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Looking for places the whole family will enjoy? Discover family-friendly cycling trails, places to get closer to nature and historic buildings where you can learn about the past.
Best natural play areas
Splashing through streams, clambering around tree houses and building a woodland den – there’s nothing quite like playing outdoors. We’ve picked some of our favourite natural playgrounds at the places we look after.
- Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
- Discover Anglesey Abbey's natural play area at the end of a woodland path. There are swings, spots for birdwatching and plenty of opportunities to run around and get closer to nature.Come and play at Anglesey Abbey
- The Argory, County Armagh
- Explore the playground at The Argory, where the playpark blends with the landscape allowing kids to have adventures in nature. Or why not try a balance bike, available to hire for free from the Visitor Reception?Come and play at The Argory
- Belton House, Lincolnshire
- You could spend hours exploring our largest natural play area at Belton House. Climb and swing your way through more than 30 play features, including tree houses, towers, rope swings, climbing nets and zip wires.Come and play at Belton House
- Brownsea Island, Dorset
- Learn to leap, balance and play – just like the resident red squirrels – on climbing frames, seesaws and obstacles at the squirrel-inspired natural play area on Brownsea Island.Come and play at Brownsea Island
- Buckland Abbey, Devon
- Buckland Abbey’s play area is a fantastic place for children to explore. Complete with stepping stones, balance beams, climbing logs and much more, all of the timber used in creating this playground was reclaimed from fallen trees on the estate.Come and play at Buckland
- Calke Abbey, Derbyshire
- When you go down to the woods you'll discover Calke Explore – a base for outdoor family adventures, including a natural play area. Venture inside the human-sized badger sett, balance on tree trunks and make your own den from fallen branches.Come and play at Calke Abbey
- Chartwell, Kent
- Head out into the wider estate for woodland adventures at Chartwell. Explore the tree house, see how high you can go on swings and seesaws and discover the place where Canadian troops once camped during the Second World War.Come and play at Chartwell
- Chirk Castle, Wrexham
- Discover Chirk Castle's outdoor play area at Home Farm and keep the whole family entertained. Clamber around on the climbing frames, swing as high as you can, or enjoy a game of tag. It's also conveniently located next to the refreshment kiosk.Come and play at Chirk Castle
- Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire
- Adventure through the Leaping Bar area of Clumber Park to build a forest den or find mini beasts on fallen logs. It's the perfect spot for kids to get closer to nature and try out their building skills.Come and play at Clumber Park
- Dunham Massey, Cheshire
- Head to the Log Pile play area in the North Park of Dunham Massey. Full of fallen trees and stepping stone stumps for clambering and climbing, it's a place for kids to get active in nature.Come and play at Dunham Massey
- Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan
- Covering half an acre of wild play area, The Log Stack at Dyffryn Gardens has plenty of space for games. Why not balance on enormous trees, jump along stepping stones and check out the hand-carved stumps?Come and play at Dyffryn Gardens
- Emmetts Garden, Kent
- Explore the wild play area at Emmetts Garden, just past the Old Stables tea-room, complete with play net and balance beams. Wind your way up the climbing frame, tell stories in the fairy ring of toadstools and race through the tunnels.Come and play at Emmetts Garden
- Erddig, Wrexham
- The Wolf's Den at Erddig, built entirely from resources found on the estate, offers nearly two acres of wild play space. Take budding explorers to try out the balance beams, let loose on rope swings or have a go at den building.Come and play at Erddig
- Florence Court, County Fermanagh
- Let your imagination run wild as you let off steam in a beautiful setting at Florence Court's play area. There are rope swings, a slide, a natural play area and swings. On the red trail, there's also an area for making dens.Come and play at Florence Court
- Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire
- Hop, skip and jump in Fountains Abbey's play area. There are swings, slides, a woodland lookout, rope bridge, a long zip wire – and a wooden abbey. Just bring your sense of adventure and lots of energy.Come and play at Fountains Abbey
- Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland's iconic World Heritage Site is a natural landscape that doubles as a huge outdoor adventure zone for families. Children can climb and explore the world-famous stones, and can sit on the Boot, the Wishing Chair and the Camel.Come and play at Giant's Causeway
- Gibside, Tyne & Wear
- At Gibside, you'll find a den building area and an adventure play area and on the explorer family trail in the West Wood, plus wooden sculptures to spot and a rope swing. The most recent pieces of wooden play equipment were built by experts at Flights of Fantasy, who use locally produced and sustainable softwood and hardwood.Come and play at Gibside
- Kingston Lacy, Dorset
- Have adventures in not one, but two places to play at Kingston Lacy. Scramble, clamber, swing and slide in the woodland play area or, for babies and younger children, head for the Kitchen Garden to ride a wooden cow, plant wooden veg and relax on the buddy swing.Come and play at Kingston Lacy
- Mottisfont, Hampshire
- Mottisfont’s Wild Play area has climbing apparatus for all ages, with three large wooden structures designed to encourage climbing, balancing and exploring. Elsewhere, there are wooden bridges over the river that make it a great place for Pooh sticks.Come and play at Mottisfont
- Mount Stewart, County Down
- The natural play area here is inspired by the journeys, adventures and creatures found in the book The Magic Inkpot. Edith Helen Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry, whose husband's family seat was Mount Stewart, wrote the story for her children. Don't forget to check out the Squirrel Hide for a chance to spot some of the red squirrels.Come and play at Mount Stewart
- Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd
- Head to the Cwt Ogwen woodland playground at Penrhyn Castle to test your climbing skills. Find a playmate for the seesaw, balance carefully along beams and discover the nearby wooden hide, where you can enjoy views across the river Ogwen.Come and play at Penrhyn Castle
- Polesden Lacey, Surrey
- Explore the play area at Polesden Lacey, which has swings and slides but also tunnels, burrows and dens to help you get closer to nature. The Bird's Nest, which has a wheelchair-accessible ground level, is a great place for sensory play.Come and play at Polesden Lacey
- Sizergh, Cumbria
- The wild play trail tests your balance and bravery as you head into the woodland to follow the trail. Follow the clues to reach the end, trying the climbing wall, balance beams, rope swing and stepping-stones along the way.Come and play at Sizergh
- Stourhead, Wiltshire
- Located just outside the gardens at Stourhead, you can clamber, swing and balance to your heart's content in the children's natural play area. There are climbing ropes, swings and much more to enjoy here.Come and play at Stourhead
- Tyntesfield, Somerset
- Look out for the enchanted tree house in the woods at Tyntesfield, where there's also a rope swing and plenty of places to play hide and seek. Can you spot the giant guano bird and other sculptures? See how many you can find.Come and play at Tyntesfield
- Wallington, Northumberland
- With different play areas to explore at Wallington, there's something for children of all ages. Fly through the air on the zip line in the adventure play area, become ruler of the play fort, or get closer to nature in the Little Acorns nature play space.Come and play at Wallington
- Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
- Discover this space for younger visitors to explore and play, nestled within the surroundings of the estate’s Home Farm. The play area includes climbing frames, an adventure trail and swings all designed and crafted with an emphasis on fun and sustainability.Come and play at Wimpole
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