Spring at Knole

This article is about spring 2017 at Knole. It will be updated in spring 2018.

Spring is extra special at Knole this year, with the opening of several of our beautiful showrooms and the new conservation studio. There is plenty to do outside too – join our annual Cadbury Egg Hunt, set off on a guided walk and get crafty at Family Mondays.

Join the chocolate hunt

Calling all chocolate lovers! The National Trust has partnered with Cadbury once more for our popular egg hunts. Pick up a trail map from the Visitor Centre and follow the clues through Knole’s majestic parkland and courtyards. Once the detective work is done, claim your well-earned chocolate prize from the Orangery.

The Cadbury Egg Hunt is open daily from Saturday 1 April until Monday 17 April, 10am - 5pm. Last trail issued at 4pm. The cost is £3 per child. Separate trail available for 3-5 years and 7-12 years.

Set off on a bat walk

Join our expert for a dusk walk in Knole Park to find our resident bats. Learn all about these fascinating creatures and use our detectors to find them. Bat detectors will be provided, but please bring your own torch. The walk will be followed by tea and biscuits.

Saturday 1 and Friday 7 April, 7.15pm – 9pm
£10 per person. Suitable for ages 5+
Booking is essential online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole/whats-on or on 0344 249 1895.

Get crafty at Family Mondays

Beat school holiday boredom and get hands-on at our arts and crafts sessions in the park.

Monday 3 April – Springtime
Create a nest of baby birds using moss, felt and googly eyes and have messy fun painting brightly-coloured pebble animals.

Monday 10 April – Park explorer
Craft a pair of binoculars to explore the park with and make a crown fitting for a park explorer.

Drop in between 11am - 3pm. These are free events but a donation of £2 is suggested. Activities suitable for ages 5-12 years.

Hop aboard the Vintage Bus

Discover the delights of Sevenoaks on the hop-on hop-off vintage red bus, which weaves its way around the town starting and ending at Knole. The bus route takes in Sevenoaks railway station (no need to walk up the hill to Knole), Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, the Vine Cricket Ground, and the Stag Theatre.

The bus will run over the Easter holiday on Mon 3, Tue 4, Sat 8, Sun 9, Mon 10, Tue 11, Sat 15 and Sun 16 April.

Cost is £3 per day ticket and under 10s travel free. Full details, route and timetable can be found at https://sevenoaksvintagebus.wordpress.com  

Get out and about in Knole Park

Towards the end of March, jackdaws can often be seen collecting twigs and fur from resting deer for nest building in the park. In late April and early May the attractive blue feathered nuthatches are busy nest building and raising their young. Spring is also an eventful time for Knole’s deer herd. Keep an eye out for pregnant females and in early April the male deer shed their antlers.

Keep the children active by taking part in our geocache trail to learn more about Knole and its landscape. The park’s dips and dells make great cycling tracks or take a self-guided walk by picking up a map from the Visitor Centre.

The parklands are open from dusk to dawn daily. Maps for walks and the geocache trail are available from the Visitor Centre, which is open from 10am-5pm daily.

For bird lovers a walk with the RSPB will take place on Sat 29 April at 11.30am and 2pm. A spring and bluebells walk sets off on Sat 6 May at 2pm and Sun 7 May at 2pm.

Explore Knole’s secret garden

Wild spring flowers carpet Lord Sackville’s stunning 26-acre private garden which reopens for spring on Tuesday 4 April. The 500 year old garden incorporates expanses of lush green lawns, a charming walled vegetable garden, a wilderness area and a medieval orchard.

In spring a glorious purple wisteria, the longest in the UK, drapes itself along the western wall of the garden. Pick up a leaflet at the garden’s entrance for self-guided tours or join one of the five walks which highlight different features of the garden.

The garden is open every Tuesday from 4 April until 26 September, from 11am – 4pm, with kind permission from Lord Sackville. Last entry is at 3.30pm.

Themed guided walks depart at 11.30am (Vita’s First Garden); 12.30pm (The Best of the Garden Today); 1.15pm (Maps and Mysteries); 2.15pm (The Wilderness) and 3.15pm (Treasures of the Garden). A self-guided walking map is also available at the garden entrance and includes trails for families.

Full details of all our events can be found at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knole/whats-on