The weather this summer has certainly been a bit hit and miss (mostly miss to be completely honest!) but thankfully we had a lovely sunny day for our trip to Stonor Park. Stonor Park is a deer park in the Chilterns with a manor house that dates back to the 13th century. We didn’t visit the house (apart from the cafe) or see any deer on our day out, but the girls enjoyed a day with Grandma exploring some of the grounds.
We spent most of our morning in the Wonder Woods play area which was brilliant. The sand and water area kept my girls amused for ages. Given we live an hour and a half’s drive from the nearest beach, sand and water play opportunities are a rare treat. They had a wonderful time pumping water, splashing about in the water tables and filling their wellies with wet sand to make sand castles. Thankfully they had shoes in the car as their socks and wellies were very soaked and sandy by the time they’d finished.
Swings are always popular with my girls. I can never manage to push them high enough for their liking though! Jessica loved the big nest swing especially as she could stand on it and swing it herself.
The girls also loved the rocking deer and seesaw in the play area.
The Wonder Woods play area has plenty for children of all ages. We only explored one section of it. There is also a zip wire, tree house and a pyramid tower to climb.
We had our lunch in The Pantry, which is in a 13th century hall. It was a little on the pricey side but the food was delicious. There are steps going in to The Pantry which made it a little more awkward with Jessica’s buggy. Thankfully it is quite light and easy to lift when she is not in it!
After lunch, the girls had fun exploring and investigating the prehistoric stone circle. Some of the smaller stones were great for climbing. The circle itself was the perfect place for some imaginative play. The girls collected sticks and made a “fire” ready for a picnic with their toys. Grandma and I sat and enjoyed the sunshine while Jessica and Sophie played.
Stonor Park is a beautiful place to visit and we enjoyed our day out there. I would have liked to have explored more of the gardens but we didn’t have quite enough time to do so. Maybe we’ll come back another time and explore a little more!
It looks beautiful, and I love the photos of the girls playing in the sand and the stone circle 🙂 Glad you had good weather for your day! #CountryKids
Thank you Sara, we had a lovely day out 🙂
This looks like a lovely day out. We have the same problem with being so far from a beach!
Nat.x
I have to confess I get beach envy at this time of year! 🙂
I’ve not heard of this deer park before, it sounds like the grounds and the wonder wood park is perfect for families on a sunny day. I love how your girls always look so happy and full of excitement for every adventure they come across. The sand area sounds amazing, having just put in our own giant sand pit I know how popular this can be. I’d love one of those swing nets for Coombe Mill too, my own kids used to adore them at parks. The little stone circle reminds me of Bodmin Moor, they are naturally occurring there with many theories as to how they were formed.
Thank you for sharing a lovely looking day with me on #CoutnryKids
The sand pit was brilliant – I am sure the girls would have happily spent the whole day there! 🙂
It’s definitely hit and miss, but looks like you and your girls have taken advantage of the good ones 🙂 I love parks like this one, sadly, we don’t have one nearby. We used to have one in the village where we lived but have to drive now to get to one. Love the photos of the girls as always 🙂 #countrykids
Thanks Dean. It is lovely to have places like this to visit. This one is a bit of a trek for us, but was lovely to visit somewhere new 🙂
That has changed a lot since I went there as a child! Looks fabulous
It was a fun day out 🙂
It’s a lovely play area there isn’t it. The gardens are quite nice bit small compared to NT properties but the deer are wonderful if you get to spot them on the grounds on the otherside from the car park #Countrykids
The play area is brilliant – the girls would have happily spent all day there 🙂
Your girls always look the best of friends, I hope it always stays that way. I love the idea of making sandcastles with wellies, so much fun. Mich x #CountryKids
It was lots of fun for the girls – not quite so much fun for me trying to get it all out! 🙂
The playground looks great. I’ve only been for a craft show, and for a flower festival. We didn’t really see the grounds, and I didn’t even know there was a playground there. Must be fairly new I’m guessing? #countrykids
I’m not sure how long the playground has been there. It was our first visit. The girls loved it though 🙂
Jessica looks so big! Her face is changing now too. No longer chubby but becoming more like a young girl. Awww and its so sweet to see them playing outside! Looks like they are having fun =)
#countrykids
She’s growing up fast – I can really see the difference between last year’s photos and this year’s ones. Lovely to watch her and Sophie having fun together 🙂
The water tables look so much fun. Lucky you had the weather! We know a place that is similar to Stonor Park shame this place isn’t nearer to us! #CountryKids
The girls would have spent most of the day playing with the sand and water if they could 🙂
This looks like a lovely place to spend the day. #countrykids
It was fab – we all enjoyed it 🙂
I love reading your posts. The photos of your girls with those huge grins always make me smile. They do really know how to have fun don’t they?! I haven’t been to Stonor Park but my hubby has for VW shows – we may join him next time as it looks so good there!
#countrykids
Thank you Karen. They are happy little girls and it was lovely to watch them having fun in the sunshine and exploring somewhere new 🙂