Snowdrops are so pretty aren’t they? There is something quite special about them. I think it has something to do with the promise of the Spring to come after a wet cold winter. Whatever it is, snowdrops always make us smile.

A few weeks ago (before my children started getting sick) we pulled on our wellies and headed off for some outdoors fun. This time we visited Newark Park another National Trust location close to Wotten-under-edge in The Cotswolds. Its a fantastic place to visit but we specifically went to see their beautiful snowdrops. It wasn’t our first visit, we went last year when we moved back to Gloucestershire, so we were excited to go back again. It really is a great place to explore:

Newark Park is a beautiful 750 acre estate with at its heart a charming historic home. The house is proudly situated on top of the Cotswold escarpment, looking down into the Ozleworth valley and to the Mendips beyond.

Newark House was originally a Tudor hunting lodge, built by the Poyntz family in 1550. Over the centuries owners and tenants added to and altered the house, turning it into an impressive and comfortable home to suit its surroundings. Join us inside to uncover the history of the house, and find out how it was saved in the 1970s by Robert Parsons, a Texan architect who uncovered many of Newark’s lost period features.

It was absolutely freezing on this particular day, so we started off looking around the property. A log fire was burning so we quickly warmed up and the girls had fun completing a trail. The volunteers at Newark Park are so friendly, always taking their time to chat to the girls as they whizz around looking for peacocks. Lots of fun:

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My girls adore dressing up and Newark House has an amazing dressing up room. The girls all tried on outfits and happily played there for ages much to the amusement of other visitors. They would have stayed there all day if they could:

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Once we left the house, the sun had started to shine and it was pretty warm. We had lots of fun exploring the grounds.

The gardens at Newark are laid out over three levels. The lawns and the walled garden provide the setting for Newark house, with the seasonal borders on the south terrace providing plenty of colour. The Glade walk takes you from the quirky folly to the rockery beneath Newark House. The lakeside garden has a relaxing and romantic feel, with colourful borders, ducks on the small lake and the charming historic summerhouse.

The gardens are beautiful, we particularly enjoyed seeing all the gorgeous snowdrops. They were dotted everywhere and we couldn’t stop taking photos:

You definitely need your wellies at this time of year as its quite muddy, but of course with children this is just part of the fun:

Snowdrops, peacocks and dressing up…we had so much fun and  will definitely be back again soon.

Karen x