A day out at NT Canons Ashby

Last weekend we went out for the day to meet up with the very lovely Sarah from Run Jump Scrap and her family. Our husbands go back a long way and have been good friends since school. Sarah and I have met a few times over the years and went to each other’s weddings but living so far away from each other there wasn’t really a chance to get to know each other very well. Since she started blogging it has been great as I feel I know her so much better now and that we have a lot in common. We decided to meet up and with both being National Trust members chose Canons Ashby near Daventry as it is about an hour away from us both.

It wasn’t the most beautiful of days, being a bit grey and damp but at least it wasn’t raining and the autumn leaves brightened our day.

Canons Ashby 1

I always find National Trust places are great for kids and Canons Ashby didn’t disappoint as they provided us with a treasure hunt checklist of things to find. We had a good run around the garden ticking things off the list and it was great as it gave the kids a purpose while we grown ups were catching up!canons ashby 2

The gardens were lovely and surprisingly blooming despite the time of year, adding to the gorgeous autumn colours. They were tiered giving gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside.canons ashby 3

There was a croquet lawn which was the hit of the day, particularly with Monkey as it was a job to get him away from it! We grown ups had fun on there too of course!canons ashby 4

The house itself was very grand though very dark, especially on such a dreary day. One of the favourite rooms was the playroom which had toys that the kids were allowed to play with. They all had great fun on the playhorse and Sarah’s Gremlin loved playing with what we thought was a rather creepy doll – as it had lost its eyes!canons ashby 5

Monkey was chomping at the bit to get back to the croquet bless him and he played that some more with the daddies and Gremlin while Sarah and I caught up and I tried to stop LM from eating mud and stones! We eventually tempted Monkey away from the croquet with some running and hiding behind some fab bushes in the next garden. It’s safe to say we all had a lot of fun running around hiding and chasing each other!canons ashby 6

Then with tired out children it was time to head home but we all had a very lovely time and will be meeting up again soon.

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12 thoughts on “A day out at NT Canons Ashby

  1. It’s funny how games like croquet are actually really enjoyable for children. I can’t remember why I think it’s naff, especially as I do remember having some excellent games when I was a kid myself!

  2. It looks like you all had a fab time exploring the grounds of Canon Ashby together, it’s fab that you managed to all meet up and have a fab time together. It’s funny that the husbands had this link before blogging and you girls became friends through blogging after. The kids all look like they’re having a blast, it’s great that Monkey loved playing Croquet, I think the mallets are the exciting bit for kids. The hide and seek game seems to have been a hit with the kids as well, lovely to see all three running around together. Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.

  3. What a lovely day out together. Nice to catch up with friends and it does look like the children had a lovely time. The colour in the garden is beautiful.
    Thanks for sharing #LetKidsBeKids

  4. I love the colours in the garden at this time of year. It looks like a great place for kids to visit, it’s great that they had toys that they can actually touch, I’ve never come across that before #letkidsbekids

  5. I really should go back to Canons Ashby. When we went last year, N refused to do anything, so we literally walked up to the cafe, had cake and a drink, and that was it. So I do need to go back again.

  6. Lovely that you could meet up with Sarah, it’s surprising the number of bloggers who actually know each other in real life! I’ve only met a few at events. It looks you all had a fab time and lovely that the children seemed to get on so well too. The rocking horse looks cool, but that doll is definitely very creepy looking! Croquet must be fun if you’ve never played before, kids do seem to love outdoor games, especially those that require stick…
    Thanks so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather, I love reading about your families adventures! 🙂 x

  7. Oh wow what a fun day out all together. I love that you could play with the toys in the house. I do love National Trust. They always put on good activities don’t they and you can’t beat a treasure hunt or a trail to follow. The crochet looks like so much fun too! It looks like your little ones had so much fun playing together. Thank you so much for linking up to #whatevertheweather xx

  8. Oooh this one is just down the road from me, in fact we were due to go last weekend but couldn’t make it in the end. Your review is fab I can’t wait to go now! Thanks for linking up with #toddlerapprovedtuesday xx

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