Dyffryn Gardens - Spring at The National Trust

If you are a regular reader of our blog you will know we love spending as much time outdoors as possible and have been meaning to visit one of two National Trust properties local to us, one being Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan, which we had heard was a fantastic place to explore, with a variety of gardens, sculptures and an imposing Manor house. So when the wonderful people at The National Trust invited us to a spring adventure we couldn't wait to put our boots on and get outside, especially now that baby G is running around, climbing over things and enjoying the fresh air as much as we are.

We headed down to the gardens on what happened to be the warmest day of the year so far and it really felt like spring had arrived, especially with the sight of spring buds and daffodils in full bloom. There are plenty of parking spaces  at Dyffryn and just before the entrance is a fun little adventure playground which both of the kids loved, as well as the main cafe and shop. We were provided with a day pass although it's normally £7.80 per adult and £3.80 per child which includes entrance to the mansion.

As soon as you go through the main entrance you are welcomed to beautiful lawns, trees, wild gardens and a rockery along the path that leads you toward the imposing edwardian mansion which we decided to check out first before exploring the rest of the 55 acres.

The house which is only partially restored is like stepping back in time and the interior is absolutely stunning with a huge stained glass window in the main hall which leads into a room with a stunning bay fronted window and vintage wall paper. In two of the rooms there are the most intricate marble fireplace surrounds which Baby G loved and Mr A was take by the large wooden boat model. In time the trust is hoping to slowly restore all of the Manor house and by the look of the amazing work they have done so far it will be an exciting time to see this complete and in it's original state.

When then headed outside with a little pit stop by the vintage style kiosk for a bite to eat before making our way to the walled gardens and garden rooms, each with their own theme including statues, small pools and fountains which can be seen in the newly restored Pompeian Garden. With so many winding paths to follow it was exciting to see what would be behind each corner and my eldest loved exploring in this magical place.

When we arrived at the Gardens we were given a little I-spy treasure map for the kids of different sights to spot along the way, something we all join in with, we didn't find everything but that just means we have an excuse to go again next week, in fact I can see us spending a lot of time here this year. It's always great to run out the cobwebs and I know it does everyone a lot of good and we all feel so energised after a walk in the forest or along the coast. Do you have a favourite National Trust property? Why not sure your spring adventures on social media using #NTFirst