Blowing the cobwebs away at Hardwick Park

After a rainy start to the day, the sun began to shine so we decided to head out to have a walk at one of our favourite parks. I packed a little picnic for us all for lunch and we all jumped in the car to head out.

Hardwick Park is located on the west side of Sedgefield just 2.5 miles from the A1 junction 60 and it is nice and easy to find, just follow the signposts. Once there we found a space and paid for the parking. The park is free to visit apart from the parking charges which are reasonable at £2 for up to 2 hours and £3 for all day.

Hardwick Park is a great place for a stroll out with the family, exploring the historic parkland, admiring the scenic views and has two different play areas for the children to enjoy.

 

Hardwick park has many areas to explore but first, we called into the visitor centre to purchase some duck food.  At 50p a bag it’s great value; the children can get a little closer to the wildlife. We were told when buying that the ducks would be much hungrier this time of year. The staff were not wrong, we were ambushed straight away!

We then made our way to the beautiful gothic ruin that my girls call ‘the Rapunzel tower’. My youngest loves to explore this ruin and see if she can see any prince’s or princesses climbing up the stairs. With its impressive views over Neptune and the Serpentine Bridge, it really is a wonderful start to the walk.

 

As you explore the walk there are plenty of benches to stop, take a breather and enjoy the park. There are many areas for the kids to run around and explore too. Not too far along the path on the other side of the water is another smaller little ruin, great for the children to climb and let their imaginations run wild.  Then, of course, you have the Banqueting House table which my girls love to run up the hill to take a seat and role play being princesses at a grand table.

There really is so much to discover at Hardwick Park, the many ornamental buildings, the views over the lake toward the Temple of Minerva are quite a sight, with a lake full of Swans, Geese, Moor Hens and Ducks.

I would recommend on a first visit getting the full day ticket as you can easily fill two hours taking a trip around the circuit walk with little ones, once you factor in stopping to feed the ducks, climbing and exploring the ruins and of course soaking up the natural beauty of the place.

Do check out the website and Facebook page for Hardwick Park as they often have great events and activities running.

Have you been to Hardwick Park? if so let me know your favourite part below. Also if you like my blog please click the follow button to get updates on new posts. I’m also on social media you can find all links on here to follow me.