Tatton Park

Tatton Park is a place we are always driving past but never seem to visit – bar one time when we attended a Segway experience in the grounds.

To be honest, we’ve been a little put off visiting because it seems to be the one place within the National Trust that charges members to park – and it is £8 per car! I do find that quite steep. But then again, once we visited and saw how much could be done there – you could easily spend a full day – it doesn’t seem too bad. Entry into the grounds, however, is free for members.

Everything is open at Tatton Park within the hours of 10am to 7pm, with a few things opening at 11am. Personally, I think the best time to arrive is probably at noon as everything is open and up and running. Then again, noon is most likely going to be very busy…

Tatton Park is a huge estate that was once the property of the Egerton family. Within the grounds you can expect to see plenty of deer and sheep roaming the land; a beautiful mansion house, exquisite gardens – including Italian and Japanese gardens that are not to be missed – lots of shops, eateries and benches to lunch on. It is perfect for a family day out.

There is a rare breed farm (although, I would loosely use the word ‘rare’ as it seems to be a popular phrase being used a lot lately) but we didn’t actually visit it as we visited Tatton Park with our dog and dogs aren’t allowed… so we will go back to visit it one day. Other fun things here for children include a large play area, woodland trail, building zones, and – when we visited – there was a little fair.

So, going back to the dog situation. Slightly annoying. Dogs aren’t allowed in the majority of closed-off areas in Tatton Park. Luckily we visited with my Mum and Dad so we could take turns staying with the dogs, which allowed us to have a look around the different gardens on offer. I understand the reasoning behind why dogs aren’t allowed in certain areas, especially near rare plants, however, I believe sensible dog owners who visit National Trust places are sensible enough with their furry friends to keep them appropriately tamed. *rant over*.

Overall it’s a very lovely place. A perfect place for a family day out with children. And I guarantee that once you visit, you’ll want to go back!