Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

You all know where Monkey’s happy place is, and we got to share it with some of his oldest friends last Saturday.  It was time for an Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens with 2 of Monkey’s NCT buddies and their mum.  The weather could not have been more different from Good Friday and we arrived just after Stowe opened.  Although it wasn’t raining, the wind was blowing and it was very cloudy and a tad chilly!

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

We were all wrapped up warm and were determined to make the best of things.  Monkey’s friends had dressed up as Knights to match the theme, but they soon decided warm coats might be a better idea.  It was S and B’s first time at Stowe and Monkey was looking forward to showing them around his favourite spot.

The children were offered free Face painting, and Miss B became our own Easter Bunny for the day.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

We picked up Trail sheets and headed down to the main gardens.  It was great that the route would take us left at the bell, rather than Monkey’s normal route, for a change.

Although we can always be found at National Trust properties we’ve never actually completed an Easter Egg Hunt trail at one of the sites before, so we had no idea what to expect.  The trail sheet gave us a map showing us where to find the numbered clues, and the option of 2 trail tasks to complete.  There was a letter ‘search and sort’ option which the children all loved, and a series of questions to answer along the way, for older children.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

As we reached each point along the course the children found an egg-shaped clue which gave them a letter for their sheet.  Each point also gave the children a chance to read part of a story, giving them answer for the questions on the sheet. Monkey’s friends are more proficient readers and it was lovely to see them both making a great job of reading the story at each stop.  We really liked the idea of following a story around the trail.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

A little map reading was also required along the Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens.  At one point the children raced ahead and spotted a clue point, but look guys, check the map, you’ve missed number 4 and 5!

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

A genius part of the whole event for us was the addition of props along the way which helped to bring the story alive.  The children loved it, and it was totally unexpected. We took a few moments to enjoy being party guests.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

As well as spending time learning about spinning wheels and how yarn was spun from fleece.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

Before heading off in search of more clues.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

Monkey and his friends really were having a wonderful time, the weather wasn’t great but there wasn’t one moment of moaning.  They were having fun in each others company and enjoying being out in the fresh AKA bracing Spring air!

My friend and I enjoyed the views and watching the three amigos running around, in search of the next clue in their quest to win their chocolate prize.  Even on a bleak day, you can’t help but be inspired by the scenery around Stowe.

Monkey’s friends were fascinated with all the little temples and follies we came across on the Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens.  We explained a little of the history of the place and the reason why the temples would have been constructed.  It added to the magic of the day.

We were promised a treat at the end of the trail.  The children had sussed that the story they were reading along the way was in fact Sleeping Beauty, but we were all surprised by what we found hidden in the Sleeping Wood – brilliant idea!

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

Of course the bed was just too inviting for our intrepid explorers!  They deserved a little sit down at the end of the trail.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

We were all in need of a little warmth, so we headed to the New Inn  Restaurant for hot drinks and cake, well we did deserve it.  It was freezing.

Once we’d warmed up we headed back to the main entrance so the three friends could claim their prizes.

Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

I think their smiles sum up our time on the Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens. We’d all really enjoyed ourselves, despite the weather and it was lovely to share one of our favourite places with special friends. My friend and I both thought that the event was really well organised, with some lovely surprise elements.  I’ll certainly be bringing Monkey back next year. We saw families with children of all ages, as we walked around the grounds and they all seemed to be having a wonderful time too.

disclosure:  Although I have family membership with the National Trust, my friend and her children were given free access for the day, and all three children were given free access to the Easter Egg Hunt which would normally cost £3.00 per child.  This is my honest review.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall Life Unexpected

Packing my Suitcase

21 thoughts on “Easter Egg Hunt at Stowe Landscape Gardens

  1. What an amazing trail! They really made a good job of it, looks like the kids had a blast!

  2. Mary this looks like a great trail and made all the better for doing it as a group of friends. the clues sounds really well thought out and with something for all age ranges to do, this is something I sometimes struggle with with different ages at Coombe Mill. The children look so happy and engaged in their task, I’m sure the cold didn’t bother them either, though I can imagine the grown ups being in search of hot drinks! Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

  3. This looks so wonderful! I always loved visiting National Trust properties as a child and if I still lived in the UK they would definitely be a ‘must do’ and a place to take my children. This looks so wonderfully well organised and so creatively set out too.

  4. Love reading about the various Easter Egg Hunts as they are all so different. I love the fact that this one had a story to follow as part of it and how fun to find a bed at the end of the trail – hard to resist having a quick lie down after all that exploring! Looks like Monkey and his friends had a wonderful time together 🙂

  5. Looks like you had such a fab day. The addition of props is a really good idea and makes it a bit different and special too 🙂 #countrykids

  6. Love the props provided at Stowe! We were so lucky as we went on so sunny Good Friday to a National Trust Easter Hunt. It’s brilliant how NT organises them at so many of their properties.

  7. Really shows the difference in muddiness from the Friday to Saturday! We missed out number 4 too, but we loved the bed. Looks like they lost the curtains and bedding due to the weather.

  8. What a great trail and that bed is so pretty. No little explorers could resists to have a a rest there.

  9. Love how well thought this trail is! More than questions and clues its experiencing it! This is an acitvity that I really miss doing this Easter. We did this last time (just trail) and my son loved it! I can only imagine how much he would have love this more!

    And Monkey and his friends really looked like they had a grand time!

    #countrykids

  10. What a wonderful adventure! It looks like your explores had a blast. It sounds like so much fun to have to follow the clues to get your chocolate bunny.

  11. Pingback: National Trust Easter Egg Hunts 2017 - Mini Travellers

I'd love to hear from you and try to reply to all comments