Family days out at Sheringham Park

Summer of Play

Have fun as a family among nature and find a range of sporting-inspired games and challenges filling the events field opposite the visitor barn.

Get stuck into:

- Ball games (football, basketball, tennis)
- Badminton
- Swingball
- Giant quoits
- Disc golf
- Plus skipping ropes, hula hoops, cornholes and more

Bring a picnic, visit the Courtyard Cafè, or choose a scoop or two at the ice cream parlour, before delving further into the park. 

The dog-free Bower Garden is a’buzz with life at this time of year, as the wildflower meadow, pond and insect hotel teem with tiny creatures and fairy doors nestle against tree stumps and on branches.

Intrepid explorers can climb two viewing towers nestled in the Wild Garden or venture further along the Repton Route and tackle the 115 hillside steps and 60 steps up the Gazebo tower. Breathtaking views await of the oak tree canopy, Poppy Line steam trains chuntering through the landscape, and to the coast beyond.  

Summer of Play is sponsored by Starling Bank.

Family activities for outdoor adventures

There are lots of different ways to take in the sights and sounds of nature. You can collect natural materials, use a spotter’s guide to identify wildlife or immerse yourself in the colours, noises and textures of the world around you.

Explore the garden

Abbott and Charlotte Upcher were the first owners of the Sheringham Park estate and they fell in love with the place. As their daughter Emma later said of her parents, ‘they found a spot they thought a paradise, and there began to build their ‘bower’.’

Some 200 years later, The Bower has been created as a fantastic place for adults and children to explore, discover and have fun. It is on the left hand side as you head down the main drive.

Sensory garden

The sensory garden is full of plants to awaken your senses – take in the smell of the lavender and rosemary, feel the texture of the different leaves, look at the spiky structure of the sea holly and listen to the leaves rustling in the breeze.

The Bower wildlife pond

Peer into the depths and see what lurks beneath the surface of the water. You might be lucky enough to spot newts hiding, and on a warm spring or summer's day you’ll probably see dragonflies patrolling for prey and laying their eggs on the surface of the water.

The wildflower meadow

Full of different flower and grass species with an insect hotel nestled at the centre.

'50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾'

How about becoming the explorer you were meant to be, with our ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾' activities? 
 

No. 1 Get to Know a Tree

Explore the woodland, many of our trees are hundreds of years old. Listen to the bids singing in them, what do you think they are saying? Investigate the ground under the tree, who makes their home here? Touch the bark, is rough, smooth, damp or dry?

No. 28 Climb a huge hill

Get a new perspective – Sheringham Park has two viewing towers and the Gazebo to climb up, as well as Temple Hill, what can you see from the top? Take a picture to remember your visit.

No. 33 Go cloud watching

Find a spot to lie down and look up to the sky and see what shapes, trails and colours you can see in the clouds. Can you make up a story about any of the shapes you can see?

Eating with us?

Fuel your next adventure at the Courtyard Café - serving kids picnic bags, soups, sandwiches and a delicious range of cakes and drinks to take away. Please check the opening hours before your visit.

Courtyard Café