Visit Highworth Information, Craft Centre and Museum

The Information Centre doubles as a craft space and local museum - essentially the sort of place where you'll find someone selling hand-thrown pottery alongside old photographs of the market town. Highworth itself is a proper little Georgian market town between Fairford and Swindon, and this spot does a decent job of explaining why it mattered.

You'll see the usual small-town museum fare: local artifacts, historical photographs, maybe some textile work or agricultural bits depending on what's on. The craft centre element means there's often something being made or sold by local artisans, which lifts it above the typical musty archive vibe. It's not a day-long affair - more like an hour if you're genuinely interested in the area's history, half an hour if you're just killing time between other things.

This works best if you're already staying at one of the nearby parks - Great Farm and Nordic Glamping at Botswicky are both proper five-star operations just down the road, while Faringdon Grange offers a more conventional caravan base. After a morning walk or cycle ride around the Cotswold Water Park area, it's a natural stop to learn what you're actually looking at in the landscape. Families won't get much from it unless the kids are genuinely into local history. Walkers and anyone interested in market town character will find it worthwhile. Check before you go though - opening hours for these smaller centres can be variable.