You have to have at least one wet and dreary start to the day in an English Summer. It’s the law! 

On this occasion, it was the one day that I had booked with Grannie Daycare for an outdoorsy trip. Typical. The last trip we took together was, thankfully, the greater washout . We had driven to Whipsnade on a pre-arranged date in the Easter holidays and while it did dry up as we were leaving, it was more miserable because we really should have been lugging our (wet) buggy around with us, to match Little Chap’s stamina levels at the time (not the world’s greatest, except in his head perhaps!) and because it did from time to time chase us back to the car in our rain coats!

This time, Grannie Daycare was planning to take us to The Savill Garden for the day. I’d seen the Facebook photos my sister and sister-in-law had posted on previous visits. Blue skies, lush planting, greenery and fabulous old tree trunks for the kids to clamber over. I wanted me a piece of that. Not the dribbling clouds and thundery skies that greeted me on waking!

The Savill Garden is described as “Britain’s finest ornamental garden”. With gardens for every season, it didn’t fail to live up to expectation. Located off the A30, close to junctions on the M25, M3 and M4, it is pretty accessible. The car park was large and had good sized spaces. Ideal for mums with little ones to lift in and out of buggies and cars doors. The restaurant is run by Leith’s and doesn’t fail to wow! I had a delicious fennel salad. Grannie had a more than generous baked potato with a filling and Little Chap delighted in helping Grannie to choose his lunch – a picnic bag filled with mini ham sandwiches, his choice of extras (a fruit yoghurt & chocolate krispie cake  over a piece of fruit – he’s so predictable!) and a carton of juice.

The clouds were indeed grey and rainy but by the time we arrived, the skies were lighter. Grannie took us on a grand tour after a more than acceptable lunch and a pit stop to the ample and very clean toilets, while the weather got with the programme! Our walk (around an hour or so) took in some beautiful old trees, some magnificent summer planted beds and a rose garden.

Sadly, the latter had passed its best but it had a fabulous wood and metal structure in the middle of it, from which to view the planting. Little Chap adored it, as it was shaped like the rising prow of a ship. So needless to say, he had to rush off to the very end of it to play the part of Captain Hook! It was a lovely stroll with plenty of benches for stopping to observe and rest weary legs, though Little Chap must have run/walked about four times further than us. He was however rewarded for his efforts with a short play in the children’s playground, situated  just behind the car park, while Grannie and I rested on a warm rock and watched as Little Chap tried to make friends with a couple of pretty older ladies…!

Have you visited any gardens over the summer with little ones in tow? How was it for you? Did they enjoy it or did they stop you from enjoying it?