Family fun at Greenway

Children making a daisy chain

Summer is here and there are lots of things for families to enjoy at Greenway. Agatha Christie and her family spent their holidays at Greenway, relaxing by the river and spending quality time together. Why not follow in their footsteps? Please remember to supervise your children at all times.

 

Inspired by family holidays

Greenway was the perfect place for Agatha and her family during the summer holidays, so why not get the whole family active whilst enjoying inspiring views and landscapes, bucket loads of fresh air and wildlife at every turn.

During the summer holidays there's plenty of fun to be had. From our Summer of Sport activity cards, designed to give you that happy tired feeling, to soft green lawns perfect for barefoot picnics, and cool spots ideal for chilling out with your favourite book. 

 

Summer activities supported by Sport England

Get, set, go!

Next time you visit, pick up the 'Get set, go' cards at Visitor Reception to inspire your summer adventure. These activity cards have lots of ideas to enjoy summer activities, such as 'Find your way' to explore new paths and discover different natural textures, or 'Feel the beat' to tune in to the sounds and rhythms of nature. Each activity is designed to have fun with what's around you and explore the simple things this summer.

 

 

A family playing croquet at Greenway

Family games

Why not channel your inner sports person and challenge the family to a match of croquet or doubles at tennis on the court? You could always stop by the 50's parlour inspired Tack Room for a well deserved ice cream after.

Take a look at the 50 things before you're 11¾ at Greenway, Devon

Minibeast explorer trail 

Calling all nature detectives. Are you up for a bug hunt? Why not pick up our Bug Passport from Visitor Reception when you arrive, and spend some time exploring the garden at Greenway for minibeasts? There's fascinating facts for each one, and you can even take the passport to Coleton Fishacre and continue your exploration there.

 

'50 things' fun

At Greenway there are lots of '50 things to do before you're 11¾' that you can tick off your list.  It's is a good time to do these 50 things:

16. Wear a wild crown
Fallen leaves are perfect for elvish crowns, or how about daisies and dandelions for a fairy?

12. Have fun with sticks
You're sure to find a stick or two if you take a walk through the woodland garden. Why not lay a trail to help you find your way back?

A family pond dipping at Cragside, Northumberland

Download the '50 things' activity guide 

If you want to download a PDF of the whole '50 things to do before you’re 11¾' list, then here it is.

Download the full '50 things' activity list

Adventures at the Boathouse and Battery

From the Boathouse quay you could count the boats on the river, which is always bustling with activity; trawlers, river cruises, a paddle steamer and kayakers can regularly be seen.  At the Battery the cannon always captures little-one's imaginations - can you're kids defend Greenway from attack by river pirates?
 

 

Wildlife spotting

Seal poking their head out of the river

Down by the river

The Boathouse and Battery is Greenway's number one spot for wildlife watching. The River Dart is home to and visited by lots of birds; buzzards, cormorants, egrets, and guillemots are often seen. Herons nest on the edge of Greenway garden in spring, and in June you may see the young leaving the nest. Two creatures which always create the most excitement when spotted from the Boathouse are seals and kingfishers.

Damselfly resting by a pond

The Bird Pond

The Bird Pond is a great spot for wildlife watching. It's named after the Bridget McCrum statue of a bird which presides over the pond, rather than the birds which visit it. In spring/early summer, damselflies start to emerge; why not take a seat on the bench by the pond to watch them? Earlier in the year common toads laid their spawn here so by June the toadlets will be getting ready to leave the pond.

 

Family-friendly checklist

  • Free entry for under 5s and free entry for National Trust members.
  • Free garden trails available to pick up in Visitor Reception
  • Baby-changing facilities in access-friendly toilets.
  • Buggy friendly routes around the garden.
  • Hip-carrying infant seats available for loan in the house.
  • Children’s menu available from the Barn Café.
  • Picnics are very welcome - wooden picnic benches and soft grass lawns in the Walled Garden are an ideal lucnh spot 
  • Pocket money gifts and children's books available in the shop. There are children's books in our second-hand bookshop, too.
A child crossing the stream over a bridge made from a tree trunk

Family hub 

There's shed loads of fun to be had this summer. From exploring things to do, games to play and recipes to bake. There's lots to do outdoors and indoors, come rain or shine, so why not take a look at our Family Hub for summer fun ideas and be inspired?