Summer is here in all its glory, and so is the highly awaited summer vacation.

Parents keep looking for ways to spend quality time with their kids, where the kids could thoroughly enjoy and make the most of the day out.

While there is no promise of great sunshine, authorities at National Trust do make sure you have all the elements to make it a fun time at the Polesden Lacey. From outdoor activities to the theatre, there’s something for everyone.

You’ll surely find ways to get creative and devour nature’s bliss- most importantly, you’ll make it into ‘a summer to remember’.

Polesden Lacey

According to Google, Polesden Lacey is:

“An Edwardian house and estate, located on the North Downs at Great Bookham, near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust's most popular properties.”

What are its delights?

The perfect getaway, four miles away from Dorking with its glorious landscaped vistas spread across Surrey Hills and countryside for all to explore.

It is known that Polesden Lacey was hosted by a famous Edwardian hostess Mrs Greville, who has served the royalty and other notable figures in her time.

Another fun fact: Queen Elizabeth spent part of her honeymoon at Polesden Lacey.

The Gardens

The gardens offer something for every season and age group, the highlights include:

Climbing roses which are in their prime in June

A beautiful strip of herbaceous (and a theatre play based on herbaceous- Old Herbaceous is the humorous love story of a single-minded yet gentleman with a passion for plants)

A winter garden stormed with yellow aconites.
Our new tree swings

The wider estate has four waymarked trails with plenty of space to let off steam on a walk through woodland or over rolling hills.

Fun things to do for kids at Polesden Lacey

The Big Bug Hunt

Let one of our expert rangers guide you through the bug-catching process, and give you excellent tips on finding great specimen and help you track, hunt down and examine them.

Summer crafts

The wide array of fun activities at Polesden Lacey would allow your children’s creativity to flow in all directions. They’re entertaining, engaging and healthy at the same time. You’d be more than glad to know the new things your kids will have learned by the end. £2.50 per craft

Giant games in the orchard

Games are a lot more fun when they are bigger in size. Agreed? So Have a go at some larger than life-sized board and indoor games, which have been turned into outdoor activities for you at the Apple Orchard - try Jenga, jigsaw puzzles, connect 4, noughts and crosses and more.

Polishing Polesden and Statue Scrubbing

Activities like Polishing and scrubbing wouldn’t only keep children enthused and engaged, it would teach them things they wouldn’t/couldn’t learn otherwise. So let our house team welcome you and help them out with their conservation work in the Servants Hall.

You could also help our team look after the splendid statues and find out why it's so important to keep them sparkling clean and maintained from time to time.

Kite Flying

Fly a kite- we've got loads of open sky at Polesden Lacey

Hill Rolling

Roll down a really big hill - we've got one of those too. Whee! The lushness will keep you from hurting yourselves.

Den building

Build a den, a castle or a bonfire - we've got lots of sticks and leaves

Picking Feather

Head out to pick beautiful feathers left by thousands of birds that visit Polesden Lacey every day. Kids could make tiaras, hat accessories or you could simply take them home and use them for decorative purposes, or simply let them be a keepsake from your trip to Polesden Lacey.

Visit the birds

Don't forget to visit our feathered friends (the chicken and beehives in Home Farm Orchard where there are picnic benches). If you have a little more time on your hand, peek in the bird hide and see if they come along to say hi. The resident peahen might also make an appearance.

Squirrel’s Corner

Squirrel’s Corner is a great place for parents to let kids loose. There are obstacles to take over, blackboards to draw on and places to build dens.

Things to do before you're 11¾

Pick up '50 things to do before you turn 11¾ ' booklet when you arrive and let the adventure begin.