Bear picnics and Dalmatians at Packwood House, Warwickshire

It seems wrong to decide to visit somewhere simply because it’s in the right place to break a car journey with a toddler. But frankly if I’d spent hours pouring over maps and websites, I couldn’t have picked somewhere much better than Packwood House.

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A National Trust property, it’s set in Warwickshire just outside Solihull. And like so many of England’s historic houses, it’s fabulous.

Even better, they’ve come up with some clever ideas to keep kids entertained too, so much so that the colouring and crafts on offer in the Family Den were abandoned for exploring the house and gardens.

Dubbed a ‘house to dream of, a garden to dream in’ by one much-quoted visitor from the 1920s, the house itself is originally Tudor. But it was the 20th century that saw it restored painstakingly to its current glory.

Mr Ash, the owner during the 20s and 30s, trawled the countryside to find original pieces to decorate the house as it might have looked when it was first built, even tracking down tapestries, leaded windows and stained glass.

He also added the Long Gallery and medieval-style Great Hall from a former cow byre and barn.

It means that everywhere you look, there’s a treasure to find, from Jacobean and canopied beds slept in by Queen Mary to chinoiserie. And one of the extra lovely touches for children is to find the handful of Dalmatian statues dotted around the rooms.

Even Minnie, at two, had huge fun with trying to spot the ‘spotty doggies’ – as well as being the perfect height to see one of the best concealed ones.

Not a huge house, I could have whiled away an hour easily but you can wander round in half that time, enough for short attention spans not to get bored.

Then there’s at least as much to entertain outside. The yew gardens beg to play hide and seek in, or simply chase each other round and round one of the huge shaped trees.

You can even climb up a cleverly winding path until you’re underneath, almost inside one of the trees and look down across the rows back towards the house.

Or wander over to the lake, where a path takes you the whole way round, with some great places to tick off some of your 50 things on the Welly Walk, such as building a den or climbing a tree. On the way, keep an eye out for the follies dotted around the grounds.

Apple, pear, plum and quince trees grow in the orchard, and you can still see the bee baskets and spaces in the wall of the former orchard where hives used to live.

But the favourite place for Minnie? The kitchen garden. It’s lovely on its own, with endless borders of flowers and vegetables galore, including a whole array of squashes and flowering courgettes, cabbages, and tomatoes on their vines.

There are even quirky touches like flowerpots full of cones, another toddler hit, and wellies doubling as plant pots.

And picnicking in the middle? A group of bears.

Somewhat drenched bears thanks to the bank holiday weekend rain but that didn’t stop Minnie from hugging them, helpfully rearranging one bear’s sunglasses, and repeatedly serving ‘cake and coffee’ to the furry guests as she pulled plate after cup after saucer from a wicker hamper, before tidying it all away.

Then repeating the process so many times, she gained her own audience. One of the things which had swayed my decision on whether to visit, I could barely get her to leave.

She didn’t stop asking to go back for two days.

Packwood House: Need to know

Opening times vary throughout the year – check the site for days and details. Entry costs from £15 for an adult for the whole property, excluding gift aid. Child tickets cost from £7.50 for over-fives, family ticket £37.50. Baddesley Clinton is also nearby.

Tickets for the house are timed, so you’ll have an hour’s slot to enter although you can then spend as long as you want – and go back for another ticket later if you wanted.

You can get a Welly Walk map from reception. There are also family activity cards for the house – and spot the ‘spider’ in the Delft-tiled bath.

Parking is free. There’s also a fantastic cafe on site with plenty of high chairs and kids’ meals, as well as some impressively doorstep sandwiches, cake and cream teas. For younger kids, there are some Hippychick Hip Seats for loan.

If you’re planning on visiting the area, check out my posts on nearby Warwick Castle, including a stay in the Knight’s Village and tips for visiting Warwick Castle with a toddler too

Disclosure: I was given a free pass to a National Trust property for the purposes of review. My choice of Packwood House and all opinions are my own.

All images copyright MummyTravels

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