Alnwick Garden with kids, Northumberland: Review
The wonderful Alnwick Garden in Northumberland is probably best known for its unusual poison garden – which is as darkly fascinating as you’d expect – but with far more than just this to enjoy, a visit to Alnwick Garden with kids makes a great family day out.
review visit*
We teamed our visit with a trip to Alnwick Castle next door, but if you think there won’t be much to interest kids at Alnwick Garden, think again. My daughter still didn’t want to leave after three hours.
And from the amazing water features of the Serpent Garden to the bamboo labyrinth, as well as exploring the various flower gardens and the poison garden, I could hardly blame her…
For more things to do in Northumberland with kids, check out this post
From the moment you walk in to the 12-acre attraction, you realise it’s far from an average collection of flowers.
The creation of the Duchess of Northumberland, you’re greeted by the fountains and jets of the Grand Cascade at the centre of the gardens, curving up the hill with spray arcing across the waterfall steps.
Throughout the day we kept spotting new patterns of jets, as well as scampering up to the top and back down to the bottom to decide which was our favourite view.
As well as the path, there are shallow steps within a tunnel of trees which my nine-year-old loved, deciding it was like a secret tunnel.
And at the top, the pretty rose garden, where paths wound through hedges to discover little pools and fountains, and bees buzzed happily among the flowers.
Visiting at the start of August meant we got to see some areas at their most glorious, but whenever you time your day out, there’s something to discover – head to Alnwick Garden in spring and there’s cherry blossom, for example.
Sitting on one of the 50 bench swings in the orchard, looking down back towards the entrance was a gorgeously peaceful spot – I can imagine it’s also wonderful in autumn as the leaves change colour.
My daughter’s own two favourite areas were the Serpent Garden and the Bamboo Labyrinth though.
We ventured into the latter several times, getting progressively more lost (at one point, I did wonder how I was going to find my daughter, after she scampered off in excitement at top speed).
When the sun shines, there’s a dim green light filtering into the tunnels from the gaps in the bamboo above, which feels almost otherwordly.
Later when it had clouded over, it was even more of an adventure in the darker shadow.
But if we had to pick one stand-out part if you’re visiting Alnwick Gardens with kids, it has to be the Serpent Garden.
No actual serpents, but a whole string of interactive water installations, letting kids get hands on, very wet and teaching a few scientific principles along the way.
My daughter was half intrigued by how some of these worked and half hugely entertained – including when she challenged me to squeeze between two curved metal slabs covered which running water, to see if I could emerge without getting wet.
I so nearly made it… if I hadn’t forgotten about the hood on my hoodie, which caught the stream right at the end!
You can also hide inside a dome of water, make patterns in other sheets of water by poking in a finger… or two… or a hand.
Even more fascinating was the vortex, with water swirling around a shallow metal basin and creating a whirlpool as it drained away.
One of the cleverest was designed to demonstrate hydrostatic pressure. There was an explanation, which I tried to wrap my head around as we waited, but from a child’s point of view, you watch as water is forced slowly, slowly up a metal tube.
Clear tubes on the outside show where the water level has got to… and once it reaches a particular height, it activates the sprays and jets below.
Some regulars had come prepared with a change of clothes, waiting patiently for the fun to begin, while others played chicken, darting in to touch the metal cylinder as the level inched up and up, waiting to see if they’re timed it right to avoid a soaking.
You could lose hours just in this part of the gardens alone!
High on my list to explore was the Poison Garden – look but definitely don’t touch here. And I’ve never visited anywhere quite like it.
There are QR codes by many of the plants, linking to background on how they’ve been used over the centuries including their medicinal virtues as well as their lethal ones.
You’ll also find signs with information about several high-profile murderers who used plants – or their derivatives – too.
Not all kids will enjoy this part – my daughter ventured in but quickly decided she’d prefer to sit on one of the deckchairs on the lawn instead – but it’s intriguingly unusual.
Along with the rest of the ornamental gardens, and the lawns, there’s also a woodland walk with rope bridges (although this was closed during our visit).
And near the Grand Cascade, mini diggers for kids to play with, along with bean bags to relax on, and regular family activities, such as summer street theatre.
Not forgetting Forgotten Garden adventure golf too, just next to the main Alnwick Gardens – there’s a separate charge for tickets for the 13-hole course, with its nature and fairytale theme.
It’s no surprise you can while away at least half a day here. And if my daughter had her way? I suspect she’d still be darting between the Serpent Garden and the bamboo labyrinth, playing to her heart’s content.
For more ideas of the best things to do in Northumberland with kids, check out my top picks
Need to know: Visiting Alnwick Gardens with kids
Tickets cost from £17.90 for adults in peak season and kids currently go free with a paying adult (up to four children, then from £5.90) – no dogs are allowed. Joint tickets to the Alnwick Garden and Alnwick Castle are not currently available, but you can get joint tickets for Lilidorei adventure playground.
The gardens are open from 9am to 6pm in English school holidays, otherwise from 10am to 4/5pm with last admission an hour beforehand.
Allow at least a couple of hours to get around the gardens, but you can easily spend longer on a sunny day.
You can take picnics (although you’re asked to dispose of your litter) and there are benches and lawns to eat it on. There are also several restaurants and places to buy hot drinks, as well as baby changing in the toilets.
Parking costs £3.50 per day (and is the same car park as for Alnwick Castle) – it’s around a five-minute walk down the hill from the entrance to the garden, and you can only use contactless cards for payment (no cash).
The postcode for the car park is NE66 1YU, although it’s hard to miss. There is also free accessible parking closer for Blue Badge holders.
PIN FOR LATER: ALNWICK GARDEN WITH KIDS
Disclosure: We were given free entry for the purposes of review – all opinions on visiting Alnwick Gardens with kids are my own (and my daughter’s!)
Images copyright MummyTravels
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