Borde Hill

Borde Hill is a historic garden and country-park style day out rather than a full-on children’s attraction. Reviews describe it as a “garden of rooms” with themed areas, open lawns, champion trees and woodland walks, so there’s enough variety to keep a family pottering for a few hours. Parents seem to like the peaceful feel, the well-kept grounds and the fact that there’s something different to see in each area. The plant shop gets a thumbs-up, and the cafe has earned praise for scones, which is always a useful benchmark in this sort of place. The catch is that it sounds a bit modest in scale, so don’t expect a giant adventure park or loads of built-in entertainment. Food options in the cafe are limited, one review mentioned a 15-minute queue to get in, and Halloween decorations were described as intrusive. In short: very pleasant, but best if you come for the garden rather than the catering or the thrills.