We’ve been coming to Wakehurst Place for YEARS. It’s only up the M23 from Brighton; around 30-40 minutes away, and near to the South of England Showground, near Lindfield.

Wakehurst is probably one of the bigger National Trust locations in Sussex. You can easily spend a whole day here. The last time we came, T hadn’t started school yet, and the weather was terrible, but we still had a nice time. The place is absolutely massive – with lots to see and do. Before this, we’ve come here with T’s buggy, carried him in his sling, and then when he was eventually toddling. It really does cater for everyone.

Last week, we decided to take another trip out as we knew it would be a good location to run around (whilst also being able to socially distance). Apart from the main house, the majority of the location is outdoors. The only other indoor area is the research facility, which is open plan, but it varies whether T feels like learning!

Wakehurst Place & Gardens

Wakehurst is owned by the National Trust but managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This means that entry is free if you’re a National Trust member. You still have to pay for parking (although there are membership options available for this also!).

It’s 500 acre site is home to the world’s largest seed conservation project and features several botanical gardens. There’s also expansive woodland, lakes, rich meadows and a wetland area. It’s also home to the largest growing Christmas tree in England!

The main location also houses a Medieval 16th Century Mansion, which open to the public (although not at the moment due to Covid). The main feature, however, are their gardens!

Surrounding grounds…

When we’d finished touring the ornamental gardens, we grabbed a coffee from the cafe and headed to the rural areas of the property. This is where we explored a number of woods (there’s three!), as well as the resident glades and valley areas. Sadly, these areas aren’t always accessible for pushchairs and wheelchair users as they’re rather steep and uneven.

Suitable shoes are recommended!

Lose Yourself…

It’s so easy to get lost at Wakehurst as there are so many different paths you can take. Although most of them are clearly signposted, it just depends if you’re paying attention! I was distracted several times during over visit, as the trees alone take your breath away.

During our visit, we followed the main route to the lake at the “bottom” of Wakehurst. On the way, we found the new (for us, anyway) Wetland area, which reminded us of the Wetlands in Arundel. This also lead us onto The Loder Valley Nature Reserve.

Whenever we’ve visited, the water level near to the reserve has always been on the higher side, however on this occasion the river was much lower. This meant we were able to see the river bed. It was actually quite creepy!

Loder Valley Nature Reserve is an afternoon excursion in itself. It’s home to a large woodland (and it’s own map!) and lots of wildlife. You need a separate permit for access, however it’s free and can be picked up at the ticket office. We dipped our toes in briefly, to see what it was all about, however we quickly realised we were going off piste and away from Wakehurst. With this, we turned round and decided to explore this another day.

Play!

After some lunch, we made our way back to the main area of Wakehurst, but not before veering off to find the Tree Trunk Trek. This is a completely hidden gem at Wakehurst! This large children’s play area is home to a number of climbing areas, tucked away from the main path. We found it by accident last time, and then unsurprisingly couldn’t find it this time.

Despite walking his socks off, T found a secret pocket of energy just for playing here (when we eventually found it!). There’s just something magical about it. I’m really loving the way that National Trusts are starting to implement little play areas to break up your day. Although we don’t go for the play – the woods will quench that – we end up staying longer because of it.

Booking is Essential!

Booking at Wakehurst is essential at the moment, so it’s worth booking an early slot. I noticed, as the day went on, how busy it got in areas like the admissions area and the cafe. That being said, to combat this we stayed in the woods and meadows for most of the day. We then kept the play area until the end of the day, but I would definitely recommend getting there early.

Wakehurst Place is perfect for days out during Covid is it’s incredibly spacious. During the week, you’re less likely to bump into many people. If you do, there’s plenty of places to navigate around and staff are on hand in the more compact areas.

Outside of Covid, Wakehurst is perfect for an all day excursion as there’s so much to see and do. As mentioned, we didn’t manage to fit Loder Valley Nature Reserve into our visit, and the research facility wasn’t on our cards that day. Even if it was, though, I don’t think we could have fit it all in!

Have you been to Wakehurst Place recently? Where are your favourite locations?