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!

Rowntree Park, York

This is a lovely park near the river close to the centre of York. Set on land donated to the city by the chocolate company, it has plenty of space for bikes and scooters and playground equipment for a range of ages. There are several climbing frames, swings, slides and a long balance course.

Elsewhere in the park there is a mini golf course, skate park and there was a bouncy castle when we were there (extra charge). There are flocks of ducks and geese on a small lake and a more formal garden.

So far, so good. But the real point of difference in this park is the lovely community cafe, which hosts a small public library. It's an arts and crafts inspired building and has a balcony which overlooks the park. As a cafe it is cosy and welcoming, with magazines alongside the library books. The selection of books has been chosen by the Friends of Rowntree Park, a group which seems to be very active in support of the park and should be commended. When we were there the cafe was busy, and plenty of people were reading, to themselves and to their children. I suspect it had more visitors than many libraries on a Saturday afternoon.

At a time when local authority budgets are being squeezed, I think public services need to be innovative. This partnership of local authority, community group and cafe is working well and delivering a really attractive offering.

Round up
Café latte price: £2.50 for a large one
Favourite cake: £2.50 for a huge piece of Victoria sponge
Child friendly highlights: Great playground, babyccino for £1
Buggy friendly: yes
Parking: £2.40 for up to 2 hours


Verdict
A public library in a (lovely) cafe, in a (pretty good) public park. What's not to like? A lesson to local authorities everywhere.

 

Markeaton Park, Derby

Deciding whether to include this Derby City Council run park on this blog was a real dilemma.  It’s a great place for small kids.  One of the highlights is a huge paddling pool, which is open in the summer, and has several fountains for added splashy fun.

The playground area is also huge, with signs of extensive recent investment.  My son had a great time in the pirate ship area, and the big slides set into the bank.  Toddlers get swings and a fire engine climbing frame and older children can play on big rope climbing frames.

There are plenty of picnic benches if you’ve brought your own lunch.

Most of this is provided for free.  Additional charges apply for hiring canoes on the boating lake, and the light railway, but these are reasonable, and you can have a good time in the park without doing either.

So far so good.  But this blog is about coffee and cake.  The only coffee I could find was at a takeaway kiosk where it came out of an instant coffee jar, topped up with boiling water.  Add your own milk and sugar, for £1.20.

I’ve since looked at the website, and there is apparently a café. We missed it completely, and even if it is there, it seems to be missing a trick to have it so far away from the children’s play area.

Round up

Café latte price: £1.20 for an instant coffee

Favourite cake: those my friend packed in the picnic

Child friendly highlights: Great paddling pool, huge playground, miniature train

Buggy friendly: Yes, very

Parking: £1.50 for up to 2 hours, £2.80 for up to 4 hours, £3.70 for over 4 hours

 

Verdict

The park is great, and full marks for the investment. But my plea to Markeaton Park: invest in a cappuccino machine in your kiosk, add some homemade cake to the chocolate and ice cream selection, and this would be a perfect family destination.

 

Cannock Chase: Birches Valley

I've written about Cannock Chase before but this review is for another location.  And to be honest I found Birches Valley a better family destination than the Marquis Drive visitors centre.  Maintained by the Forestry Commission it is the place to go for mountain bike paths and Go Ape and if you are accompanied by under 5s it provides plenty of scope for a family outing.

The playground in the forest is vast with a range of swings, climbing frames and walls, cargo nets and slides. The paths are good for small cyclists, and my small son was surprisingly interested in the fairy grotto. When we were there there was a Gruffalo trail which we didn't follow but looked like fun.  There are lots of good picnic sites if you want to bring your own.

The cafe is also a lot better than the one on Marquis Drive.  We went in the school Easter holiday so the cafe was busy and I queued for a while but the service was still good. We enjoyed coffee and apricot muffins, which were delicious, but we could have had freshly made baguettes, soup or jacket potatoes. There is also an ice cream kiosk which was doing a great trade.

 Overall on a fine day this is a lovely spot for family play and exploration.

 

 

Round up

Cafe latte price: £2.70 for a large one
Favourite cake: super fruity apricot muffins £1.60
Child friendly highlights: Great playground, lots of biking paths, gruffalo trail, fairy grotto, baby changing
Buggy friendly: Yes in parts, but it would need to be a sturdy one to cope with forest paths
Car parking: £3 all day

 

Verdict

Birches Valley is a great outdoor playing spot in a beautiful location and makes for a good value family destination.

 

Kingsbury Water Park, nr Tamworth

Kingsbury Water Park is a large country park with 15 lakes, owned and run by Warwickshire County Council. 

It is a great place for outdoor play.  The Lake View playground and the Far Leys adventure playground cater for children of all ages with multiple climbing frames, tunnels and swings.  There are plenty of reasonably flat paths suitable for bikes and scooters and picnic benches at both playgrounds. 

A real highlight for my son is the Echills Wood miniature railway which runs from the playground near the car park, to the playground at Far Leys.  There is an extra charge for this, although if you have a big group, or plan to come again, it can work out well to buy a book of 8 tickets.

The Old Barn café is close to the car park, and serves a good range of drinks, snacks, and ice cream. There is indoor and outdoor seating. The coffee is not a highlight, but if you have spent a couple of hours exploring with children they serve it hot and wet and accompanied by cake.

You pay to park, and you will need £3.50 in change to feed the barrier as you arrive.

The site includes a children's farm, which we haven't explored yet, and is also home to a model boat club, jet bikes and power boats.  But despite all that, it is a surprisingly relaxing destination.

Round up
Café Latte price: I don't think they do it - have a mug of coffee at £1.80 or cappuccino at £2.10
Favourite cake: Tea cake for £1.90, or the coffee and walnut at £2.20
Child friendly highlights: Playgrounds, bike friendly paths, model trains
Buggy friendly: The site is fairly flat and easy for buggies, some on paths some on grass
Car parking: £3.50 pay on arrival

Verdict
Kingsbury has lots of space for playing and biking and is a firm family favourite on a fine day.

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.

Cannock Chase: Marquis Drive Visitors Centre

Cannock Chase Country Park attracts mountain bikers, ramblers, dog walkers, horse riders and yet more mountain bikers from miles around.  It is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and includes forest, heathland and park areas.

If you have smaller children, the best place to start is the Visitors' Centre on Marquis Drive, where you can get to a host of paths suitable for buggies, scooters, trikes and bikes.  We like the paths marked on this map which provide enough distance and gradient for a small boy on a bike with stabilisers.  There are also family cycling trails of 3.5 to 9 miles, which we haven't tried yet.

The Visitors' Centre also has a good outdoor playground with swings, climbing frames and a good collection of wobbly bridges and balancing beams.  But it turns into a mud fest with the slightest amount of rain, so come with splash suits, old clothes and welly boots!  There is also a big area for picnics (including barbeques), frisbees and ball games.

The cafe is basic, but it does a range of hot and cold drinks, snacks, sandwiches, jacket potatoes (about £3) and bacon butties (£2.50).  And all those mud caked mountain bikers mean your kids will never make too much mess.

Round up

Cafe Latte price: £1.65
Favourite cake: Chocolate covered flapjack £1.50 - it was so chunky we shared 1 piece between 3
Child friendly highlights: highchairs, children's portions including beans on toast for £1.50
Buggy friendly: Most of the paths are ok, the playground is a bit harder going
Car parking: £1 for up to 3 hours or £2 over 3 hours, but plenty of roadside parking too

Verdict

Very much an outdoor destination, with the cafe not much more than a convenient pit stop, but a great place for bikes and good value food and drink.

Rosliston Forestry Centre, Rosliston, Derbyshire

Owned and managed by South Derbyshire District Council, the RoslistonForestry Centre is a large site, part of the National Forest and much of it was planted in the 1990s.  All the equipment in the large play area has been built from wood, with bark chippings everywhere and includes climbing frame and slides in a huge sandpit, wheelchair accessible roundabouts, balance beams swings and a huge climbing frame shaped like a bird of prey.  From the top you get a great view of the whole surrounding area (so my husband and toddler tell me!)  It also has a huge grassy meadow to bring your own football and picnic.

Beyond the play area are nature trails, lakes, meadows and paths.  It’s a great area for taking bikes, for treasure hunts and for going on bear hunts, or hunting for heffalumps or gruffalos.  We had a particularly nice morning here recently, just at the start of autumn, when the trees were just starting to change colour – all very beautiful.  There are also a series of family events, which we haven’t tried, and you can stay in one of the lodges, or even get married here! 

The Hub Café is close to the car park, and has a big log burner which makes it really cosy on a cold day.  They do a range of drinks, cakes and snacks, toasties, jacket potatoes and sandwiches.  There is plenty of outside seating, and the whole place is very popular with cyclists and families at the weekend.

Round up

Café Latte price:  £1.80

Favourite cake:  Fabulous chocolate and orange sponge cake £2.40

Child friendly highlights:  High chairs, basic baby change, children’s menu for about £4 and children’s lunch box for £3.20 (4 items).  Soft play also next to café  £1.75 for 30 minutes.

Buggy friendly:  The paths generally are, but the playground is on a grassy slope, so a bit tricky to negotiate.

Car parking:  Yes, £2 a day or a season pass for £20

Verdict

Definitely one for good (or at least dry) weather days, but lots of space for lively children and a cosy café for the end of your visit.

 

Byrkley Park, Rangemore, nr Burton upon Trent

Byrkley Park is one of those garden centres that has turned into a destination even for those of us not especially interested in plants!  The main attraction if you have small children is the play area, with climbing frames, slides and balance beams (no swings).  You can also have fun in the animal area with sheep, mini goats and a range of chickens and ducks and the aquarium area – my son particularly enjoys spotting the fish and the (plastic) crocodile in the fish tank which blows bubbles.

There are three ride-on machines – a lifeboat, car and tractor.  These cost 20p each ride, so you may want to have your excuses or your change ready!  Pre-Christmas there is a grotto (which we haven’t tried) and reindeer come to visit.

A large area of the shop is dedicated to toys and books, but it is possible to get out of the shop area without going through this if you need to.  There are also a lot of breakables (plant pots, Christmas decorations, china dinner sets) and small items (jewellery, crafts) so your busy toddler will need some supervising.

The café area is large, with inside and outside seating, They offer the full range of drinks, snacks, main meals and afternoon tea.  The service is not the most friendly and it isn't my favourite coffee in the area, but they are often busy, particularly for Sunday lunch, and I suspect many people are regular visitors.

Round up

Café Latte price:  £2.20
Favourite cake:  huge scones with butter for £1.95 (jam 25p extra)
Child friendly highlights:  high chairs, crayons and paper in the café area, lunchboxes at £3.95 for 6 items, trolleys that look like Little Tike cars (although these are really hard to steer)
Buggy friendly:  yes, all areas

Car parking:  Plenty of free parking including parent and child spaces

Verdict

Not great coffee but a regular Sunday afternoon destination, particularly if we need to buy birthday cards or presents

Lakeside Bistro, Beacon Park, Lichfield

In the last couple of years Lichfield’s Beacon Park has benefited from a multi-million pound makeover, which included a major upgrade to the play areas.  From baby swings and sandpits to a go kart track and rope swings, there is plenty here to keep children of most ages entertained.  My Thomas the Tank Engine obsessed son loves the red train in the middle of the younger children’s play area and the huge pirate ship where he likes to steer and walk the plank. 

 

There is also plenty of space for ball games and paths for riding bikes and trikes, benches and seats for picnics and on selected days you can ride donkeys.  The whole area is clean and well maintained, and the play area is very sensibly gated to keep your toddlers from straying into the lake!

 

Built as part of the overall upgrade, the Lakeside Bistro opened in spring 2012 in a great location next to the children’s play area.  This, and Chandlers Café at the Bird Street entrance to the park are owned and run by Chandlers, one of Lichfield’s favourite restaurants.  The Bistro does a full range of coffees, drinks (including alcohol) and snacks and has a reasonable breakfast and lunch menu, including specials from the restaurant.  It also does takeaway coffee if you want to drink your latte while your children play. 

Round up

Café Latte price:  £2.20

Favourite cake: the homemade chocolate chip cookies at £1.50

Child friendly highlights: high chairs and baby changing in the Bistro, kids menu from £3 - £4.50 for mains, party packages

Buggy friendly: yes, park and Bistro are all very accessible

Car parking: Easiest and cheapest parking is on Shaw Lane (20p for 2 hours up to 3.30pm).  But don’t park on the lines, or in anything other than a marked space –the Lichfield parking attendants are merciless.

Verdict
So far we’ve only been there when it’s been quiet, and I’ve yet to see how they cope with a busy day, but the Bistro has added a lot to the park.  Even on a cold day we can spend a happy hour here.

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.