Family-friendly things to do at Hinton Ampner

Visitors in the garden in June at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire — Visitors in the garden in June at Hinton Ampner | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

There's lots of family fun to be had at Hinton Ampner. From running, chasing in the garden and wider estate, to nature trails, there's something for everyone.

Spooky Pumpkin Halloween Trail

Wilma the Witch needs your help to lift the curse on Hinton Ampner…but there’s a problem. Wilma’s pesky pumpkin pals have stolen the pages from her spell book! Track down the pumpkins around the grounds and tackle the challenges to help Wilma cast her spell. Available from Visitor Reception on arrival, £2 including a pencil and prize.

Family walks on the Hinton Ampner estate

Stewkeley walk

The Stewkeley walk takes you across the Hinton Ampner estate towards the village of Kilmeston, before looping back to the entry of the estate. This moderately strenuous walk is perfect for walkers of any age and skill level. It's just under two miles and takes around an hour to complete.

Stewkeley walk

Ancient tree trail

The parkland at Hinton Ampner is home to many ancient trees, some with rather quirky characteristics. You can find out more about spotting the ancient trees by downloading the guide.

Follow this guide

Planning your family visit

Here's the information you need at a glance to help plan your day out at Hinton Ampner:

Baby-changing facilities are located in the ladies toilets and access toilets by the mansion in the courtyard
Pushchairs are allowed around the grounds and in the cafe but not in the house
Property maps are available from the visitor reception team. Maps of the estate walks are on the board by the church, follow the coloured arrows of your chosen route or take a picture on your smartphone
Picnics are welcome but please take your litter home with you.

Visitors in the Sunken Garden at Hinton Ampner, Hampshire — Visitors in the Sunken Garden at Hinton Ampner | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

'50 things to do before you're 11¾'

There are lots of ’50 things' challenges you can complete with the whole family at Hinton Ampner. Here's a few recommendations:

No. 1 Get to know a tree: If trees could talk, what stories would they tell? Get up close to a tree and feel the texture of its bark and leaves and notice all the different colours and smells. If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
No. 12 Have fun with sticks: When it comes to sticks, the possibilities are endless. Use them to become a gallant warrior, make a magic wand, create a home for a small animal or insect or create some wild art. There are lots of interesting sticks to find in the Hinton Ampner estate and parkland
No. 33 Go cloud watching: With a little imagination you can create whole worlds from the shapes you see in the clouds. Do they resemble anything, like animals, trees or cartoon characters? Invent a story using the characters you see in the clouds. Try writing your story down or drawing it on a sketchpad
No. 44 Watch a bird: There are many different birds that can be spotted in the gardens and woodland at Hinton Ampner. Birds get frightened off easily, so you'll need to be as quiet as you can, and not make any loud noises or sudden movements to stand the best chance of seeing lots.