4 Wellacres Cottage

Broadway Tower is a Grade II listed, 18th-century tower on Broadway Hill, the second-highest point of the Cotswolds. Designed by James Wyatt and inspired by Capability Brown, it's a castle-style building with battlements, gargoyles and turrets. The top three floors are a museum, and a spiral staircase takes you up to the roof platform for the views.

Tip: Book tickets online in advance, as space is limited. The nuclear bunker tours also need booking through the website.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, is the former farmhouse where Shakespeare's wife-to-be was born and raised. The earliest part dates to 1463, and despite the name it is a twelve-roomed house with visible timber framing and several chimneys. Inside you can see original furniture, including the Hathaway bed, and learn about the family who lived here for 13 generations.

Tip: Pre-booking is recommended. Backpacks are limited and given out first come, first served, so ask for one when you arrive.

Warwick Castle stands on a sandstone bluff at a bend of the River Avon. The Normans built a motte-and-bailey castle here in 1068, and it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. The 14th-century facade facing the town is one of the best-known examples of medieval military architecture in Britain.

Tip: Pre-book online to guarantee entry; advance tickets are cheaper and include a Rainy Day Promise.

Crocodiles of the World is a zoo at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, specialising in crocodilians. You can meet crocodiles, alligators and caiman from around the world, including Siamese crocodiles, Chinese alligators, Nile crocodiles and American alligators. There is underwater viewing, plus talks, animal encounters and feeds through the day.

Tip: Check the daily feeding and talk schedule on the day, and book keeper experiences ahead of your visit.

Sudeley Castle is a Grade I listed castle in the Cotswolds, near the medieval market town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. It stands in a 1,200-acre estate in the Cotswold hills, with 10 notable gardens covering some 15 acres. After years in ruins following the Civil War, the Dent family restored it and made it a family home.

Tip: Seek out the castle's church to see Catherine Parr's burial place, then leave time for the gardens.

Stanway House is a Jacobean manor house in Gloucestershire, built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for the Tracy family and still home to the Earls of Wemyss and March. The house, the triple-gabled gatehouse and the tithe barn dating from about 1370 are all Grade I listed, and much of the building is in warm Guiting yellow stone.

Chastleton House is a Jacobean country house built between 1607 and 1612 and now cared for by the National Trust. The same family owned it until 1991, and the Trust has kept it as it was found rather than restoring it, so the rooms feel like a time capsule. Look out for the barrel-vaulted Long Gallery, the Great Chamber, nationally significant textiles and rare Jacobite glass.

Tip: Approach only from the A436. Sat nav to GL56 0SP (the Greedy Goose pub, which is currently closed), then follow the brown signs, and don't follow signs to Chastleton village.

Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire is run by English Heritage, and much of it is in ruins. Its massive Norman keep dates from the 1120s, and in 1266 the castle endured one of the longest sieges in medieval English history. Later, Robert Dudley, a childhood friend of Elizabeth I, spent fortunes turning it into a showpiece mansion to impress the queen.

Tip: Climb up to the queen's apartments for views over the castle and surrounding countryside.