheep, cows, goats, pigs and donkeys, and free range hens. springtime is a delight with lambs and chicks, so Easter tends to be busy here.
Oh and the autumn! You must see Bodenham Arboretum in the auutumn; the glory, the colours, it's incredible and it will take your breath away.
Open: 10.00am-5.00pm every day
T: 01562 852444 All information correct at the time of writing