Our Visit To Wentworth Castle Gardens

Today we chose to go to Wentworth Castle Gardens. It’s a beautiful rolling landscape of hills, wildlife and impressive buildings. The sun was finally out for the first time in what seemed like forever! The wind was still bitterly cold, though. It took us ten minutes to get there by car. It’s hard to believe there are places like this on our doorstep!

Arriving at Wentworth Castle

Pulling into the car park, our little Yorkshire Terrier could barely contain her excitement and eagerness to explore. Leah, our five year old daughter, initially wasn’t impressed about going for a walk today, but thankfully when we told her about the the castle themed playground, she was excited.

We were taking advantage of an offer that I had seen on social media. Wentworth Castle Gardens is part of The National Trust portfolio, and anyone who had bought a lottery ticket on either the 15th or 16th March could access the site for free, along with up to four children. It’s a no brainer, as usual entry prices are around £6.50 per person. We only had one lottery ticket so my partner had to pay his entry fee, but still a fabulous deal.

As we approached the entrance, we were greeted by a friendly lady who advised us that retractable leads for dogs were not permitted on the site (presumably as they can be harmful to wildlife). I was pleasantly suprised when the lady gave us a non retractable lead to use whilst we were on the site, along with a site map to find out way around. We were impressed so far!

Upon entering the site, we had to walk a considerable distance before we reached the centre of the site. We were surrounded by tall oaks, birches and pine trees lining the long path ahead. The ground beneath us was rocky and like a carpet of moss and leaves. My daughter ran ahead with her arms flailing in the air, looking up at the trees. She was excited to see some birds congregated together up high on one of the branches, and couldn’t wait to point it out to us!

Daisy was on high alert as she strutted up the path, her tail wagging and her nose pressed firmly to the floor, sniffing everything at ground level. taking in the scenery, and inspecting through the multiple gardens, sniffing every blade of grass and every flower petal available. She very much enjoyed meeting other canine friends, of all different breeds and characters. I’m a dog lover, and whenever I see a dog, no matter the breed, I resemble a child that has walked into a sweet shop for the first time. But still, I cannot resist stroking them all!

The Coffee Shop

Nestled in-between some dense greenery we stumbled across a quaint little coffee shop. Standing outside was a large blackboard in the shape of an ice cream, something which had caught my daughter attention. Without hesitation she skipped over to the board and shouted to let us know they sell chocolate ice cream, whilst holding her hands together under chin, tilting her head and giving puppy dog eyes.

Once inside the coffee shop, the aroma of home cooked food was comforting. There were plenty of tables to sit and eat both inside and out. We ordered two latte’s and a vanilla ice cream, which came to £10. A bit expensive, but the coffee was beautiful and the ice cream was a winner. As you can see, Leah thorughly approved of her ice cream!

Wentorth Castle and The Union Jack Gardens

Back out on the footpath, we were headed towards the vast fields that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The terrain was harsh, hilly and unforgiving, but the view was unspoiled, rich in nature and calming. To the right of us stood the magnificent Wentworth Castle, which was built in the early 18th century. Today it is used as a residential college. It was originally named Stainborough Hall. It’s a Grade I listed country house in Stainborough, South Yorkshire. It’s grand exterior is breathtaking for visitors old and new, and my daughter’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Just a little bit further down the footpath, we came to an vast garden area, known as the Union Jack gardens. It comprises of thirteen segments, all shaped as the Union Jack flag. It is thought to have been used by Thomas Wentworth, the owner of the vast estate, to show where his allegiances lay.

For my daughter this resembled a fun maze, one that she and the dog were eager to explore, and dashed off ahead. For those with mobility problems, navigating around here is made easier, as there are benches at almost every area of the garden.

Dotted around the union jack gardens were information plaques, to give visitors more information about each particular garden and where it’s design originated from. One of the gardens had a double seat, which my daughter perched on with Daisy, and they enjoyed the view together.

The tree lined path

After the union Jack gardens, we ventured into an oasis of greenery, floral arrangements and natural wood sculptures. I suffer with chronic anxiety, but any anxiousness seemed to disappear in these surroundings. As we took an unassuming right turn, ahead of us lay a tree lined path, which dominated the view. They were Lime trees, and they made no apologies for their grandness. Even with their bare branches, it was difficult to not be mesmerized.

After convincing everyone to come away form the path and continue our adventure, we made our way up the meandering paths. We came to an opening in the shrubbery, once again, we were left speechless. Lying before us was an endless tapestry of green, with rolling hills, sprawling fields, with sheep dotted around. They were peacefully grazing on the grass.

There was a small wall in front of us, so without saying anything, we all took off our backpacks and got seated. A little tip I would give to families is to fetch snacks, plenty of them. We had a little picnic and general chit chat, a much needed escape from our busy lives.

Musical Chimes

Just around the corner from here, nestled between heavy trees and shrubbery, were some colourful musical chimes. My daughter spotted these, and we spent the next thirty minutes taking it in turns to make our own tunes. I had more fun than I probably should have, as my daughter and partner had to literally pull me away in the end!

The Victoian Conservatory

Within the grounds of Wentworth Castle is a huge victorian conservatory. Entry to this is free with your admission tickets. The planting of the conservatory represents plants from the temperate zones across 5 continents. The conservatory also houses information on the history of the estate and its workers, and lots of interactive activities for the children. Also, there is a Blackamoor Statue. According to examinerlive.co.uk, this is a lead cast of an African slave in a feather skirt kneeling as he holds a sundial above his head.

Here are some other photographs of inside the victorian conservatory!

The playground

To end the visit, we went back into the children’s playground. My daughter burned the last of her energy off climbing the ropes, walking over the wobbly bridge and exploring the castle. There were swarms of parents grouped around their children on the play equipment, all taking photographs of their little ones, including me! Here are some of the photographs from the playground.