Enjoy fun-filled family days out and exciting adventures in Norfolk this summer with the National Trust’s Summer of Play, sponsored by Starling Bank. With different activities at each location, there’s something new to discover and enjoy at every National Trust place you visit throughout the school holidays. Try your hand at archery, badminton, sports day races, and croquet. Put your skills to the test with fun outdoor games of hoola hoops, giant Jenga, and noughts and crosses. Explore the great outdoors, go bug-hunting, and see what other wildlife you can spot. Or relax with cloud spotting and wild nature art. Step onto the stage to have a go at performance play and dress-up games, make music, or let your imagination run wild with storytelling sessions. All of the Summer of Play activities have been specifically designed with families in mind to make each visit special. There’ll be plenty of space to enjoy games and activities, as well as picnic spots, shady rest areas and of course, toilets, cafes and pop-up kiosks offering refreshing food and drink. Here are some of the National Trust places in Norfolk where you can get stuck into activities and exciting adventures for the whole family this summer.
Blickling Estate
Summer of Play, Saturday 20 July – 3 September, 10am – 4.30pm
Blickling Estate is the perfect setting for action-packed days out full of fun and adventure. Explore, move, play games, get crafty and create lasting memories. Head into the house to see games from the collection on display, including a chess set, backgammon and mahjong. Head outside to discover stacks of possibilities to play all day – who can’t resist a family badminton match or a traditional game of croquet? Dress up and perform on the parade stage and test your balancing skills playing giant Jenga. Take a pause to watch the Living History team bring stories from Blickling’s past to life on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and check the website for details of when balance bikes, archery, craft activities and storytelling sessions will be available – all included within standard admission prices, no booking required. Free entry for National Trust members.
With cycle hire options and walk routes throughout the wider estate, there’s plenty to entertain all ages over multiple days this summer.
After oodles of play and adventure, enjoy a picnic under the shaded canopy of the stretch tent or head to The Stables or Muddy Boots cafés for ice-creams, refreshing drinks and light meals. For all of this and more, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/blickling-estate.
Horsey Windpump
Summer of Play | 20 July to 3 September | 10am – 4pm
Enjoy summer games[1] against the backdrop of a Norfolk Broads landmark. Try your hand at badminton or challenge each other to a hoola hoop competition. Feeling competitive? Take part in an egg-and-spoon race or test your skills with a game of giant Jenga. Don’t forget to explore the wildlife garden and see what adventures await. Keep your eyes peeled for the amazing wildlife in the area. If you are lucky, you might even see a swallowtail butterfly. Refuel your energy levels with a tasty ice cream or a delicious snack from the café, take a moment to relax on a deck chair, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of The Broads.
For all this and more, visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/horsey-windpump
Morston Quay
Summer of Play | 20 July to 3 September | 10am – 4pm Meet the Ranger | Wed 24 July & Wed 21 Aug | 9.30am-11.30am Head to Morston Quay for a summer packed full of games and activities [2]. Which member of your family has the most accurate aim, the steadiest hand, and the best balance? Find out with throwing games, giant Jenga and balancing beams. Challenge each other to a hoola hoop competition or have a go at more traditional games like hopscotch and noughts and crosses. Work together in harmony and make music with woodland instruments. Round off all that play with an ice cream or a delicious snack from the café, take a moment to relax, and immerse yourself in the beautiful coastal landscape. There’s lots of wildlife to see too, which you can learn more about at one of our Meet the Ranger events.
For all this and more, visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/morston-quay
Oxburgh Estate
Summer of Play | 20 July to 3 September | 10am – 4:30pm Garden games, picnic hotspots and Hidden Treasures!
Explore Oxburgh Estate this summer! You’ll find an action-packed day of fun for the whole family including kick croquet, sports day races, traditional lawn games, badminton, an obstacle course and a ‘hook-a-swan’ game too! Activities are spread across the gardens and into the parkland so there’s lots of ways to experience the great outdoors.
When you are done exploring, there are lots of fabulous picnic spots with plenty of picnic blankets available to borrow and the Servants Hall tearoom and Pantry Cafe will be open serving a mixture of hot and cold food, drinks, and ice-creams. Inside the Hall visitors can see the items featured in the recent BBC series ‘Hidden Treasures’ and children can also take part in the Hidden Rat trail too.
Find out more about events this summer here: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh-estate
Sheringham Park
Summer of Play | 20 July to 3 September | 10am – 4:30pm
Games galore, ice cream parlour and tower views
Summer of Play returns to Sheringham Park with free activities and equipment galore. Have fun as a family among nature and find a range of sporting-inspired games and challenges, from sack races to swingball, filling the events field opposite the visitor barn. Bring a picnic, visit the Courtyard Cafè, or choose a scoop or two at the ice cream parlour before delving further into the park.
The dog-free Bower Garden is a’buzz with life at this time of year, as the wildflower meadow, pond and insect hotel teem with tiny creatures. Guided soft archery sessions take place here on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am-3pm. Intrepid explorers can climb two viewing towers nestled in the Wild Garden or venture further along the Repton Route and tackle the 115 hillside steps and 60 steps up the Gazebo tower. Breathtaking views await of the oak tree canopy, Poppy Line steam trains chuntering through the landscape, and to the coast beyond.
Find out more about events at Sheringham Park this summer, including sunset bat-spotting walks: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sheringham-park
