Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway

The smell hits you first - hot oil and coal smoke - before you've even stepped onto the platform. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway runs vintage trains along a 16-mile stretch between Cheltenham and Broadway, and it's the sort of thing that appeals to people who actually care about engineering rather than just wanting a novelty ride. You board at Gotherington, Winchcombe, or Broadway stations and rattle through proper countryside for roughly an hour, watching the Cotswolds unfold through compartment windows while a real steam locomotive does all the heavy work.

This works brilliantly for families with kids old enough to sit still - toddlers will get restless after twenty minutes, but seven-year-olds upwards tend to be mesmerised. Railway enthusiasts absolutely live for this. The volunteers who run it know their stuff and it shows. You'll want to allow a full afternoon for it, really, especially if you fancy exploring the workshops or grabbing lunch at one of the station cafes.

If you're camped at Winchcombe Camping just 2 miles away, it's an easy morning outing that won't break the bank. The Cotswold Woodland Glamping site near Aston Somerville is slightly further but still straightforward. Check their website before heading out though - opening dates vary seasonally and you'll need to book tickets in advance during school holidays when it gets rammed. Worth the trip if you've got the time, though the journey matters more than the destination here.