With the kids in Bristol: Dyrham Park in the spring

It may have been a grey spring day, but that didn’t stop us from putting on our wet weather gear and heading to Dyrham Park for the day. On the outskirts of Bath, it’s a short drive from Bristol for a fun day trip, exploring the big 17th century house, taking part in an Easter trail around the extensive grounds and sampling some homemade cakes.

As we walked along the windy road to Dyrham house, my children took the opportunity to pretend that they were pirates in search of treasure – perhaps because of how wet it was. It made walking to the house more interesting and go more quickly, although one thing that was missing was seeing the deer. We may not have been put off by the weather but I think the deer had a better idea by finding shelter from the cool breeze.

We were sad to miss them, but the lure of Easter chocolate soon made us all forget. We eventually arrived at the gates to the main house and dived straight into the Easter egg hunt – even getting bunny faces painted on to get into the spirit of things. I think it will be a long time before my children get bored of Easter.

On the hunt for Easter eggs in the grounds of Dyrham House

This hunt was a little different from others we’ve previously been on, as it was a guided tour around the gardens looking for eggs. It was an excellent way to get the children to explore the grounds without realising it, and we regularly stopped to look at different parts of the gardens, from the beautiful pond to the colourful plants.

We finished the hunt just in time, as I could hear the rumbling of little bellies. On this occasion I’d made up a little picnic, but there also a couple of great options on-site, with an indoor tea-room selling cream teas, hot food and snacks, and a courtyard kiosk for alfresco lunches when it’s dry outside. For the adults, there are homemade meals and light bites like jacket potatoes and sandwiches, while for the children there is the standard lunchbox – always a winner.

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Now that we’d refuelled it was off to the house. I couldn’t believe how much there was to see, and the children had the added challenge of finding the 19 Easter eggs hidden throughout the house. The first thing to catch their attention was the harpsichord. They were mesmerised. They weren’t quite sure what was going on as the lady continued to play, expecting it to sound like a piano, but this soon didn’t matter as they started to join in with The Wheels on the Bus and Incy Wincy Spider in 17th century style.

We carried on our tour around the house looking for eggs and being educated on wallpaper, artworks and furniture. As usual, all of the staff were brilliant with the children, which was great as my kids really felt involved.

By this point we were definitely flagging, so it was another chance to have coffee and cake. The tea-room had such a good choice of cakes and slices, it wasn’t easy to decide on just one. Sadly the parklands were closed as the recent wet weather had turned the area into what could only be described as marshlands, so trying to get to the children’s play area was also a no-go area, but at least we have an excuse to go back in the future.

Entry to Dyrham Park’s house and garden costs £12.50 for adults and £6.25 for children, while annual National Trust membership starts from £69. Find out more at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyrham-park