Speke Hall

My Mum and Dad surprised us both to a National Trust membership each, which is something we have contemplated getting for a few years now. The membership kicked in on March 2021, so we have been eager to use it, and boy did it feel great booking something and it actually going ahead!

Sticking to the lockdown rules of local travel, our first NT booking was for Speke Hall, somewhere close to home, but somewhere we have never been – it’s funny how that happens isn’t it? We are all so focused on travelling afar, but forget to explore our own backyards. This is something that I want to use our memberships for; exploring our local areas and the rest of our country – because let’s face it, the UK is pretty beautiful.

So…entry to Speke Hall is free if you are a NT member (but pre-booking is needed). You can visit without being a member but it will cost you £5 for adults and £2.50 for children. Parking is also free of charge.

I really didn’t know what to expect here, I had just heard about a haunted mansion or something years ago. What we saw was not what I thought Speke Hall was going to be. Speke Hall is a Tudor manor house along the River Mersey, surrounded by beautiful gardens, trails and play areas.

Entry into the Manor House was closed due to covid restrictions, but you are able to explore the land that swallows the house – it’s so beautiful. We saw families having picnics in the grounds and just relaxing, which was lovely to see – as we all need it, don’t we?! Once restrictions slowly come to an end, we will be back to visit the Manor house itself, so watch this space.

Within the grounds of Speke Hall, there are many different trails to follow, we went through the Childe of Hale trail, which was really cool. Along the way there are things to look at that relate to the Childe of Hale, so for kids this is great for them to follow, and look out for new things. Play areas were proven to be very popular, there was one that looked like your typical play area – swings, climbing frames etc. – then one within the woodland which looked very Center Parcs-esque. You can definitely let your kids burn off some energy here.

There is a shop onsite, that was closed (dang, covid) as well as a maze, hall and costal reserve walk -all closed too. We plan to explore them when everything gets back to normal. There is a restaurant called Home Farm that was serving takeaway food, we got a cheese and onion pasty – yum!

If you get chance to visit, whether you have a National Trust membership or not, please do – it’s a very beautiful place and because you are only allowed in with a booking, it’s not rowdy or overcrowded. It should definitely be on your shortlist next time you want to try a new park/walk or somewhere to have a picnic with the family.