A weekend at my parents gives us the perfect opportunity to visit some of the fab National Trust properties in the North East. The gorgeous sunshine drove us outdoors today, so we revisited one of our favourites; Wallington Hall.
This must be one of the most child-friendly NT properties around with three great play areas on the estate; an adventure playground, a fort and a Train stop.
There’s loads of things of interest as you wander round the extensive gardens… including a fairy tree!
Today we headed down to the walled garden, just 10 minutes from the house so perfect for little legs and a great place to play hide and seek as you go!
There are some lovely views of the lakes as you walk, and you can even spot some ducks to feed.
There’s a small cafe in the far corner of the garden for a little cuppa and cake before you head back.
The house itself has lots of different things to see, it’s one of those places that I fondly remember from my own childhood.
There are also some lovely walks that you can do here- see the NT webpage for more details.
The River Walk is just two miles, so a nice choice for families, I’d maybe go clockwise (towards the walled garden first) which means you don’t need to pass the play areas until the end of the walk (and so can use them as a bribe if needed!)
Being a National Trust property means that there’s the usual high standard of facilities including food services, but if you did want to take a picnic there are plenty of pretty benches dotted about the estate.
We haven’t tried cycling here, but there is a place to hire bikes if you fancy it too.
It’s a really great place to visit, and you could easily spend the day here. It’s over a two hour drive from or home in Leeds, so I probably would save a visit until I was in the area, but definitely give it a try if you can!
Rachel xxx
