Leeds Castle in Kent is mentioned as one of the 1000 places you should see before you die and having recently been I can see why. Apart from centuries of history and royal owners such as King Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon, the castle is set in the most beautiful parkland offering endless possibilities for an excellent family day out.
Leeds Castle love setting up trails for families to follow; at Christmas time I took the girls on the Gingerbread Trail and we had enormous fun now, as February half term fast approaches, I’m really looking forward to the Fairytale Trail.
The trail will take children on a journey to discover forgotten stories. They will hunt for different hidden objects from favourite fairytales trailing through woodland, past the castle, through the gardens and onto the adventure playgrounds. Objects like glass slippers, red apples and a bowl of porridge.
You can also access the heated marquee by the maze and listen to the storyteller reading or enjoy other activities including create your own fairytale.
You can make this a day out and choose whether to eat in one of the cafés or the restaurant or take a picnic with you. The children love Elsie the Land Train and there are two gift shops with some fabulous merchandise to choose from mum 😉
Included in your entrance ticket you may watch a free flying falconry demonstration, visit the yew Maze and Grotto, see my photo below and spend hours in the adventure playgrounds including zip lines, sandpits and slides.
Animals to look out for around the 500 acres of grounds are black swans, grey squirrels, kingfishers, geese, peacocks and ducks
The Fairytale trail is £1 per person to enter and includes a chocolate surprise at the end too.
Admission tickets cost £24 for adults; £21 for seniors and visitors with disabilities (carers go free); £16 for children (under 4s free). The tickets are valid for 12 months so you pay once but can visit all year round. Book online and receive 10% off admission tickets at: www.leeds-castle.com
Leeds Castle is located near Maidstone in Kent just off Junction 8 of the M20 within easy reach of London. Grounds open at 10am daily and the Castle is open from 10.30am. Last admission is 4.30pm and gates close at 6pm.
About Marianne Weekes
BLOGS AT: Mari's World; TWITTER: @maris_world. Mother of four and nana to three, Marianne Weekes has spent half her life in the UK and the other half in Italy. Blogging since Jan 2010, she finds it hard to drag herself away from her laptop and writes about food, travel and lifestyle. Always on the lookout for the next thing which takes her down many surprising lanes.