It’s been a while since I last posted. I’m not sure if it’s possible to get the equivalent of writer’s block with blogging (I’ll call it blogger’s block), but that’s what happened. The 4-year old is also still in the midst of the furious fours (when will it end?!!! Does it end?!! I bloody hope so!), so I haven’t had as much time to post as often as I’d like.
It’s been tough but, as every parent knows, you just have to take the rough with the smooth and try and carry on.
There are lots of things (besides chocolate) that help me to get through the more difficult stages of parenthood. One of them is a good day out.
With the summer holidays fast approaching, I thought I’d do a post about some of the best National Trust places to visit with children (yes, a National Trust membership is highly useful if you’re a parent!).
Despite the tough times, we’ve had many good times at some of these places.
Here are five of our top National Trust places for families:
Calke Abbey
As any parent of a small child knows, play parks are a necessity for keeping the kids entertained. Calke Abbey has a few of these and they are well worth a visit. The best one is Calke Explore, an adventure playground in the abbey’s woods.
Calke Explore is huge and there’s lots for young children to do, from exploring caves to balancing on the wooden beams.
WARNING: Under 5s will love it so much that you may not be able to tear them away from it. You may need to bring plenty of snacks to coax them out.
Speaking of snacks, the area has a refreshment stand, which sells delicious pasties for the adults and ice-cream for the kids. It’s a win-win!
Further up, nearer to the country house, there is a more traditional play park. The husband and 4-year old have spent much time putting on their silliest voices and shouting to each other down the walkie talkie-like objects at both ends of the park while I’ve pretended not to know them pushed the 7-year-old on the swings.
The grounds are beautiful, with nature trails available to suit everyone. We always choose the shortest one, as it’s easier for the kids (and less chance of them moaning!). All trails include colour-coded arrows, making it easier to follow your chosen route. The house itself is also worth a visit, with lots of artefacts and a rich history to explore.
Definitely an ideal place to visit if you’re looking for somewhere that tires the kids out!
The Children’s Country House Museum
Located in the Children’s Country House at Sudbury, the Children’s Country House Museum offers much for families to see and do. Young kids love to touch things (I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said “don’t touch that!” throughout my parenting journey) and the best thing about this attraction is that kids…can touch things.
The museum is packed with child-friendly displays that encourage children to explore the history of childhood through touch. There are dolls houses, a classroom and a chimney, all of which children can experience first-hand.
In addition to this, there is also a wonderful outdoor area where children can play with toys or enjoy some archery. Sudbury Hall itself is also worth exploring and is ideal for families looking for somewhere that offers plenty of activities (including free crafts) during half-term breaks and the summer holidays.
Worth a visit if you want somewhere that offers a good mix of things to do!
Clumber Park
We’ve only visited Clumber Park once, but we loved it and plan to go back there sometime soon. The park is beautiful and although we didn’t get the chance to visit the woodland play park on our visit, we still had fun! We explored the huge selection of flowers in the greenhouse and stopped off by the lake to see the ducks.
The park is home to the Discovery Centre, which has some interesting displays, including tankfuls of bugs. There was also lovely area upstairs with toys laid out for children to sit and play with. The 4-year-old loved the giant bug statues!
Clumber Park is also a great location for families with dogs. We don’t have a dog but we stumbled across Central Bark, the park’s dog-friendly café, during our visit and decided to stop for a drink. We were entertained by all the different dogs and noticed how much effort the park has put into making it a welcome place for families with dogs and dog walkers in general.
Clumber Park is worth a visit for the scenery alone and we’re looking forward to returning there soon! It definitely deserves a spot on our list of top National Trust places for families!
Plas Neywdd House and Garden
This place is GORGEOUS! Definitely one of our top National Trust places for families. We’ve visited a couple of times during our holidays in Wales and we love it. Located in Anglesey, the Plas Newydd house and garden offer much to explore. We enjoyed a walk around the beautiful gardens and also visited the house.
I previously wrote a post about the worst places for kids to have a tantrum. This was one of them. Our then 2-year-old had a terrible tantrum in the house, but now that he’s a bit older, we hope that this won’t happen next time we visit!
Despite the almighty tantrum, we still loved our visit. We ate lunch on the grass overlooking the beautiful Manai Strait, explored the cannons and visited the lovely treehouse, which we had stumbled across on a previous visit.
This place is definitely worth a visit if you’re holidaying in Anglesey. If you already live in Anglesey, I envy you for having this beautiful attraction on your doorstep!
Kedleston Hall
Admittedly, visits to Kedleston Hall haven’t always been a success. However, this of course isn’t the fault of the lovely manor house and gardens but rather the fault of my children, who have done at least one of the following during our visits:
- Complained about walking
- Had a massive argument over who had the biggest stick while we waited in a queue at the coffee kiosk (I still haven’t lived that down)
- Spent a considerable amount of time faffing about near the big birdbath at the start of the trail, with the promise of snacks being the only thing to coax our youngest away from it
Despite all of the above, we still had a decent time and this remains one of our top National Trust places for families. One of the attractions that the kids didn’t complain about was the fairy house. They always love to stop by there during our walks and this lovely little house is a perfect photo opportunity for families!
Kedleston Hall is also worth a visit if you love nature trail activities and the area is beautifully decorated during special events, such as Christmas. We loved the nutcracker decorations when we visited a few years back!
And so…
If you’re looking for somewhere that will keep the kids entertained for a few hours, any of these on this list will do the job!
Of course, you don’t have to be a member of the National Trust to enjoy any of these attractions. A membership is definitely worth it though and will save you lots of money on admission prices and parking.
If anyone has any other good recommendations for National Trust locations I’d love to hear them!
