Holidaying in the UK is often easier on the budget and can help reduce your carbon foot print. Kirstin Watson, her husband and 22-month-old daughter set off to the Cotswolds to explore the area and enjoy a typically British holiday at the Hoburne Holiday Park

The problem with a Great British holiday is that you are so reliant on the weather. So, if like me you choose the one wet, drizzly week in May which was sandwiched between two weeks of blistering sunshine, you'll know just how disappointing a washout can be.

Our destination was the Hoburne Holiday Park in South Cerney, where we were booked for a Monday to Friday midweek break. The park offers a variety of accommodation from a camp site, static caravans and chalet-style lodges.

With already dampened spirits we didn't get off to the best of starts when we saw that the handle on our patio doors was hanging off. To make matters worse the wood frame around the top of the door was fractured, making the small bolt, which was securing entry, an easy target. It took two trips to reception to get it fixed.

Spacious accommodation

wooden lodge The rest of the accommodation couldn't be knocked. We stayed in a spacious three-bedroom lodge which had a good-sized living and kitchen area and two bathrooms. It was well equipped and very clean. The only thing we had to take were towels and all the beds had been made up with crisp, white linen.

On our first morning we decided to visit the indoor pool (the park has an outdoor pool which is open during the summer, weather permitting). The pool was perfect for our little one. She loved the flume in the middle and the Jacuzzi. I was, however, a bit surprised that we were the only people in it. Where was everybody? According to the lifeguard the park is always deserted during the week and is packed at weekends and half-term.

fun pool Given that it was Tuesday and the last time the park had been full was more than 24 hours earlier, I was rather surprised to find the nappy bin in the family changing unit was over-flowing. Sorry, grim I know, but these are the kind of things us mums notice!

Soft-play heaven

A happier discovery was the indoor soft-play centre for under-nines, which our daughter loved. It had two ball pits and loads of things to throw, climb up, over and through. For bigger kids (up to 12), the enormous Magic Land (www.magicland.co.uk) was just ten minutes drive away in Cirencester and boasted huge slides, a football area and ball guns as well as a baby and toddler area with its own bubble machine. There's also an adventure playground on site, as well as tennis courts and crazy golf.

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Midweek break at Hoburne Holiday Park

Spacious accommodation

Soft-play heaven