Spring is in the air Bluebell walks, Easter egg hunts, lambing days and much more. It’s time to shake off the long Winter and start really enjoying the great outdoors again. Here we provide a guide to some of the best Spring days out in your area. On the trail There are over 260 Cadbury Easter Egg Hunts this April across National Trust venues. Whether you're searching for bird boxes with a surprise inside, walking in the footsteps of a Victorian explorer or on a nature trail through lush countryside, you'll have an amazing family adventure. Look out for the signs of spring as you search for clues and solve puzzles. Many places will be offering games and craft activities, so you can stay for a whole day of fun. Highclere Castle is running an Easter Egg Trail on Saturday 18 April from 11am3pm. Follow the trail through Highclere’s gardens and woodlands, finding clues en route. At the end, each child will win an Easter Egg! Children are also invited to take part in an Easter Bonnet parade and to enjoy the bouncy castle and other games on the lawns, weather permitting. Tickets needs to be pre-booked online.
The joy of newborn lambs We are very fortunate in our region to have a whole host of places to visit where lambs are the stars of the spring show. One of our favourites is Odds Farm, near Beaconsfield. Daily from 4th to 19th April, there will be plenty of new baby animals to meet, with fluffy lambs, cute chicks, cheeky kid goats and more. You can also prepare to strut and cluck your way to the opening of Chicken World and search high and low in the Egg Hunt and Trail. Enjoy special shows with the Oddsocks Family, get creative with Spring-themed arts, crafts and games and of course don’t forget to bring your wellies for the re-opening of H2Odds Water Play. Also new for 2020, take on the exciting new course at Marmalade’s Mini Rovers. Discover the giant indoor playbarn, award-winning Tearoom and acres of outdoor play. oddsfarm.co.uk In Berkshire, you might be lucky enough to catch lambs being born at Amners Farm in Burghfield and Bucklebury Farm near Reading. Both offer a range of other activities too, including pony rides and a miniature railway at Amners, and a deer safari and pat-a-pet at Bucklebury. Further afield, Roves Farm, near Swindon, and Finkley Down Farm in Andover are expecting lambs and also boast other activities for children, including indoor play. The Earth Trust Farm near Abingdon is a working farm with opportunities to meet newborn lambs, piglets and goats. Millers Ark Farm in Hook is holding open days where you can enter every pen and handle the animals. In Gloucestershire, Cotswold Farm Park is worth a trip to meet the flock of ewes, who are due to give birth up until around 19th April, and enjoy talks from the team.
A carpet of blue A woodland carpet of bluebells has to be a highlight of any spring walk. These delicate blooms can be found across Western Europe, but about half of the world’s population is right here in the UK. Explore our local countryside in April or May and you can find them in their thousands – if you know where to look. The National Trust is one of the most important organisations in the UK for bluebells - a quarter of the Trust's woodland is ancient or semi-natural; the ideal habitats for bluebells to flourish. Wonder at carpets of bluebells at Basildon Park in Berkshire, Greys Court in Oxfordshire and Hughenden and Cliveden in Buckinghamshire. Other great places to enjoy a sea of blue include: • Rushall Farm, Bradfield. Walks of up to five miles, plus refreshments and activities in the barn and a treasure hunt for kids. • Pope’s Meadow, Binfield. This 14-acre Green Flag awarded parkland provides a haven for wildlife and has a small wooded copse full of bluebells • Moor Copse, near Reading. Large swathes of tranquil woodland surround a patchwork of meadows and pastures set in the heart of the Pang Valley. • Warburg Nature Reserve, Henley-on-Thames. In spring, the woodland is awash with spectacular bluebells and wood anemones • Bowdown Woods, near Newbury. Mysterious hidden valleys, sunny glades and patches of heathland – a natural playground to be explored all year round • Fernygrove Farm, Bracknell. The annual bluebell walk through ancient woodlands raises money for charity. The coffee shop is also open for refreshments.
8 • Henley • Reading • Wokingham • Bracknell • Newbury • West Berkshire
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