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Family days out at Dyffryn Gardens

Autumn family days out at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan
Autumnal days out at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan | © James Dobson

Dyffryn Gardens is a great place to visit with your family, from youngest to oldest, there is something to interest every member of the family at Dyffryn.

Planning your family visit

Here’s the information you need at a glance to help plan your next day out at Dyffryn Gardens:

  • Children under five visit for free.
  • There are baby-changing facilities at regular intervals around the gardens as well as accessible toilet facilities.
  • There are pram, wheelchair and mobility scooter-friendly routes and wheelchairs and a mobility scooter can be rented (free of charge) from the Welcome Centre.
  • We have two log stack play areas.
  • For safety reasons we can’t allow any kind of children’s bike, scooter or trike in the gardens unless it has a long handle on the back and is controlled by an adult at all times.
  • Dogs are welcome so even the family pup can join in (please see here for information on visiting Dyffryn with your dog).
  • The cafe serves children's lunchboxes and a range of hot and cold food and drinks, as well as treats for your four-legged family members.
  • We also welcome picnics.

Autumn visits

Dyffryn is an excellent place for an autumnal adventure. After the lush greens of the summer the Arboretum transition into a rich rainbow of warming colours and is the perfect place for a bit of leaf kicking and conker collecting. Look out for any wildlife that might have made a shelter from a secluded pile of leaves first though! Pick up some pinecones and have a look (but don’t touch!) at a vast array of fungi in the undergrowth on your way to the Log Stack play area.

A young girl in a pink coat collects autumn leaves in her hands.
A young girl collecting autumn leaves | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

October half term

Do you dare?

Dare to take part in our Halloween-inspired Autumn half-term nature trail ‘Do you dare?’ Come and learn all about the creepy crawlies that live in the gardens, with seven minibeast-themed activities. Can you throw the spots on the ladybird? Will you spin the snail shell for a dare? Or try on insect goggles and find out what it’s like to see like an insect!

This free fun-filled, nature-based event will be running from Saturday 26 October to Sunday 3 November. There's no need to book, normal admission applies.

Children enjoying the autumn leaves at Dyffryn Gardens, Wales
Plant yn mwynhau dail yr hydref yng Ngerddi Dyffryn, Cymru | © National Trust Images/John Millar

'50 things to do before you're 11 ¾' at Dyffryn Gardens

Get the littles celebrating autumn throughout the season with nature-based, staff-led activities every Tuesday and Sunday throughout October and November.

From wild art to cooking on a campfire, there will be hands-on, fun-filled activities to get children out and enjoying nature.

Sessions will be running from 11am-3pm and you can drop in and out anytime you like while it's running. There is no extra charge, but normal admission applies.

Find the list of which ’50 things’ activities are on and when here.

Adult and child looking at autumn leaves
Visitors enjoying the autumn leaves at Dyffryn Gardens | © National Trust Images/John Millar

Log Stack play areas

There are two Log Stack play areas at Dyffryn, one outside the pay barrier near the Welcome Centre and a larger one in the Arboretum. These wild play areas have plenty of space for youngsters to run, jump, explore and play.

Balance along enormous trees which were felled as part of the arboretum revival plan, jump from log to log along the stepping stones and have a picnic on hand carved picnic stumps.

The area is home to squirrels, birds and lots of creepy crawlies, so bring a magnifying glass or some binoculars and get spotting.

Children exploring the wild play area at Dyffryn Gardens, Cardiff, Wales.
Children exploring the play area at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Sensory and Explorer Backpacks

At Dyffryn there are two different backpacks you can borrow to help you and your littles explore the gardens in new ways.

Sensory Backpacks

These backpacks contain ear defenders to help support children who struggle with unfamiliar or loud sounds, a children’s book (both English and Welsh) which can encourage some quiet or calm time reading in nature, worry stones and fidget toys to help soothe over-stimulation and improve focus and a kaleidoscope to create magical visual illusions.

Explorer Backpacks

These backpacks are inspired by ‘50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾’, with a compass to find your way, a tennis ball to measure velocity when rolling down hills, a magnifier for viewing bugs, binoculars for birdwatching and a tape measure and instructions for how to measure and age a tree. There’s also seasonal spotter sheets and a nature book.

The sensory and explorer backpacks are free for anyone to borrow with no booking or deposit required (they’re available on a first-come, first-served basis). Ask the Welcome Team to borrow a backpack next time you visit and watch your little ones experience Dyffryn Gardens in new and fun ways.

Explorer Backpacks at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan
Explorer Backpacks at Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan | © National Trust

Even in between events, Dyffryn is a great option for a family day out. With every new season the gardens change and evolve so there is always something new to see.

We also have self-led seasonal trails to enjoy. Pick-up a trail leaflet at the Welcome Centre to be guided round the seasonal highlights of the gardens. Please see the Visit the gardens at Dyffryn page for more information on the current seasonal walk.

And with a café, shop and second-hand bookshop (with a great selection of children's and YA literature), there’s always plenty to do at Dyffryn Gardens. So whenever you choose to visit, you know that you and your family will make some lovely memories.

Herbaceous Border in summer, Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan

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