Wray Castle, Windermere

If you've ever taken your small child to any stately home and lived in fear of them touching or breaking something, Wray Castle is the place for you. It is a mock gothic castle, built in the 1840s and owned by the National Trust.  After years being rented to different organisations as offices, it was opened to the public in 2012.

To get into the castle, you need to pay, but I think you could enjoy the grounds and gardens for free. There is a car park charge. You could also take a minibus from other local NT properties or do what we did and take a boat from Ambleside and make the 5 minute walk from the jetty to the castle.


Once we were in the castle every room had something fun for kids to do, including building castles from large foam blocks, craft activities, a microscope room and dressing up costumes (for adults as well as children!) There was a full sized pool table in 1 bedroom and a table tennis table in another.  One room even gave us chance to write the name of our favourite books on the wall.  None of the furniture was original or precious, and there are no valuable ornaments.

Outside there is a large adventure playground with tunnels and dens, and you can also take the path down to the lake side and paddle your toes. When we were there a local archery club also had targets set up in the walled garden, and we had a go for a small extra charge.

There is a pop up cafe in the castle, serving drinks, snacks and sandwiches which are prepared by a local pub. We took our lunch to one of the picnic benches at the front of the castle and enjoyed a sandwich with a view.

We spent about 4 hours there and could have spent longer. We didn't try the croquet on the front lawn or the children's trail, and it wasn't quite warm enough to paddle. But I'm sure we will be back.

Round up
Cafe latte price: not available, but £2.25 for a cappuccino
Favourite cake: scone, cream and jam (this is the National Trust after all) £2.95. Tray bakes also looked very good.
Child friendly highlights: Every room has something different, adventure playground and access to the lake. And try the baby change in one of the towers - very posh!
Buggy friendly: a sturdy buggy would be fine.
Parking: there is a charge, but we came by boat.

Verdict
We had a great day out, and liked the very relaxed approach. Every stately home should have a table tennis table!

National Railway Museum, York

Sooner or later every small child seems to have a phase of being obsessed by trains. I assume this happens to little girls too. When it does, you can do worse than get yourselves to the National Railway Museum in York. It is free to get in, although there are lots of opportunities to spend money once you are in.

The highlights include many large steam engines, including the record breaking Mallard, a replica of the Rocket, a Eurostar, bullet train and various royal trains. There are also some impressive model railway layouts, which my son was very excited by. You can go on a Mallard simulator, which recreates the 1930s record breaking speed attempt, for an extra charge. You can buy a children's guide and spend lots of time in the large shop full of train related goodies.

Outside there is a large play area for 3-8 year olds and a ride on model train (extra charge). There are inside and outside picnic benches, and during the school holidays there are a series of hands on activities to take part in, some of which also have an extra charge.

There is plenty of in house catering to choose from. We sampled the Mallard cafe which provides surprisingly good quality drinks, snacks and lunches in the middle of the Great Hall, surrounded by steam engines.

Round up
Cafe latte price: £2.75 for a large one in the Mallard Cafe
Favourite cake: Choc peanut butter brownie for £2.95
Child friendly highlights: Big trains, small trains, trains in the playground, kids lunch boxes in the cafe
Buggy friendy: Yes
Parking: Come by train or park and ride

Verdict
Although free to get in, the extras can mount up quickly, but this can be a full day out for train enthusiasts of all ages.

Hanbury Hall, nr Droitwich, Worcs

This blog usually focusses on those place which are free to get in, or where there is a small charge for car parking only. Hanbury Hall is an exception. If you aren't a National Trust member, it's quite expensive to get in. In the winter it costs £10.65 for a family ticket to the park and gardens (more if you want to go in the house as well, and more if you gift aid it).

But once you are in, there is a huge area of gardens and park to enjoy. We've been coming here as a family for years, and highlights for the small members include a great outdoor playground, a tunnel (brilliant for train-mad toddlers) and the walled garden with hens and bantams. Add to that lots of space for running around and picnics, and beautiful gardens, and I suspect it will continue to be a destination.

Coffee and cake is well up to the National Trust's usual standards. They aim to use produce from the garden in their baking, and the eggs are from their own hens. Try the cake of the month (recipe on the website) or just tuck into a great big scone - you know you want to! 

Round up
Café Latte price: £2.35
Favourite cake: Coffee and walnut or Victoria sponge, don't make me decide.  £2.35 each.
Child friendly highlights: The playground, the tunnel, the lawn in front of the orangery for ball games and general letting off steam. 
Buggy friendly: Car park is gravelled and very hard work. Some steps in the garden and cattle grids on the drive.
Car parking: No extra charge

Verdict
If you are a National Trust member, this is a lovely place for a family afternoon out on a dry day.

National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas

Living so close to the National Memorial Arboretum, it's a bit remiss of me to not have reviewed it before now.  It's a place we visited and enjoyed pre-child but I wasn't sure how my appropriate it would be for my pre-schooler.

The Arboretum opened in May 2001 and is the UK's centre for remembrance on a large site by the banks of the River Trent.  It has a vast array of memorial gardens, many but not all of them are military.  You may have seen some of them on the television including the Armed Forces Memorial and the recently unveiled memorial to the Falklands War. I find them fascinating, and if you have even the slightest interest in recent UK history you will find something to capture your imagination. The site is quite exposed and prone to flooding, so do dress appropriately!

My son enjoys the playground.  The sign says it is for ages 6 and above, but even at nearly 4 he can monkey around the balance bars, stepping posts and wobbly bridges.  No slides or swings though, so not really one for the littlest members of the family.  The playground is surrounded by trees which are dedicated to children who have died - some of the plaques make very sad reading.

He also found some of the memorials really interesting, including the big train dedicated to workers from the rail industry and the RNLI memorial.  As he gets bigger I think there will be more opportunities to explore and discuss what they mean.

I had 2 concerns - 1, that he would want to move the host of poppies and crosses that are placed on memorials around the site and 2, that he would have a tantrum that would upset visitors who have come to remember a loved one.  To be fair, he was very good and the whole place is very welcoming for families, but I do keep this in mind when we visit.

The cafe is not fancy, and the coffee is no where near as good as the nearby Apple Tree cafe, but it does a good range of drinks, snacks and lunches including Sunday lunch.  There was a good choice of cake too!  The Arboretum attracts a lot of coach parties so it can get busy, but there is plenty of seating. 

Round up
Cafe Latte price: £1.95 from a push button machine
Favourite cake: Ginger cake with lemon icing £1.90
Child friendly highlights: Small woodland playground, baby change, children's meals and drinks, children's activities.  There is no fence between the path and the river.
Buggy friendly: The site is very flat and easy for buggies, some on paths some on grass.
Car parking: Plenty, small charge depending on time of year. £1.50 in winter, £3 rest of year

Verdict
Overall this is a good place for a family visit  and a place to go back to year after year as more memorials are added and the trees grow bigger.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

A museum and art gallery is not an obvious place to take a toddler, but here are a few reasons why you should:

Unlike lots of cultural attractions, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is completely free.  So even if all you do is go in for a drink in an unusual place, you've lost nothing.

The "Birmingham: its people and history" gallery has been designed to appeal to all ages.  My 3 year old was particularly interested in the model of medieval Birmingham where he could press the lights to see the church, the herd of cattle and other exciting features.  Although I suspect he thought it would have been improved with a model railway.  And he really liked the activity where you could build a church and house with big blocks.  Other things that appealed included the model swords in the Staffordshire Hoard gallery and some of the great big light installations. 

The Edwardian tea room is beautiful ornate gallery, and a lovely place for parents to have a drink, with all the breakable things behind glass cases.  It offers children's lunchboxes for £3.65 for a sandwich and 4 other items, or £3.95 for a child size portion of any of the main meals.  For grown ups it has a full range of drinks (although the coffee is not brilliant), cakes, sandwiches, hot meals and afternoon tea.

You may even get a moment to look at something beautiful while you are there.  The art gallery has a great collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, bits of the Staffordshire Hoard and a huge Buddha. Take your pick!

Round up

Cafe Latte price: £2.30
Favourite cake: Toasted tea cake or muffins, both £1.80
Child friendly highlights: Lunchboxes and children's meals.  Baby change available (a bit out of date but has everything you need including a high chair in the toilet cubicle - very helpful!)  Various trails, quizzes, activities etc around the galleries as children get a bit bigger.
Buggy friendly: The steps up to the building are a bit off putting but there is disabled/buggy access round the side of the building and lifts throughout.  Tea room is roomy and all on one level.
Car parking: This is the middle of Brum - use the local car parks or get the train and walk up New Street.

Verdict

It started out as somewhere to shelter on a very cold February day, but I'm glad we tried this, even if our first trip was quite short.  It made a great alternative to all the chain coffee shops in the middle of Birmingham and I'm sure we'll be back as our toddler gets older.

Sudbury Hall, Sudbury, Derbyshire

Sudbury Hall/Museum of Childhood is actually a National Trust property, but we have been there many times to the playground and café without having to show our National Trust membership, so I’m thinking that this bit is free to enter.

The big draw for children is the great play area in the woods as part of the Hall grounds.  It has a big range of things to climb, swing and slide on, including a pair of wooden houses linked by a bridge and a wooden boat which my toddler loves.  There is also plenty of running around space in the garden area and by the lake.

The café is in the old stable area and does standard National Trust fare – ie great coffee, loads of greatcakes, good choice for lunch – and all with local produce as far as possible.  If you fancy bringing your own there is plenty of picnic space on the lawn.  We went one day in school holidays to find a giant Connect 4 and chess set on the lawn.

The Museum is great to visit (even if you don’t have children) in order to revisit all those 1970s and 1980s toys you once had.  They have a copy of my Brownie handbook c1981 and a Millennium Falcon!  It’s very hands on too, so your children will be able to play and not just peer into glass cases.  Father Christmas also visits here in December (extra charge).

Added to all that is the 17th century house, the National Trust shop and the toy shop.

Round up
Café Latte price:  £2.35 for standard, £2.95 for large

Favourite cake: today we liked the chocolate crispy cakes for 50p but the scones looked great!

Child friendly highlights: children’s lunch boxes for £3.95, plenty of high chairs, microwave for heating bottles & food

Buggy friendly:  café is (although when it gets busy the additional seating is upstairs, no lift).  Woodland playground needs some off roading and can get very muddy.

Car parking:  Free in the NT car park a short walk from the Hall/Museum grounds.

Verdict
Good for at least a couple of hours most times of year, but probably more if you want to explore the museum.