The National Trust at Easter
As always, the National Trust at Easter is full of exciting events during the Spring break. Here’s the guide to events across the UK…
Nymans, West Sussex
Easter trail at Nymans, 29 March–21 April
Nymans is a grade II listed garden set around a romantic house and ruin, with views reaching out across the Weald. The dreamy Wall Garden is packed with blossom and flowering bulbs from early in the season. Later on, splashes of colour from vibrant azaleas and rhododendrons fill the garden, together with a large collection of magnolia trees with their waxy petals and delicate perfume. Spring’s the time the annual Springfest trail returns to Nymans, an Easter trail with all the fun of a festival. Find your festival name, tell a joke at comedy corner or try some mindful yoga poses
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
The Vyne, Hampshire
Regency Easter adventure trail, 29 March–21 April
Set on the edge of a magnificent lake, The Vyne was once a great Tudor powerhouse and visited by everyone from Henry VIII to Jane Austen. Today, the spacious gardens, wetlands and woods are just waiting to be explored; look out for carpets of daffodils on the South Drive, and pink and white blossom in the fruit orchard. Inspired by Jane Austen’s visit to The Vyne there are 10 activity stations to locate as you roam through the gardens, with Regency games the whole family can take part in.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Knole, Kent
Easter trail, 5–21 April
Craft workshops
Pre-book to guarantee entry
The Easter egg trail at Knole takes place in the parkland and Orangery. This year it features games and activities that the whole family can have a go at, including giant noughts and crosses and tin can alley. Once all you Easter Explorers have collected your trail sheet and bunny ears from the Visitor Centre, you’ll head out into the parkland to find the activity stations. When you’ve finished the trail, there’ll be a chocolate egg waiting for you.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Hughenden, Buckinghamshire
Easter adventure trail 29 March–21 April
Natural playground
This Easter, encounter life-size mythical creatures, solve riddles, and discover hidden treasures at Hughenden. Challenge yourself with a mythical twist on classic games – conquer Medusa’s Snakes and Ladders or engage in a playful game of Cyclops Eye Spy on the parterre. Upon completion of all 10 activities on your quest you will receive a chocolate ‘dragon’ egg. There’s also a natural playground for climbing, balancing and make-believe at Hughenden. It’s handily placed near the orchard, with picnic tables under the blossom. There’s a walled garden with narrow paths for running along and there’s also a willow tunnel to duck through. Children are fascinated by the interactives in the exhibition about Hughenden’s secret map-making history in the Second World War
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill, Cambridgeshire
Easter adventure trail, 5–21 April
Woodland Play Area
Get ready for some welly-wanging fun on the Easter adventure trail at Anglesey Abbey. There’ll be games and activities along the way, including the opportunity to get dressed up in a chick and egg photobooth. Children can also get creative with craft activities and face painting over the bank holiday weekend. Enjoy a walk through the grounds with swathes of daffodils (there are 40 varieties found here), spot paintbox bright tulips and hyacinths as well as other signs of spring. And if you’re after even more adventure, the Woodland Play Area is the perfect place for families with its treehouse, swings, bird hide and den building area.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Sizergh, Cumbria
Easter adventure trail, 18–21 April
At the gateway to the Lake District, this 1,600-acre estate is home to fells and rolling fields, wetlands and ancient woodland. Spring at Sizergh brings swathes of sunny daffodils, tulips, crocus and a nature-inspired Easter trail.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Lyme, Cheshire
Easter adventure trail 4– 21 April
Crow Wood playscape
Regency dressing up
There’s over 600 years of history here, from the medieval deer herd to the extraordinary mansion. Inside, transport the kids back to Regency times where they can dress up in brilliant costumes and play with toys in the Edwardian nursery. Or venture into the parkland to spot deer from The Cage and run off some steam in Crow Wood play area. Hunt colourful wooden eggs, big and small in Lyme’s garden trail this Easter. Hop and play along the way with egg-strodinary games, challenges, and activities for all the family to enjoy. With so much to do, choose your own adventure; from short bursts of fun to all-day escapades, there’s plenty to fit your family’s needs.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Stay: A pair of Edwardian cottages can be found the boundaries of Lyme, East and West Lodge, both sleep four and allow two dogs each.
Buckland Abbey, Devon
Piskie Easter adventure trail, 5–22 April
Play area
Buckland Abbey is steeped in more than 700 years of history, from the Cistercians who built the abbey and farmed the estate to the seafarers Grenville and Drake. Outside meadows, orchards and woodlands are just waiting to be explored. Some cheeky Dartmoor Piskies have stolen local bird eggs and hidden them around Buckland Abbey! Help us find the eggs and distract the piskies by completing the activities. Pick up a map from Visitor Welcome to help you find all 10 activities. Along the way you can spot the missing bird eggs, learn about how to look after local birds and how to distract piskies from causing trouble. When you’ve completed your quest, make sure to pick up your Easter egg at the end of the trail and don’t forget to ask for a stamp!
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Stay: Cider Cottage (sleeps 4), tucked away on the Buckland Abbey estate with its own private garden and a bright interior.
Hidcote, Gloucestershire
Buzzing Bees Easter adventure trail, 12–27 April
Hidcote is a world-famous Arts and Crafts-inspired garden nestled in a North Cotswold hamlet. Created by the famous horticulturalist, Major Lawrence Johnston, Hidcote covers an area of 10.5 acres and features colourful and intricately designed outdoor ‘rooms’. This Easter make your way along the trail and find wildlife themed activities for the whole family.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion
Easter adventure trail, 12 – Sun 27 April
Nestled in the secluded Aeron Valley Llanerchaeron is a Grade I-listed Georgian mansion, with a productive the walled gardens and working farm, home to Llanwenog lambs. This year’s Easter trail is inspired by the signs of spring, with interactive activities and challenges as well as sensory elements.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Places to stay: Nestling in the magical wooded valley of the Aeron, Abermydyr, sleeping six plus one dog, with its small arched windows and yellow façade, is thought to be designed in the early 19th-century by the architect, John Nash, who designed Llanerchaeron. Or enjoy this pocket sized Pontbrenmydyr, sleeping two it’s one of the last surviving Welsh Cloms, a 17th-century mud constructed cottage.
Polesden Lacey, Surrey
Easter Egg Hunt and Trail at Polesden Lacey, 29 March–21 April
Natural play area
Just 25 miles from London Polesden Lacey has views across the rolling Surrey Hills and gardens filled with spring blooms: the perfect place for an Easter adventure. Make your way along the trail and find inspired activities for the whole family.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Places to stay A Regency-style villa next to the Rose Garden sleeping six, and three barns on the wider estate, Yew Tree Barn, sleeping two, and both sleeping six 1 Bagden Farm Cottage (with a fully accessible bedroom with ensuite on the ground floor) and 2 Bagden Farm Cottage
Avebury, Wiltshire
Easter Trail at Avebury, 29 March–21 April
At Avebury, the world’s largest prehistoric stone circle partially encompasses a pretty village. Archaeologist Alexander Keiller excavated here in the 1930s, and there is a museum bearing his name. This spring, join us for an Easter adventure in the garden at Avebury Manor. Arranged as a series of ‘rooms’, each with a different name and individual character, participate in Easter games and challenges to claim your chocolate egg.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Claremont Landscape Garden, Surrey
Easter Egg Hunt at Claremont Landscape Garden, 29 March–21 April
Steeped in nearly 300 years of history, this eighteenth-century garden is a green oasis in the heart of Surrey within easy reach of London. Previously the countryside retreat of queens and heirs, Claremont has always been somewhere to escape everyday life and enjoy simple outdoor pleasures. This spring, treat the whole family to a world of adventure at Claremont Landscape Garden on an Easter trail. Make your way along the trail and find adventures for the whole family.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Dyrham Park, near Bath
Easter Egg Hunt at Dyrham Park, 5 April–21 April
Dyrham Park was created in the 17th century by civil servant William Blathwayt. The 270-acre (110 hectare) ancient steep and sloping parkland is full of magnificent trees, views towards Bristol and beyond and plenty of wide-open space for young explorers to run free and be in nature. Old Lodge play area and café has reopened in the parkland after a major revamp and kids can play on climbing equipment, balance beams and a log tunnel. This year’s Easter trail includes 10 different activities and games dotted around the parkland, designed to get the whole family working together and inspired by nature.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Stourhead, Wiltshire
Easter Trail at Stourhead, 29 March–21 April
Natural play area
When Stourhead first opened in the 1740s, a magazine described it as ‘a living work of art’. The world-famous landscape garden has at its centrepiece a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes, rare trees, spectacular rhododendrons. Enjoy family fun at Stourhead this Easter with egg-citing Easter-themed activities. Make your way around the garden, complete the trail and collect a chocolate egg at the end.
Normal admission plus £3.50 per trail, includes a chocolate egg, or a vegan ‘Free-From’ chocolate egg, both made using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Stay: 89 Church Lawn (sleeps 7), Sitting at the entrance to Stourhead, this secluded cottage has a world-famous garden on the doorstep.
We will be updating this guide as soon as the National Trust advises…
Wishing you and the family a Raring2go! Time…
