Summer days out

HANNAH STEPHENSON FINDS SOME OF THE BEST GARDENS IN THE UK THAT ALL THE FAMILY CAN ENJOY

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SUMMER is an ideal time to visit some of the many glorious gardens on your doorstep or on your travels - and you can take your pick of family-friendly options.

Whether your children (or grandchildren) like making dens, playing games outdoors or going on bug hunts, the UK’s open gardens give parents and children the chance to enjoy days out together.

There are many family-friendly events at National Trust properties through its Summer of Play initiatives, and you may also gain inspiration from exploring activities staged by the RHS, English Heritage and the National Garden Scheme, which raises money for health charities and other organisations.

Here are just a few of the gardens which will entertain the whole family and help them reconnect with the great outdoors.

ANGLESEY ABBEY, CAMBRIDGESHIRE A beach-themed ‘Summer of Play’ at Anglesey Abbey will give the kids a chance to let loose in a giant sandpit, take part in some seaside arts and crafts, and challenge friends and family to a game of badminton or volleyball. There will be five creative and interactive seaside play zones around the gardens where you can get your creativity flowing and learn more about nature at the seaside.

BELSAY HALL, CASTLE AND GARDENS, NORTHUMBERLAND Lose yourself in the vast 30-acre, Grade I-listed gardens at Belsay, which have been reinvigorated by renowned garden designer Dan Pearson with more than 80,000 new plants.

The star of the gardens is the amazing Quarry Garden, created where stone was quarried for the hall.

It has its own microclimate, meaning all sorts of exotic plants grow here. Dramatic ravines and cliff-faces create backdrops for an array of amazing trees and plants, including the stupendous giant rhubarb, nicknamed ‘dinosaurs’ food.