What is it?
A garden commonly refers to the outdoors area that comes with a regular suburban house, but the term covers almost any area set aside for the enjoyment of the outdoors and nature.
What does it involve?
Gardens can involve both natural and man made materials, and can have many uses. Variants include things such as zoos (which were formerly called zoological gardens) which display animals in replicated natural habitats, or indoor gardens with controlled environments to grow certain plants; however, the main purpose of any garden is to provide enjoyment for those within it, and a walk within a garden generally involves relaxation and fun!
Why do it and what are the benefits?
Gardens are great for taking a break in and relaxing for a while, but students (especially the younger ones) will thoroughly enjoy exploring some of the larger and more complex gardens out there! It's also a nice and safe way to get in touch with nature, as most plants and animals you happen across in a garden environment were put there on purpose and will be harmless.
What equipment do we need?
You shouldn't need any equipment for taking students to a garden apart from maybe a picnic!
Who is it suitable for?
Although generally suitable for all ages, younger children may get bored quickly if there's nothing to do! Sitting and relaxing are pursuits you only really partake in as you reach early adulthood, so make sure younger groups have garden games to enterain them, or something similar.
Costs?
Some of the more elaborate gardens you can visit may have an entry fee, but this will usually be a relatively small cost.
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Because gardens can be physically huge and with many places to hide, large groups of younger children will need careful supervision - especially if there are ponds or lakes nearby.
How do we include?
Since this activity pretty much just involves enjoying being outdoors, it should be relatively easy for you to include everybody!
Doing it abroad?
Some of the most impressive gardens in the world are located abroad, and can take days to explore their secrets!
Main website:
This section of the National Trust website has some great information and recommendations, but always check individual websites for venue specifics.
Shustoke Reservoirs are a haven of tranquility with plenty of wildlife to observe. In the spring, the banks of the reservoir are covered in an impressive display of wildflowers, such as cowslips and lady’s smock.
There are a variety of walks including links to the Heart of England Way and Centenary Way. The North Warwickshire Cycle Way also links to the site.
The Upper Derwent Valley is situated in the stunning Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. The area is renowned for its spectacular scenery, with its deep wooded valleys and bleak, rugged moorland. It is the perfect place to enjoy some the UK's most beautiful landscapes and to experience the great outdoors and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Here we pride ourselves in providing a fun, family friendly environment. Whether you fancy a ride on the miniature train, spending the day playing on our toddler park or adventure playground, even if it’s just feeding the ducks whilst enjoying an ice cream!
Step into royal domesticity where the royal family lived as the 'simplest country gentlefolks'.
Take advantage of free entry for under-16s and free preliminary tickets to prepare for your visit.
Kew Palace, the Royal Kitchens and Queen Charlotte's Cottage... some of the must see sites at Kew.
Pembrokeshire's County Museum is located in a traditional Victorian country house near Haverfordwest, surrounded by 60 acres of park and woodland and is completed by an award-winning eco-centre.
Period rooms, railway displays, farming exhibition, costume, stable/rural crafts, art exhibitions, World War II homefront exhibition. Picnic and play areas, shop and tearoom.
With its breathtaking views of the Yorkshire Dales, Richmond Castle fully deserves its place as one of the finest tourist attractions in North Yorkshire. The castle was originally built to subdue the unruly North of England it is one of the greatest Norman fortresses in Britain.
While most mansions fell into disrepair after decades of use, Woodchester Mansion was never actually finished. The mansion was commissioned by William Leigh in the 1850s, but the Victorian workmen mysteriously downed their tools and abandoned it mid-construction in 1873.
Wightwick Manor - haven of a romantic industrialist.
In 1937 Geoffrey Mander MP did something remarkable - he persuaded the National Trust to accept a house that was just 50 years old.
This beautiful small manor house, built over three centuries, has late Gothic and Jacobean windows, decorative plasterwork and two important keyboard instruments. There is some fine period furniture, 17th- and 18th-century tapestries and a modern topiary garden.
Lytes Cary Manor is an intimate medieval manor house with a beautiful Arts and Crafts garden where you can imagine living.
Originally the family home of Henry Lyte, where he translated the unique Niewe Herbal book on herbal remedies, Lytes Cary was then lovingly restored in the 20th century by Sir Walter Jenner.
The Iford valley has been occupied since Roman times and the manor house sits idyllically by the Frome river in the steep-sided valley. Iford Manor is mediaeval in origin, the classical facade being added in the eighteenth century when the hanging woodlands above the garden were planted.
Originally laid out between 1696 and 1705, this is the only restored Dutch style water garden in the country.
Visitors can explore canals, clipped hedges and working 17th-century vegetable plots and discover many old varieties of fruit trees.
A delightful series of walled gardens surrounds the charming 18th-century house.
The garden has many original features including a grand water staircase, created by Marylyn Abbott, providing the focal point to the Nymphaeum fountain designed by Quinlan Terry.
Open throughout the year, Wakehurst is the country estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The varied landscape is of international significance for its beautiful botanic gardens and tree collections, as well as for its science-based plant conservation and research.
Hughenden offers a vivid insight into the charismatic personality and colourful private life of the most unlikely Victorian Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, who lived here from 1848 to 1881. You can browse among an extraordinary collection of personal memorabilia, and there's even a Victorian playroom for younger visitors.
Perched on its vantage point high on the South Downs ridge, Uppark commands views as far south as the English Channel. Outside, the intimate gardens are being gradually restored to their original 18th-century design, with plenty of space in the adjacent meadow to play and relax with a picnic. The nearby woodland is great for exploring and den-building.
Spectacular Victorian Gothic Revival house with gardens and parkland. A fine Victorian country house created by one of England's richest commoners, William Gibbs, who built his fortune on fertiliser.
An intimate Elizabethan manor and a Cornish gem, Trerice remains little changed by the advances in building fashions over the centuries, thanks to long periods under absentee owners.
Today the renowned stillness and tranquillity of Trerice is much prized by visitors.
Explore Trengwainton’s 25 acres and discover special plants nurtured for generations by those with a passion for their beauty and extraordinary story.
Spring comes early here with champion magnolias flowering from February onwards. Peer skywards to see their huge waxy blooms outlined against the sky, or look down to spot snowdrops lining the winding wooded paths.
Only a few metres from York Minster, this was the first house ever given to the National Trust complete with a collection - and it is not all that it first seems.
It has a history spanning 2,000 years, from the Roman road in the cellar to the Edwardian servants' quarters in the attics, and thirteen period rooms in between.
This charming 17th-century farmhouse, elegantly remodelled in Georgian times, offers fun and relaxation for all the family. Set in 100 acres of countryside, there are apple orchards and charming woodland walks. The atmosphere of a working farmyard has been rekindled with the return of small animals.
The eclectic collection at Arlington Court tells the story of a family who lived on the estate for more than 600-years. Discover for yourself the museum-like hoard amassed by Miss Rosalie Chichester, during her 84-years living at Arlington.
Built for the first Lord Berwick in 1785, Attingham Hall and its beautiful parkland were owned by one family for more than 160 years. As their fortunes rose and fell they proved themselves to be spenders, savers and saviours - providing a fascinating story of love and neglect whose mark still stands in Attingham’s rooms today.
This extraordinary building with the appearance of a dolls' house nestles in a beautiful valley on the Berkshire Downs, surrounded by woodland.
It was built by an Earl, William Craven, as a house fit for the queen he loved, Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia in 1662.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.