Out & About June 2017

Basildon Park, Basildon This gorgeous Palladian mansion was also used in Downton Abbey – but as it is a National Trust Property you will pay to enter, although admission gets you into the house too. Adults are £12.70, children £6.80, but you can pay a slightly higher Gift Aid price. The gardens are worth the price alone. There are gravel paths round them as well as and woodland trails. This could be the cheat’s picnic place because

you can prebook a picnic 48 hours before you arrive. Choose from a range of items including sandwiches, Victoria sponge cake, cheese straws, wine and 1950s kitchen to visit and on Fridays you can take an accompanied wildlife walk around the parkland, leaving from the ticket office at 11am.  even picnic blankets, There’s an impressive

White Horse Hill, Uffington

A climb is rewarded with breathtaking views of six counties at this, the highest point in Oxfordshire, and, of course, the famous Bronze Age horse. No one knows why the horse was built, but it is a magnificent sight. Again, it is a National Trust owned area. For thousands of years, man has come here – evidence dates back to Neolithic times, at Waylands Smithy long barrow, then the Bronze Age white horse and the Iron Age hill fort. From Roman times to today, it has been cultivated and grazed. Fly a kite or go hill rolling then enjoy your picnic Caversham Court Gardens, Reading A unique, fairly formal space but well worth a visit and, because it is on the banks of the Thames in Reading, it is a superb place to picnic. Caversham Court Gardens, a multi-award winning site, is of national importance and listed in the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England .

Go in June for nepeta – flowering under the yew hedge on the long walk – roses, grape vines and acanthus, as well as the flowering Japanese pagoda tree. And go in July to see the wondrous lavender bank. There’s also a tea kiosk open from 11am-6pm in June, July and August (other times from March to October) which is run by five local charities and organisations: The League of Friends, Sue Ryder/Duchess of Kent, The Ways and Means Trust, The Women’s Institute and Compass Opportunities and all profits go to them. No parking and limited parking nearby – park in one of Caversham’s paid-for car parks.

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