Tempted for a large family holiday, concerned about how your smaller families will fit together, or who will decide what you're up to? Here is one families hints and tips from their multi-generational get away here at The Cottage Beyond.
Friday arrival.
We left the bussle of the world behind as we turned off the A38 and wiggled through the country lanes, past fields and farms, and over hump-backed bridges leading our way towards The Cottage Beyond. The first from our group to arrive, we couldn't wait to get there and see what was in store for us.
A warm welcome awaited us, with a boquet of fresh flowers, eggs from the farm, and local tea coffee and an incredible looking chocolate cake! The children couldn't contain their excitement spotting the pigs in the field next-door, and were bursting to bagsy their beds and get off down to the Swimming Pool! 
The supermarket delivery arrived shortly after, which we had all chipped in for, and organised in advance. It was lovely not to have the stress of fitting the food into the car too, and filling the large larder and spotless fridge freezer whilst checking out the kitchen was a joy! They had thought of everything - two dishwashers, a boiling water tap, and a separate drinks fridge! Fabulous!
The rest of the party arrived and we were shown around the Spa Hall, how to work the Sauna and make the most of the hot tub - I couldn't wait to head down there with the other grown-ups in the evening to do a few lengths and then relax.
Friday evening we kept supper simple, with fish fingers for the kids, and an incredible Cook Lasagne (delivered to The Cottage Beyond by Cook earlier in the day) and salad for the grown ups! All washed down with a glass of wine before we nattered the night away infront of the roaring fire! Perfect!
Saturday.
The little ones were up first, and all sat in a line watching telly in the Snug - there are toys and books in there too which helped keep them entertained. They had breakfast at the little table in the kichen, overlooking the bird table - they loved spotting all the different birds coming to fetch their breakfast too! Once everyone was up we decided to all get outside, some of us tackled 'The Stampbox Challenge'. This was a great way to get out and explore the farm, although we only got a couple as we got waylayed playing in the woods and finding the fairy doors. The rest of the group went on a longer walk, heading off down the hill and along the valley to Langford Budville where they enjoyed a coffee and cake at The White Post - an idylic find up in the woods and well worth a visit!
After a simple lunch some of the group went down to the pool, and others caught up with the football; I made the most of the quiet and sat in the snug - it was brilliant having so many different spaces to relax in - it made it feel like we had the choice to all be together, or to take a moment on our own whatever took our fancy!
In the evening we got a takeaway from Show Spice delivered - it saved us from cooking and meant the clearing up wasn't too onerous! The kids had a pre-bed swim in the dark - so much fun and splashing - we got the sound system blasting out the tunes too which made it feel like a disco pool party!
Sunday.
Another relaxed start to the day with some people swimming while others played boardgames. There were a few keen to complete the stampbox challenge, so they headed off ably assisted by Pepsi and Elbie the farm dogs. The teens made the most of the games room - battling it out at table football - there is still a bit of debate as to who won!
Lunch was a delicious roast, and with everything needed to peel and prep many hands made light work! We even used the warming oven to get the plates perfect. After lunch we had a film afternoon - and despite being in the middle of nowhere, the internet coped fine with streaming from Prime! It was the brother-in-law's birthday so we had a cake made and dellivered by Jackies cakes, which we enjoyed mid afteronoon - she did an incredible themed cake that was just perfect for him.
Some of the group headed home late afternoon, leaving a few of us to enjoy the final night - we lit the fire again, and
Monday morning.
A final morning swim, a quick hello to Apple and Blackberry, the pigs, to give them the veg scraps, and a last load of the dishwashers, and we were ready to head home. It truly was a fabulous weekend, and the house was just perfect for us all - the beds were comfortable, enough en-suites so we had our privacy and personal space, and plenty of things to do to keep everyone happy! We all left feeling so relaxed and rejuvinated - we just didn't want it to end! A perfect place for our family gathering.