Venice of the Cotswolds

Bourton-on-the-water is described as the Venice of the Cotswolds and you can't help be struck by the beauty of the village from the minute you arrive.

With the River Windrush running through the village and its arched bridges, the place is a delight from every corner.

We were staying at Chester House Hotel, which is in the heart of the village, and it couldn't be in a better location. It was an easy walk to anywhere in the village.

The hotel has 22 bedrooms and we were in a family room which like the other rooms is decorated in a contemporary country style. It had a lovely sitting area to relax and our son Daniel thought it was great that he had a perfect view of the TV while sitting in bed.

The bar area and L'Anatra Italian restaurant were cosy with Cotswold stone walls and decor. Staff were also most helpful when we had any questions about the hotel or local attractions.

Breakfast in the Garden Room was wonderful. We had traditional English breakfast all around – it was cooked to order and we could also help ourselves to cereals, fruits salad, yoghurt and pastries from the buffet table.

The hotel has a sister restaurant, The Croft, just a stone's throw away, where you can book for a later breakfast. It is served until noon.

The first morning we pottered around the village with its quaint streets and shops. The traditional sweet shop is a must visit and it transports you back to your childhood with sherbet dips, flying saucers and the like.

Cake shops and gift shops just add to the atmosphere of this picturesque village.

Our first port of call was the Cotswold Motoring Museum, which looks unassuming from the front but opens out to seven showrooms, covering over 7500 sq ft. The showrooms hold more than 50 classic and vintage vehicles, over 45 motorbikes, pedal cars and caravans and thousands of other exhibits.

It's a fascinating journey through the 20th Century and home to the little superhero car Brum – the TV character. The opening and closing scenes of the show were filmed at the museum. There's not only Brum to keep the children entertained, but also a quiz as they wander around the many exhibits.

Later, we visited the Model Village, which is a one-ninth scale replica of Bourton-on-the-Water, containing all the buildings from the Old Water Mill (now the motoring museum) down to the Old New Inn and the ford.

The village was created by a previous landlord of the Old New Inn, taking local craftsmen five years to build, and it was officially opened on the Coronation Day of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the late Queen Mother) in 1937.

The time in the model village had just flown by and when we arrived at Birdland Park & Gardens just across the road we had missed the final admission. But every cloud has a silver lining as we visited the maze next door instead, which was a good hour of fun.

In the evening, we wandered along the high street to Mousetrap Inn, a traditional pub with a homely feel.

All food at the 150-year-old pub is sourced locally. I had duck leg with mash, broccoli and carrots, and both husband Neil and Daniel's meals were huge. Neil had double steak burger with bacon and tomato served with chips and onion rings and Daniel had a huge piece of gammon with chips and vegetables. For dessert I chose a strawberry meringue roulade which was delicious, but beat me in the end.

The atmosphere in the pub was friendly and the young waitress did a cracking job.

After a restful sleep in our delightful hotel room, we had a great breakfast and then made a second attempt to visit Birdland, which was well worth the trip.

As well as Humboldts, Birdland is also home to England's only collection of King Penguins. You can get up extremely close to them and can help out with feeding at various times of the day. There is also a 24/7 livecam of the penguins if you would like to keep your eye on them.

There are also two species of flamingos – the Greater and Caribbean, which are striking.

There is also a Discovery Zone, which has an interactive area, the Desert House, and you can also explore Marshmouth Nature Reserve – a beautiful secluded 2.5-acre trail through marshland, ponds, meadow and copse – with views over the River Windrush. Kingfishers are regularly spotted as well as over 50 species of bird, along with frogs, toads, grass-snakes, beetles, dragonflies, with several species of mammals living amongst hundreds of species of plants.

As we ventured home, we went along to Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park in Kineton. It was probably not the best day, with torrential rain within half an hour of our arrival, but we managed to cosy up with rabbits and piglets in the Touch Barn. Our son loved sitting and cuddling one of the many rabbits.

Then we went into the lambing pen to see lambs just a matter of hours old and we were told all about them – intriguing for both adults and youngsters alike.

We hopped on a tractor and trailer for a tour around the farm. If the weather had been kinder we would have probably stayed longer to take in the play area.

The Cotswolds is such a lovely part of the country and I don't think we scratched the surface during our weekend.

• The Bailey family stayed at the Chester House Hotel. B&B prices start from £99 for two sharing. Call 01451 820286 or visit www.chesterhousehotel.com

• All details of all the attractions in the area can be found on the website at www.cotswolds.com