Deer and tree lined walks at Dyrham Park Bath

I always go on about having National Trust membership but that’s because it’s been so valuable over the last 3 years. While we don’t always go mad visiting places every month it does mean that when we go on holiday we know there’ll always be one day we can pop into a National Trust property nearby. A latest trip to Bath was no exception.

I’ve spotted that there were a couple of National Trust properties in the area one of which we could visit via the red tour bus company but N decided he didn’t want to visit a park. Instead we made the most of our final day going to the beach in the morning and visiting Dyrham Park in the afternoon.

We really visit National Trust in the afternoon because we prefer to get places early but luckily there was plenty of parking at Dyrham Park. One thing I never remember when we visit National Trust is to check beforehand how far the walk is to the house. The clue is in the fact that they often have buses to drive you. But N was on a mission to get to the play area as soon as possible which on this occasion was another walk-in a bit of a different direction.

The grounds at Dyrham Park a beautiful with an avenue of trees views across the nearby area and a beautiful area that’s been turned into a lovely wooden play area themed around farm. N was in his element with plenty of obstacles to clamber on pretend he was the king of the castle overlooking his subjects. There were also ride on tractors the smaller children and plenty of picnic tables for picnics and for adults to relax while their children played.

I was happy to spend time enjoying the gardens area.

The problem came when we tried to work out how we were actually going to find our way to the house. The volunteer at the entrance given as a map and advised on the least slippy route given the recent rain. But this wasn’t as easy-to-follow as expected. We just ended up walking around in circles then deciding to go what we thought was the obvious route.

After walking up quite a hill, we turned and realised we should have right headed so had to head back down the hill and turn towards the house. So much for my geographical education and map reading skills.

Dyrham Park grounds are really very hilly so if you have children in buggies either take the bus and miss out the play area or take baby carriers rather than pushchairs.

The house is a stunning sight as you come down the hill. With the fallow deer as you approach you can really imagine what it might have been like all those years go.

As we were only popping in we didn’t have time to see inside the house or do one of the tours around the grounds. You can find out what’s on by looking on the blackboard around the courtyard.

Instead we headed out for walk in the gardens. The lensball came out, N took over my camera and we enjoyed a stroll and lie down for some photography and gardens appreciation.

There were plenty of volunteers around and gardeners and they were kept busy answering visitors questions. We just wandered at our own pace with N deciding the direction of travel.

As well as the formal gardens, there’s a couple of ponds and waterfall to enjoy. We did find it annoying that some visitors barge down narrow paths with buggies not saying thank you as others have to wait for them pushing through. Such a shame when you’re trying to teach your child polite manners when it comes to walking in narrow places. That can be quite embarrassing when your child starts chatting loudly as other people walking past. Oops.

As it was a pretty warm day we decided to grab an ice cream before we caught the bus back to the car park. In the courtyard behind the house there are a couple of refreshment options. There’s the tea rooms, an outdoor coffee stall and a small refreshment place. The latter was where we bought our ice creams. There’s plenty of seating outside to enjoy the sun. It was a shame we didn’t have time to see inside the house, but that just means that one day I’ll have to return for a full visit.

Then it was time to head back to the car. This time we decided to wait for the bus and take the lazy option back to the car park. If you have a buggy or a wheelchair, with you look out for the bus because it’s quite a walk back and the hills are steep. It’s only a quick journey on the bus before we were back on our way home after a lovely afternoon out.

They did have trails for children but N turned the offer of one down so we just relied on a map and explored at our own pace. If you want to spot deer or enjoy the views on a long walk, then I would definitely recommend Dyrham Park for a day out with the family.

Have you ever been to Dyrham Park?

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