City
6 Best Activities In Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch packs a lot of England into a small Leicestershire market town: a Tudor-era fortress, a National Forest trailhead and a lido with actual outdoor swimming. Ashby de la Zouch Castle starts most visits — children can climb the Hastings Tower for miles of view and, torch in hand, explore the underground passage that makes every visitor briefly eight years old again. Two miles out, Hicks Lodge serves as the National Forest's cycling centre, with hire bikes, gentle family loops and cafe-adjacent play, while back in town the Paint a Pot Craft Studio — rated 4.9 by its visitors — absorbs the creative hours. A trampoline park handles the energy surplus, the volunteer-run museum tells the town's story in twenty curious minutes, and the leisure centre's summer lido adds £5.25 open-air swimming to the mix. Six attractions in all, five with indoor space, three outdoor: compact, characterful and self-sufficient for a weekend.
Showing 1–6 of 6
Activity CentresPaint a Pot Craft Studio
Parks and PlaygroundsHicks Lodge
Parks and PlaygroundsRebound Ashby Trampoline Park
CastlesAshby de la Zouch Castle
MuseumsAshby de la Zouch Museum
Swimming PoolsAshby Leisure Centre and Lido
12 more within 10 miles of Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Charnwood Forest Alpacas

Little Feet Festival

Conkers

Jungle Madness

Calke Abbey - National Trust

Swadlincote Snowsports Centre

ODEON Swadlincote

Halloween Farm

Pumpkin Picking at Heather Cattows PYO Fruit Farm

Staunton Harold Reservoir

FANTASY FARM

Elite Gaming Lounge
Castle plus craft studio makes the classic wet-sky pairing; castle plus Hicks Lodge cycling suits the dry one. Bring or book bikes ahead for weekend mornings at the lodge, and pack the torch the castle tunnel deserves. Lido season is short and sunshine-dependent — treat an open-air swim as a bonus, not a plan. Market-day parking tightens; the castle car park turns over fastest.
Visiting Ashby-de-la-Zouch with kids: FAQs
Why do children rate Ashby Castle so highly?
The underground passage. A genuine tunnel links the kitchen to the tower, dark enough to need torchlight, and pairing it with the climb up Hastings Tower gives the visit a built-in quest structure. English Heritage's trail materials add just enough story without slowing the adventure down.
Is Hicks Lodge suitable for children learning to ride?
It is close to ideal: forest trails graded gently, hire fleets that include small bikes, tag-alongs and balance options, and a flat lakeside loop that new riders can finish proudly. Confident cyclists graduate to longer waymarked routes while the cafe anchors the regroup point.
What indoor options does Ashby offer on wet days?
Five of its six venues have indoor space, so the town holds up well: pottery painting for the methodical, trampolining for the kinetic, the little local museum for the curious, and swimming at the leisure centre year-round. The castle grounds themselves stay worthwhile in drizzle with the tower as shelter.