Banish boredom this summer with the National Trust

From Elizabethan-style dancing to Tudor-inspired cooking, pop-up archery, dressing up and storytelling, Martin Phillips has shared his guide of family activities at Trust venues nationwide this summer holiday

There's a festival of family fun to be had at the National Trust’s historic houses and beautiful gardens during this summer holidays.

More than 170 of the trust’s properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking part in the Summer of Play, with music, performances and immersive storytelling, straw-bale mazes and castles, den building, pop-up sports days and special events.

It’s a whole new way to enjoy our magnificent heritage, cared for by the National Trust. There’s usually no need to book and most Summer of Play activities, sponsored by Starling Bank, are included within standard admission, which is free for National Trust members, NT holiday cottage guests, and all under-5s.

Pick up a copy of the Daily Mirror from Friday, July 21 until Sunday, July 30 to get a free family day pass to use at over 200 National Trust locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland not included. Click HERE for further details.

Jo Killeya of the Trust says: “National Trust houses and gardens are places that have inspired and sparked imaginations for centuries. We can’t wait to invite families to let their imaginations run wild.”

Here’s a taste of what’s on offer for your family this summer:

Buckland Abbey, Devon

There’s a Tudor theme to the Abbey’s Summer of Play, as befits the former home of Sir Francis Drake. There are Tudor sports, an opportunity to act and dance Elizabethan-style and to be inspired by Tudor cooking in the sand kitchen on the Abbey lawn, plus occasional falconry displays. Visitors can visit the 700-year-old Abbey’s “book nook” to read a story, create their own or listen to a storyteller.

Summer of Play attractions elsewhere:

Mottisfont, near Romsey - Happy Families: Adventures with the Ahlbergs exhibition and outdoor trail

Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere - Life on Watership Down art display, and Morse Code trail (50p)

The Vyne, near Basingstoke - Traditional games and nature trails

Hinton Ampner, near Alresford - Tree-mendous Tree Trail (£2), The Wind In The Willows at Quantum Theatre (book online)

Uppark, near Petersfield - Nature Explorer Adventure. Also, Alice in Wonderland by Dot Productions theatre (book online)

Winchester City Mill, Winchester - Farm Fest – Summer Celebration of the harvest

Stourhead, Warminster - Summer play meadow, puppet theatre.

Wentworth Castle Gardens, Barnsley, S. Yorks

Wentworth’s fairy-tale Gothic folly, Stainborough Castle, is a perfect place for visitors to become storytellers and weave magical tales of knights and dragons.

Pop-up sports days throughout the summer on the Play Field will include archery, athletics and football, and in the new natural play space there’s a chance to scramble, climb and balance, or smaller kids can become mini-gardeners in the messy area of the Union Jack Gardens.

Attractions elsewhere:

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, Ripon - Summer play trail and crafts

Beningbrough Hall, York - F amily nature trail

Nostell, Wakefield - Games, activities, zip-wire and cycle trails

Nunnington Hall, York - Let’s Draw with illustrator Georgia Cowley

East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley - Discovery Garden.

Ormesby Hall, near Middlesborough

Roll up, roll up! There’s circus-inspired fun to be had at Ormesby Hall, whether plate-spinning, stilt-walking, acrobatics or simply clowning around.

Other entertainment throughout the gardens includes tennis and cricket on the play field, arts and crafts in the orchard, and storytelling and performance in the stage area. There will also be archery and pond dipping.

Attractions elsewhere:

Seaton Delaval Hall, Seaton Sluice - Circus skills, puppet workshops and games

Wallington Hall, Cambo - Lawn games, cycle trails, play train and wooden fort

Cragside, Morpeth - Sports day games, den building, adventure play area and labyrinth

Souter Lighthouse, Sunderland - Sports activities and seashore safaris

Gibside, Tyne & Wear - Low ropes course, labyrinth, Georgian garden games and performance activities.

Fell Foot, near Newby Bridge, Cumbria

Get active on the shore of Lake Windermere with badminton, archery, frisbee golf and other activities every weekday. Or hire a rowboat, kayak or paddleboard and take to the water.

There are guided canoe tours exploring Fell Foot’s history, and bat tours on the water led by a ranger. For younger kids there’s a play area and balance bikes to hire.

Attractions elsewhere:

Sizergh, near Kendal - Play trail, wildlife spotting and dressing up

Allan Bank, Grasmere - Coconut shy, sack races, pollinator trail and croquet

Wray Castle, Windermere - Stone skimming, lawn games and lake cruises

Acorn Bank, near Penrith - Woodland fairy trail, geocaching and working watermill

Whitehaven Coast - Play trail and picnics.

Quarry Bank Mill, Wilmslow, Cheshire

Mill Meadow is at the heart of the Summer of Play with a mini obstacle course, straw-bale maze, natural art and traditional garden games, plus the chance for visitors to build their own mill or find the secret music glade.

At Quarry Bank House they can discover favourite Georgian parlour games or watch movies or outdoor theatre in the gardens on selected days, or dig test pits in the Apprentice House Garden during the Festival of Archaeology.

Attractions elsewhere:

Speke Hall, Liverpool - Giant Childe of Hale trail, hedge maze, zip wire and occasional outdoor theatre

Lyme, Stockport - I ndoor games and dressing up, plus outdoor theatre and an archaeology weekend on select dates

Dunham Massey, Cheshire - Play hub, games in nature and deer-spotting

Rufford Old Hall, near Ormskirk - Sports day games, suits of armour and nature play

Hare Hill, near Macclesfield - Moon Hare adventure trail, tree swing and nature packs.

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire

Kids can try traditional games in the stable yards or venture into the magical-sounding Garden of Imagination where a secret door leads to den building and music making.

Go wild in the Calke Explore natural play area, hire a bike for a bigger adventure on the Tramway Trail, or enter the seemingly abandoned Baroque house to discover a vast collection ranging from an elaborate state bed to a large crocodile skull, before leaving via the twisting, turning tunnels.

Attractions elsewhere:

Clumber Park, Worksop - Straw bale maze, mini stage and outdoor games

Croome, Worcestershire - Performance stage, craft activities and learning in nature

Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury - Family yoga, woodland hammocks, and a huge straw bale fort

Benthall Hall, near Broseley - C ompetitive games

Dudmaston, near Bridgnorth - Balance bikes and bug-hunting, plus sports and meadow maze in Comer Woods

Biddulph Grange Garden, near Stoke-on-Trent - Haw Haw Walk and tunnels to “China, Egypt and Italy”

Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses, near Stourbridge - Team games plus bookable bushcraft adventures (£12)

Moseley Old Hall, near Wolverhampton - Den building, tree house and mud kitchen

Shugborough Estate, near Stafford - Family trails and working farm

Wightwick Manor and Gardens, Wolverhampton - Traditional sports on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus dressing up and puppet theatre on selected dates

Hanbury Hall & Gardens, Worcestershire - Games, Georgian and modern, and costumed historic figures

Greyfriars House & Garden, Worcester - Celebrate 500 years of history

Berrington Hall, near Leominster - Natural play area and pond dipping on selected dates

Brockhampton, near Bromyard - Medieval trail

Croft Castle and Parkland, Leominster - Natural play area, Snakes and Apples summer trail

The Weir Garden, Hereford - Summer nature trail

The Children’s Country House at Sudbury - Grass mazes, grasshopper trail and den building (pre-book online)

Ilam Park, Ashbourne, and the White Peak - Art In The Park, messy play and den-making

Kedleston Hall, Derby - Summer Scavenger Challenge and wednesday archery in August

Longshaw, Peak District - Bee trails, orienteering, lawn games and crafts

Stoneywell, Leicestershire - Wild art and bug hunting

Dunstable Downs, Bedfordshire - Football, table tennis, archery and more

Shaw’s Corner, Welwyn - Children’s bird trail and garden games

Paycockes House & Grange Barn, Coggeshall - Garden games

Hatfield Forest, Essex - Nature walks.

Ickworth, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Visitors can celebrate the restoration of the 1st Earl’s Summer House by building their own summer house and performing on the summer house stage overlooking the stunning canal lake, or weave their way through wild mazes and immerse themselves in the sensory garden.

They will also find an adventure play area, cycle hub and multi-use trails through the ancient deer park, formal gardens, rolling Suffolk landscape and woodlands within which the Italianate Palace is set.

Attractions elsewhere:

Wimpole Estate, Cambs - Hay maze, puppet shows and farm trail

Wicken Fen, Cambs - Nature trails and pre-bookable activities

Houghton Mill, Huntingdon - Canoeing, pre-bookable tours

Anglesey Abbey, Cambs - Obstacle course, woodland gym, musical space and Magic of Books exhibition

Blakeney National Nature Reserve and Morston Quay, Norfolk - Wildlife watching

Blickling Estate, near Norwich - Five play areas, Sensational Portraits

Felbrigg Hall, Gardens and Estate, near Norwich - Sports activities, nature tracking and sensory packs

Horsey Windpump, Great Yarmouth - Wildlife spotting

Oxburgh Estate, King’s Lynn - Sports day races and lawn games

Sheringham Park, Sheringham - Sporting activities and nature tracking

Melford Hall, Sudbury - Family friendly trails, story bags and lawn games

Flatford, near Colchester - Family nature trails and rowing boats

Dunwich Heath and Beach, Suffolk - Wildlife-spotting, family trails, den-building and bookable nature events

Sutton Hoo, Suffolk - Dressing up, archaeology activities and open air theatre.

Polesden Lacey, Surrey

Follow in the footsteps of the King’s grandparents who spent part of their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey 100 years ago. Visitors can play tennis, try nature-inspired crafts or head to Crab Apple Orchard for a host of playful events and activities inspired by George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Attractions elsewhere:

Hatchlands Park, near Guildford - Straw-bale boat and maze, lawn games, donkey stables and outdoor theatre

Claremont Landscape Garden, Esher - Skittles, archery and boating

Dapdune Wharf and River Wey Navigations, Guildford - Pond dipping, bug hunting and den building plus hireable kayaks and paddleboards

Hindhead Commons and Devil’s Punch Bowl - Sports, natural play area, plus puppet theatre on select dates

Box Hill, Tadworth, Surrey - Nature trail, plus puppet theatre on select dates

Chartwell, Westerham - Dressing up, performing and two-storey treehouse

Ightham Mote, Sevenoaks - Costumed characters and history demonstrations, stocks and jousting

Knole, Sevenoaks - Family trail, dressing up

Nymans, West Sussex:

Comber’s Field will be the venue for a range of activities from running races and the obstacle course to the tug of war, while the grade II listed garden will host sports day activities. Visit The Play Glade for den building, stepping logs, natural art and the play stage.

Attractions elsewhere:

Petworth House and Park, Sussex - Elmer’s Art Parade, sculpture trail

Sheffield Park and Garden, near Uckfield - Family trail

Bodiam Castle, Robertsbridge - Mini jousting, soft-play archery and Medieval encampment

Standen, East Grinstead - Sketchbook activities and family play

Bateman’s, Etchingham - Jungle Book trail.

Castle Ward, County Down

A World of Exploration awaits across the drawbridge of Castle Ward, including surprises and challenges at every twist of the straw maze. Brave explorers can climb the wicker castle and all youngsters get to be king or queen for a moment.

The Barn is a historical hub of play and learning and there’s the Mud Kitchen, Music Area and den building, as well as dressing up, crafts and sports and games.

Attractions elsewhere:

Giant’s Causeway, Co. Antrim - Friday games on the visitor centre roof

Mount Stewart, Co. Down - Natural play area, croquet and nursery playtime

Mussenden Temple, Co. Londonderry - Bookable family events

The Argory, Co. Armagh - Garden tours on select dates

Rowallane, Co. Down - Lawn games, sports and live music

Springhill, Co. Armagh – Garden tours on select dates.

Chirk Castle, Wrexham

A huge straw-bale castle contains four unique zones where youngsters can discover different ways to play, engage their senses and have fun. They can get close to nature as they build dens and tackle an obstacle course, then use their imaginations through costume and role play.

There are also archery and fencing events, plus all the history of the castle with dungeons, state rooms and an 18th- century model farm.

Attractions elsewhere:

Erddig, Wrexham - Weaving wheelbarrows, tricycle racing, art workshops and storytelling on selected dates

Plas Newydd House and Garden, Anglesey - Kite flying, garden games, adventure playground and archaeology on selected dates

Penrhyn Castle and Garden, Bangor - Woodland play area, games and pig-feeding

Bodnant Garden, Conwy - Woodland walks, willow maze and waterfall

Plas yn Rhiw, Llan Peninsula - Pollinator trail, nature-spotting

Powis Castle and Garden, Welshpool - Lawn games and sports

Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion - Woodland walks, balance bikes, lawn games and farm

Tredegar House, Newport - Lawn games, nature play and performance play

Dyffryn Gardens, Cardiff - Wild play, musical games and dressing up

Dinefwr, Carmarthenshire - Lawn games, tennis, White Park Cattle

Dolaucothi, Carmarthenshire - Gold panning, bookable mine tours and archaeology

Colby Woodland Garden, Pembrokeshire - Bug safaris, guided nature walks and archery

Stackpole, Pembrokeshire - Nature walks, orienteering trail, and bookable bat talks.

For more information, including ticket prices, parking, dates and timings, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/family-friendly or individual websites