Ascott National Trust

One of my favourite national trusts is Ascott House and Gardens. Just across the Bucks border, the Hunting ‘box’ house with grounds, which I call the ‘Garden of Imagination’, has many outdoor features carved into the landscape for imaginative play.

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Climb the ‘Teletubby Mounds, sneak through the wooded bushes, run down the stone paths of scented flowers, say hello to the horses in the paddock, roll down grassy banks and gaze upon thousands of daffodils in spring or hunt for conkers in the autumn.

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If you visit this summer, it has a lot of areas for shade as well. The independent café caters for the usual light lunches, ice creams and has picnic tables with umbrellas. If picnicking is more your thing, there is an allocated picnic area adjacent to the café and a short stroll away, lovely clean toilet facilities with a roomy disabled toilet. There is a suitable ledge for baby changing in the disabled toilet but no ‘official’ table. Just be careful if your little one is a roller!



The car park isn’t too far from the toilets, picnic area and café. If you want to explore the grounds, make sure you stop off when you arrive, as it is a bit of a walk back if you stroll on and on through the intriguing grounds.

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Owned by the Rothschilds from the 19th century, the half-timbered house dating from 1606 has a vast amount of collections and tours can be booked. Entry to the grounds needs to be booked and the whole estate, including grounds and house open some days from 12pm but do check ahead when you book, as some days Ascott opens later than 12pm.

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I thoroughly recommend this for an afternoon of exploring and outside imaginative play, or just a stroll admiring a lot of landscaped features. Look at the separate website  , as you can book a summer production and order a picnic box for two people. You will get a lot more information from this website than the National Trust page.

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Fancy a trip this summer? Let us know what you think and snap some pictures of your imaginative outdoor play by sharing on our Instagram and Facebook page, with #RKDSummer

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BUSINESS DETAILS

Business Name: Ascott House & Gardens

Address: Well Ln, Wing, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 0PR

Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ascott

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