Best Places for a Family Picnic 2012 with Lets Go with the Children   

There is nothing that causes more excitement in the house than the preparations for a picnic, whatever the weather is doing outside! Digging out the basket, the rugs, the footballs and cricket bats, deciding on drinks, getting inventive with the sandwiches or just raiding what is in the fridge, piling clothes for all eventualities into the car; it is all part of the fun.

Children really don't mind where they picnic - beach, field, hill top, woodlands, waterside - it is all going to be great family fun. Grown-ups thug might like to be more discerning so we have pulled together some of our favourite picnic places for you to take the children on a fabulous day out…… plus don't forget your brolly! Have a great day out with the kids.

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Picnic Area
photo credit Rob Cousins

Northern England Central England Eastern England Southern England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland

Northern England   Cheshire Alderley Edge Delamere Forest Walton Hall Gardens Tatton Park Grosvenor Park <back to top Cumbria Brougham Castle Grizedale Forest Rothay Park Whinlatter Forest Park <back to top Derbyshire Chatsworth <back to top Durham Bowlees Picnic Area Hamsterley Forest Riverside Park Tweddle Children’s Animal Farm <back to top Greater Manchester Bramall Hall Haigh Country Park Hollingworth Lake Country Park Pennington Flash Country Park <back to top Lancashire Cinderbarrow Miniature Railway and Picnic Site Leighton Moss Nature Reserve Stanley Park Witton Country Park and Visitor Centre Wyre Estuary Country Park <back to top Merseyside Sefton Park & Sefton Park Palm House Sudley House Victoria Park Wirral Country Park <back to top Northumberland The Alnwick Garden Bolam Lake Country Park Cherryburn Plessey Woods Country Park <back to top Tyne & Wear   Herrington Country Park Rising Sun Country Park Saltwell Park <back to top > East Yorkshire RSPB Blacktoft Sands Sewerby Hall and Gardens <back to top North Yorkshire Beningbrough Hall & Gardens Bolton Abbey Estate Dalby Forest Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Kiplin Hall Malham Cove Whitby Abbey <back to top SouthYorkshire Rother Valley Country Park Thrybergh Country Park Weston Park Worsbrough Mill & Country Park   <back to top West Yorkshire Hardcastle Crags and Gibson Mill Ogden Water Country park & Nature Reserve St Ives Estate Temple Newsam Estate & Home Farm Yorkshire Sculpture Park <back to top Central England   Buckinghamshire Odds Farm Park Wendover Woods <back to top Herefordshire Brockhampton Estate Haugh Woods Queenswood Country Park <back to top Leicestershire Ashby Castle <back to top Northamptonshire Canons Ashby House Fineshade Woods <back to top Nottinghamshire Creswell Crags Sherwood Forrest <back to top Oxfordshire Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens Sulgrave Manor <back to top Shropshire Carding Mill Valley Mortimer Forest Severn Valley Country Park Wenlock Edge <back to top Staffordshire Birches Valley Forest Centre Downs Banks Ilam Park and White Peak Estate Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses Tittesworth Water   <back to top Warwickshire Charlecote Park <back to top West Midlands Coombe Country Park Himley Hall & Park Lickey Hills Country Park Sandwell Valley Country Park Sutton Park Woodgate Valley Country Park <back to top Worcestershire   Clent Hills The Malvern Hills Waseley Hills Country Park Wyre Forest Visitor and Discovery Centre <back to top   Southern England   Bath Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park Prior Park Landscape Garden Royal Victoria Park <back to top Bristol Ashton Court Estate Chew Valley Lake (Bristol) Old Down Country Park (Bristol) <back to top Berkshire Lily Hill Park <back to top Cornwall Lanhydrock Pendennis Castle Restormel Castle Tehidy Country Park Tintagel Castle Trebah Garden <back to top Devon Becky Fall Woodland Park Canonteign Falls Lydford Gorge RHS Garden Rosemoor Westward Ho! Beach <back to top Dorset Avon Beach Avon Heath Country Park New Forest Poole Park Sherborne Old Castle Weymouth Beach   <back to top Gloucestershire Coaley Peak Picnic Site Cotswold Country Park and Beach Crickley Hill Country Park Mallards Pike Lake Lower Woods Nature Reserve Wenchford Westonbirt Arboretum <back to top Hampshire Basing House Itchen Valley Country Park Lepe Country Park Royal Victoria Country Park The New Forest <back to top Isle of Wight Appley Park Carisbrooke Castle Osborne House Sandown Beach Yarmouth Castle <back to top Kent Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest Faversham Pools Swanley Park   <back to top London Battersea Park Greenwich Peninsular Ecological Park Richmond Park Royal Botanical Gardens Kew Trent Country Park <back to top > Somerset Ashcombe Park Cadbury Castle Combe Sydenham Country Park Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm Weston-super-Mare Beach and Seafront <back to top Surrey Alice Holt Forest Box Hill Frimley Park <back to top Sussex Birling Gap Beach Preston Park Tangmere Military Aviation Museum   <back to top Wiltshire Barbury Castle Country Park Savernake Forest Smallgrain Picnic Site Stourhead House and Garden Old Sarum <back to top   Eastern England   Bedfordshire Woburn Abbey <back to top Cambridgeshire Wandlebury Country Park and Gog Magog Hills <back to top Essex River Lee Country Park Weald Country Park <back to top Hertfordshire Paradise Wildlife Park River Lee Country Park Shepreth Wildlife Park <back to top Lincolnshire Baysgarth House Museum and Baysgarth Park Burghley   <back to top Norfolk The 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum <back to top Suffolk Baylham House Rare Breeds Farm Suffolk Owl Sanctuary Thetford Forest <back to top Wales   WALES Caerphilly - Cwmcarn Forest Cardiff - Roath Park Carmarthenshire - Llansteffan Castle Carmarthenshire - Pembrey Country Park Ceredigion - Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Visitor Centre Conwy - Great Orme Country Park and Local Nature Reserve Conwy -  Llyn Brenig and Visitor Centre Denbighshire - Moel Famau Flintshire - Wepre Park Gwynedd - Aber Falls  Gwynedd - Castell y Bere Gwynedd -  Coed y Brenin  Gwynedd -  Padarn Country Park Isle of Angelsey - Holyhead Breakwater Country Park Isle of Angelsey - Newborough Forest and Beach Isle of Angelsey - Merthyr Tydfil Garwnant Visitor Centre Monmouthshire - Sugar Loaf and Skirrid Fawr Monmouthshire - Whitestone Picnic and Play Area Neath Port Talbot - Margam Country Park Newport - Tredegar House Pembrokeshire - Scolton Manor Country Park Pembrokeshire - Stackpole Estate Powys - Hafren Forest Powys -  Lake Vyrnwy Powys -  National Park Visitor Centre (The Mountain Centre)  Powys -  The Elan Valley Estate Rhondda Cynon Taf - Dare Valley Country Park Swansea - Rhossili Vale of Glamorgan - Porthkerry Country Park Wrexham - Ty Mawr Country Park <back to top Scotland   SCOTLAND Edinburgh & Lothians - Edinburgh Zoo Renfrewshire - Finlaystone Country Estate Scottish Borders - Tweed Valley Osprey Watch   <back to top Northern Ireland   NORTHERN IRELAND Armagh - Lough Neagh Discovery Centre   City of Belfast - Botanic Gardens   Londonderry - Garvagh Forest   Tyrone – Gortin Glen Forest Park <back to top