Emmetts Gardens, National Trust

This week we went to Emmetts Gardens, a really lovely National Trust property and gardens in Kent, not far from us. We’ve been before so we knew how lovely it is, but we hadn’t bargained on seeing SOOO many bluebells. We saw loads the other week at Hatchlands Park, but there were so many more here I think. It was a bit of a ramble round especially with the buggy but it was worth it. As usual we took a picnic and just let the kids roam a bit. The rhododendrons and azaleas were all in bloom and looked absolutely gorgeous, the grounds are just so well maintained. We didn’t do any of the NT 50 things that day (well there was a bit of rolling going on but I felt it didn’t count as it wasn’t a big enough hill!) but we just enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. I particularly loved the magnifying glasses that you can loan for the day, the kids loved walking around like Sherlock Holmes. 

My Bluebell Fairy!

Swathes of Bluebells!

I spy with my little eye.....

Another fantastic National Trust Day Out - Hatchlands Park

As National Trust members we try to make as much use of our membership so that it effectively becomes pennies to enter some of these amazing properties and gardens. This weekend we went to Hatchlands Park and we loved it! We're trying to do some of the National Trust 50 Things to do before 11 and 3/4's with the kids and so over the weekend at Hatchlands they had pony rides which helped us to tick that off the list. 

If you live in the Surrey area and you've never been to Hatchlands then you should as the grounds are beautiful and at this time of year there is a bluebell wood in full swing. It's the first time I've ever seen so many bluebells in one place and it was so pretty. In order to make it appealing to the kids there were 'fairies' dotted around in the trees for them to spot. We did so much walking that day - we walked through the fields where cattle were grazing in order to get to the bluebells and on the way there was Wizard Wix Willow Warren, a natural adventure area for children, which they loved running around in. There were also dens ready made for the kids to sit and play in too. 



Here are a few more snaps of our day - it was so sunny and being outdoors all day was so good for us all. Roll on another weekend of outdoor fun!