In collaboration with Vauxhall.

A few months ago on a bright and sunny summer’s day, before we became a family of four we headed to Biddulph Grange Gardens in Staffordshire for a family day out in the sunshine.

After searching for a new National Trust location to visit, we were completely taken by the photos of the gorgeous photos of the Victorian gardens, just full of colour and blooms.  The garden was created by James Bateman for his amazing collection of plants from around the world. 

Before we headed into the actual gardens we found a shady spot just outside the main entrance to eat our picnic.  We didn’t know that you couldn’t eat your picnic in the garden before driving there, however, there is a lovely cafe inside the main building and this is probably a precaution to prevent litter being dropped around the grounds.  Once we’d finished our picnic we popped the basket back in the car and headed inside.

There was so much to see on our walk, interesting sculptures, beautiful flowers, and plenty of grounds to explore.  Like with most parks and National Trust places, Aiden enjoyed running up and down the paths and enjoyed the open spaces.  We were there for a few hours and our visit took us through gardens inspired by Italy, Egypt, China, and the Himalayas. 

The Dahlia Walk was one of my favourite gardens.  I love the vibrant colours of the Dahlia flowers, they remind me of huge pom poms. They create pockets of colour along the long path as they are cleverly surrounded by yew bushes that create a border around each flower bed.  Another favourite was the Egypt Gardens, a secluded spot that we almost missed, that comes complete with a temple doorway and four stone sphinxes.  I enjoyed learning about the Egyptians at school and Eygpt is on my list of places to visit.  Inside the temple, there are gloomy passageways and more doorways that lead to a chamber with a sculpture of the monkey-god, Thoth.

Of course, the Chinese Garden was a must-see and we weren’t disappointed.  I found this garden to be the most relaxing with all the water, but it was also the most dramatic due to the bright red and gold painted bridges and buildings.  Aiden enjoyed spotting the fish in the pond and climbing the stairs to The Joss House that overlooks the garden. 

Our journey there and back home was made comfortable by the new Vauxhall Crossland X that we were kindly able to try for a week for review purposes.  We found this car to be really spacious with a generous boot, which I think is a must for families and there is definitely plenty of room for a pushchair and a food a shop.  I found the car easy to drive and despite its engine size (we were given the 1.2-litre engine) it was actually quite nippy and handled well even on the country roads.  It comes with panoramic rearview cameras which makes parking simpler if you’re not very confident in this area.

Our plan is to visit all of the National Trust locations close to us first and then expand to the rest of the UK.  It’s so nice to have Biddulph Grange Gardens finally ticked off our list. 

I’m always on the lookout for new places for us to visit as a family.  If you’ve been anywhere that you thought was amazing recently I would love to hear all about it in the comments below. 

*Car provided by Vauxhall for review purposes, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to do what I love, bringing you wellness content and recipes to help you find your version of balance.