Kids in London – Picnic at Kew Gardens

On a sunny Sunday afternoon (and I admit there haven’t been many of these lately!), you can’t beat Kew Gardens for a picnic. Despite its proximity to London, it really is a peaceful haven – and dog free – although ball games and tree climbing are banned.

If you go by car then there is a good size car park at Brentford Gate which can be a bit tricky to find. The entrance fee of £12.25 is only charged for adults and kids are given currently being given a Mediterranean trail scratch card with questions graded according to age as you enter. We never learned what the prize was for successful completion – perhaps someone can let us know? It was a nice touch.

The map leaves a lot to be desired but at least you end up exploring some unexpected parts of the gardens when you get lost. For those who are new to Kew and not great walkers you can take the Kew Explorer bus which provides a commentary as you are driven around the most popular features.

For those with kids, a natural first stop has to be the badger sett where the kids can go into a network of underground tunnels to see what it’s like to be a badger. Brave (and short) adults can attempt to go in too.

The big glass houses (Temperate House and Palm House) are good – although they can get a bit sticky in the hot weather so make sure you have lots of water with you. On past visits we have ventured down into the aquarium display of the Palm House which is always a firm favourite with the smaller kids. Evolution House – showing how plants developed – along with its waterfalls and big insect models is a must for kids of all ages.

But you have to trek to the other side of the gardens to see the Princess of Wales conservatory which is one of our favourites. The big lilly pads there mean you don’t have to go to the separate Lilly House to see lilies that you could sit on.

Although a regular visitor, I was delighted with the new Sacker Bridge across the lake. It meant we could watch the ducks and ducklings frolicking around from a great vantage point and the water was so clear you can even see them as they dived underwater to feed. There were some impressive swans and damsel flies as well for the nature lovers. The peacock calls made a nice backdrop and my daughter was delighted to see a particularly impressive specimen doing his whole shaking strut-his-stuff courting dance.

There are lots of loos and cafes but they are rather spread out – so don’t get caught short. On this occasion, we didn’t go to the shops and cafes near the main gate as we know that it is really busy there. But there is a great shop and an excellent cafe (and loos) near the Main Gate which first time visitors must see.

From experience we have learned that it is a long walk from the pagoda (near Lion Gate)to the loos! However, in one of the cornors near here is the charming cottage and the woods where you really can get a bit lost - this is an excellent place to stop and have your picnic.

When we were there, the major exhibition was about the Mediterranean. Personally, I like the seasonal orchid and amaryllis displays that they do. Although younger kids might get a bit bored looking at flowers - although the colours are amazing. And I can’t wait til they build the permanent tree walk – the temporary one that has now been removed was a real favourite for my kids when it was there. You could see for miles and it was quite extraordinary to look out over the tops of the trees.

We also loved the ice skating rink they put there over Christmas – well worth a visit next year - but you have to book in advance cos it gets busy.

The relatively new Creepy Crawley area is nice as well. There are some lovely wooden carved insects for kids to sit and play on as well as a play area where the climbing frames are shaped like flowers and bugs. It’s right near the White Peaks café as well which is convenient. Sadly, by the time we got there the large indoor play area was closed but I bet this is popular when the weather is wet.

Anyway. The day ended with ice creams in the car park looking out over the Thames. Wonderful.

:)