Parenting

Looking for the perfect cosy UK countryside getaway this winter? This charming Cotswolds hotel ticks all the boxes, we discovered

Visit Calcot & Spa around this time of year and the first thing you’ll notice upon pulling up is the fragrant smell of log fires. Just outside the honey-coloured town of Tetbury – the Cotswolds’ second largest, and where you’ll find Highgrove House, the private home of King Charles and Queen Camilla – Calcot is the ultimate countryside retreat.

The main house was built in the 17th and 18th century, but records show that one barn dates back to 1311, with dwellings here even as far back as Roman times. Now it’s a luxury spa hotel filled with cosy corners and a keen focus on sustainability; they burn logs made from coffee grounds and old newspapers, a tree is planted every time towels are reused, and they’ve eliminated single-use plastics.

Rooms are comfy and spacious – the tray of complimentary drinks and snacks is a nice touch (including the butteriest homemade shortbread), and I had one of the best night’s sleep in ages in the giant squishy bed.

Dinner can be taken in the elegant Brasserie restaurant (be sure to save room for one of the delicious desserts) or in The Hive, a pub-like space serving more casual bites, and which is better for kids.

In fact, the whole hotel is incredibly family-friendly, while still being a relaxing retreat for those travelling without children (a tricky balance to get right). There are dedicated hours for families in the pool and at The Hive, baby monitors are available to hire, and kids get four hours of free childcare in the nanny-run Playbarn when staying between Sunday and Thursday.

The spa at Calcot

A huge barn-style building a few steps from the main building, Calcot Spa features a light and airy café, indoor pool for lengths, sauna, steam room and snooze-inducing relaxation rooms.

The highlight, however, is undoubtedly the outdoor hydropool by yet another aromatic log fire, which somehow never feels overcrowded. Try to pay it a visit at the end of the day (the spa’s open until 9pm), as it becomes even more magical in the dark.

Top treatment at Calcot & Spa

Six months pregnant at the time, I went for the spa’s New Life New Mum Massage, which started with a back massage lying on each side (I appreciated the long sausage-shaped pregnancy pillow to hug), before turning over onto my back to work on my feet, legs and arms. While the lower back needs to be treated gently when pregnant, I was thrilled to still feel the knots in my neck being expertly loosened. The combination of vanilla-y scent of macadamia nut oil and my therapist’s soothing voice had me nearly nodding off.

What else is there to do at Calcot & Spa?

Calcot is, quite rightly, very proud of its rewilding programme across its 220-acre grounds, which includes wildflower meadows, beehives and a herd of fluffy Belted Galloway cows to graze the fields. Explore it all on the 3km nature trail; comfy Le Chameau wellies are available to borrow by the back door if it’s muddy underfoot.

How much does it cost to stay at Calcot & Spa?

Rooms at Calcot & Spa start from £344 per night.

A record number of families in England were fined in the last school year for unauthorised holidays

Parents considering taking their children on holiday during term time have been cautioned that it could prove more costly than expected. A record number of families in England were fined during the last academic year for unauthorised absences.

Over the past school year, more than 443,000 fines were handed out to parents who removed their children from school during term time for holidays, marking a 53 per cent rise compared to pre-Covid levels. Many families point to the exceptionally high prices of breaks during official school holidays, especially for trips abroad.

Attitudes towards school attendance are also believed to have relaxed following the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the outbreak, local authorities issued just 288,000 penalty notices in the 2018/19 academic year, reports Bristol Live.

The escalating issue was discussed in Parliament in October this year. However, with some councils increasing penalties for non-attendance, Alvaro Iturmendi, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, cautioned that the true cost to parents could exceed initial expectations.

“For many families, taking a term-time holiday can seem like an appealing way to cut costs. Our research found that parents or guardians say they saved £567 on average, especially as prices often surge during peak school breaks.”

“That’s as our research also found that UK parents and guardians were issued £41 million in fines for term-time holidays between 2022 and 2024 by local councils. Fines are typically issued per child, per parent, and what might start as an £80 fine can quickly rise to £160 for a two-parent household in England, with costs multiplying further for families with more than one child.

“Over half (56%) of parents and guardians said the main reason they take the risk and travel during term time is because it’s cheaper outside of school holidays. While a third (33%) of parents believe that travel is just as important as formal education, and 14% admitted they booked before realising the school term dates.

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“However, if term-time travel becomes a regular occurrence, councils have the power to take legal action. That’s why we created a school fines calculator to help parents get clarity on the potential costs and local authority rules before making any decisions. Regardless of when you travel, family holidays can be very expensive, and for families facing fines it’s one more cost added on top of an already pricey getaway.”

Studies indicate families are forking out nearly £400 extra per person on getaways taken during school time. This has led Paul Whiteman – general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers – to conclude that penalties are failing to discourage parents.

“For many families the threat of a fine is not acting as a significant deterrent in the way the government hoped it would. This is largely due to the exorbitant charges for holidays outside of term time,” Whiteman said. “We have long-argued that fines are a blunt tool for tackling this issue and the data appears to bear this out once again.”