Our local garden odyssey continued today with a trip to Ickworth - a National Trust property near Bury St Edmunds. It was over an hour's drive away but it boasted a good children's play area, which proved sufficient bribe for the kids.
Actually, the play area turned out to be situated slap bang by the car park. I can't decide if this was genius or folly. It made it very easy to get the children out of the car, but trying to encourage exploration of the other 70 acres of garden was somewhat more difficult.
Best bits for children
Albana Walk - this two-mile walk can be joined from just near the play area and is perfect for children. It has a couple of covered seating areas for resting tired legs, enjoying sheltered picnics, or just plotting the overthrow of parents. Plus these are countless gaps in hedges or intriguing detours to tempt children into exploring more of the wood.
Trim Trail - I have to admit, we didn't try this as it's for older children (and parents with more energy than myself or MM exhibited today) but it forms a simple one mile added loop of the Albana Walk.
Fairy Lake - this is set quite a distance into the parkland so beware the trek. With small people and their even smaller legs, you will need to find a lot to interest them on the walk. We started by pointing out wild flowers but soon found ourselves having imagined conversations with the local sheep and creating elaborate fairy-based tales to keep them occupied. Also, the fairy lake does rather lack fairies when you arrive but for some reason the children still said they liked it.
Italianate Gardens - these are right by the house (and restaurant) so make a good diversion either side of lunch. They do begin rather disappointingly by offering a fabulous bank for the rolling down of children only to ban this very exercise. Still, Ava and Oscar loved the huge topiary balls which they insited on hugging, as well as the terrace wall which they sat on despite my misgivings at the drop on the other side.
This area also housed the stumpery garden - a brilliant slice of Victorian eccentricity and somehow reminiscent of a pre-historic world. It also offered a spring garden with its pretty flowering meadow which Ava felt strangely drawn to lie down in and the golden garden, which, although a horticultural disappointment, made a good place for hide and seek.
Cycle routes - what I did regret, given the stunning 1800 acres of parkland, was our lack of bicycles. Many families had come equipped and I was rather envious as they whizzed by us with their decidely less whingey offspring in tow. Still, there was also a distinct hit and miss attitude to signage which, combined with MM's legendary lack of direction, would have probably led to us cycling our way out of the property entirely.
Children's Play Area - definitely top of Ava and Oscar's list. It had swings, scramble nets, obstacle course and a flying fox - always a winner. The whole area was sited amongst the trees so there was a fair amount of natural shade, plus, it was obviously planned by a parent as they had thoughtfully put a handful of picnic benches around the edge for energetically challenged adults. Combine this with the refreshments kiosk the other side of the car park, and there was very little reason to move for the rest of the day.
What could have been better?
I was looking forward to the walled garden, only to find it was mostly taken up with a vineyard that wasn't open and the rest of it contained walls, but no garden.
Also, the gardens were rather lacking in colour and, the whole place had a slightly dishevelled air with scruffy borders and a few too many weeds.
Finally there was some wonderful wildlife but it could have been made more of - perhaps with hides, insect shelters or information panels of which animals and creepy crawlies to spot.
Still, it gave us five hours of family entertainment and a car full of exhausted children on the way home. This in turn meant we were spared another journey with kid-based CD choices - always a blessing.
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