A family day out at Knightshayes

One of the most memorable days of our family holiday to North Devon last week was a trip to the National Trust property, Knightshayes, on the edge of Tiverton. Historical buildings and stately homes can make a fantastic destination for a multi-generational family day out, because there’s something for everyone.

At five years old Frog is starting to get really interested in history and she soaked up the atmosphere of Knightshayes like a sponge. The house was designed by the Victorian art-architect William Burges, who’s famous for creating lavish interiors full of intricate details and curiousities. His design at Knightshayes features a medieval-inspired great hall, gargoyles and vast jewelled ceilings that make you dizzy.

For us though, the real enjoyment came once we entered the stunning gardens. Featuring over 1200 plant species unique to Knightshayes, the garden here is often billed as one of the best in Devon. It was made even more vibrant by the addition of a “knitted garden”, with gorgeous little woollen flowers, bees and animals dotted around a small section of the space. Frog and her cousins enjoyed spotting the knitted extras, in between chasing each other around the huge lawn, rolling down the hills and eating icecreams on the terrace.

I’ve been inspired by the Mamas and Papas #ShareOurSummer calender this summer which is packed full of ideas to keep the kids busy over the month of August. One of the ideas is to have a garden day and although this wasn’t our own garden I like to think we embraced the idea and took it a step further.

It was a lovely sunny day and while Frog played with her cousins I strolled through the gardens with my mother-in-law, chatting with her about a recent holiday while we got Baby Girl off to sleep in her new buggy.

This might sound cheesy, but I know our afternoon at Knightshayes is one that I’ll remember for a while. If I close my eyes now I can still see the NLM mucking around with his brothers, having a “rolling down the hill race” (34 years old going on 9), Frog playing chase with her cousins and Baby Girl babbling happily before dozing off for a snooze.

Thanks to Mamas & Papas for inspiring me to write this post. Check out the #ShareOurSummer hashtag for more great ideas for ways to entertain the kids this summer.