From den building and active outdoor play to open-air theatre and a tree treasure hunt, National Trust says it has hundreds of events and activities this summer.
Thanks to funding from Sport England over 140 National Trust houses, gardens and parks will be encouraging families to get active and take part in a Summer of Sport.
There will be drop-in ‘come out and play’ sports sessions include croquet and cricket, hopscotch and hockey, and with most sessions free to enjoy with no booking required.
For more details, log on to: nationaltrust.org.uk
Here’s the National Trust’s pick of the best places to enjoy this summer in Bucks, Berks and Oxfordshire.
Hughenden, near High Wycombe
Hughenden offers a vivid insight into the charismatic personality and colourful private life of the most unlikely Victorian Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, who lived here from 1848 to 1881. The formal gardens at Hughenden were designed by Mary Anne Disraeli in an 18th century Italianate style, a highly fashionable choice for Victorian country estates.
Today, the gardens have been recreated to be true to her vision with geometric formal beds, statuary and urns and striking planting. In the woodlands there are towering trees of all shapes and sizes to explore.
Add a picnic in the parkland and you’re set for a fantastic day surrounded by stunning views and the sweeping landscapes of the Chiltern hills.
In the summer holidays, children can play in the natural play area while the grown-ups catch up over coffee at the picnic tables in the orchard. Surrounded by rolling parkland and woodland, our woodland play area has been carved from giant fallen trees with rope walkways, wood stepping stones and hideaways for under-10s to explore. Top picnic spots include under the shade of the apple trees in the orchard or in the parkland with views across to the hills in the distance.
This summer’s family trail, Royalty in Nature, on until August 29, celebrates the natural world from the crown of the trees to the queens of the hives. Families will be able to build a den castle, create a natural crown and match the collars to the corgis.
Greys Court
An intimate family home and peaceful estate set in the rolling hills of the Chilterns. This picturesque 16th century mansion has a welcoming feel with homely living rooms and a well-stocked kitchen. Lady Brunner designed the garden in the late 1930s and the series of walled gardens is a colourful patchwork of garden rooms linked by doors, gates and flower tunnels set amid medieval ruins.
The play area has been refurbished, with new play equipment and a sitting circle for little ones. There’s plenty of space in the play area for den building, too. The maze is open every day, and a ‘Towering Trees’ trail is running until 15 July, where children can learn more about the importance of woodland.
Throughout the summer holidays there will be a mindfulness programme, with a wellbeing trail for children, silent walks and bookable children’s activities hosted by Relaxed Kids. Sessions with Relaxed Kids will run on Wednesday 27 July, 3, 17 and 24 August. More information and a link to book on the website.
Basildon Park, near Reading
Sitting elegantly in 162 hectares (400 acres) of historic parkland and gardens, this 18th-century house was purchased by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the 1950s. They brought the house back to life, acquiring a collection of fine furnishings and Old Master paintings.
The woodland and landscaped parkland offers space for plenty of activities to try as a whole family, including den building, making a home for a wild animal and bug-hunting. When you need a spot to pause there are plenty of great picnic spots to choose from in the parkland, with clearings in the trees, and benches with views over the Thames Valley. The umbrello is a lovely spot and the gardeners have been refreshing the planting there this year.
Basildon Park are running bookable den building sessions taking place on Friday afternoons in the summer holidays 29 July, 5, 12, 19, and 26 August, 2 September 2.30–4pm. A wild play trail and the clipped lawns in front of the mansion all make Basildon one of the best places for day out this summer.
Cliveden, near Maidenhead
Set high above the Thames with far-reaching views, Cliveden’s impressive gardens and majestic woodlands are both grand and picturesque. There is a series of formal gardens to explore, each with its own character and charm and a tree-lined avenue leading to myriad woodland walks and secluded glades.
Cliveden is a children’s paradise year-round with the Storybook Play Den for little ones and a natural play trail with rope swings, logs to leap over and den-building areas. You could tick off some of the 50 things to do at Cliveden, as recommended by staff, volunteers and visitors.
Visitors can hire electric boats, canoes and rowing boats or take a guided tour on a skippered cruise with our partners, Boating at Cliveden. Offering unique views of Cliveden and a chance to get up close to the wildlife of the river, a boat trip is a must for nature lovers. To find out more and to book your river adventure, head to: Boating at Cliveden – Luxury boat hire and trips on the beautiful River Thames.
The Vyne, near Basingstoke
Set on the edge of a tree-lined lake dotted with geese, The Vyne was once a great Tudor powerhouse comparable in size to Hampton Court. It was built by King Henry VIII’s lord chamberlain, Sir William Sandys and the king visited several times, with both his first wife, Catherine of Aragon and then with his second, Anne Boleyn.
The sprawling gardens and woodlands are just waiting to be explored in the summer holidays, from the 22 July. Families can enjoy fun activities in Morgaston Woods; a ‘tree treasure hunt’ where you find different tree species and locate the oldest trees in the woods, a ‘hidden treasures trail’ featuring long-lost historical features hidden in the landscape, and ‘build it up’ nature experience, where the whole family can get involved in an essential wilderness survival skills of den building. Outdoor theatre also comes to The Vyne this summer with Shakespeare’s ‘Much ado about nothing’ and ‘As you like it.
