Family days out at Ilam Park and the White Peak
- Published:
- 27 February 2023
Ilam Park and the White Peak is a great place for families and dog walkers. There are plenty of gentle riverside walks, as well as opportunities for picnics, adventures and exploring. You can relax in our deckchairs and enjoy the far-reaching views across the Italian Gardens towards Dovedale or take part in any of our seasonal activities. Take a look at what you and your family can do this season in this special place.
Join us for a summer of play at Ilam Park
Start warming up because Ilam Park is hosting the animalympics this summer as part of our Summer of Play activities!
Escape to Ilam Park during the summer holidays for lots of creative and active fun from 20 July to 1 September 2024 from 9.30 to 16.00.
Compete with your friends and family taking on daring challenges to gallop, leap and race like an animal. Discover our creative challenges too, performing, making and creating around every corner.
More summer activities to do at Ilam Park
Ilam Park and the White Peak are great places for a picnic. There are some great places to discover on a walk in the varied landscape too. Look out for family friendly and themed guided walks on our events page or explore by yourself. Our welcome teams will help to provide guidance on a choice of routes.
This year you can even enjoy a picnic and some family friendly outdoor theatre in the beautiful setting of Ilam Park at the performance of Secret Diary of Henry VII. Find out more and book your tickets
50 things to do before you’re 113/4
From playing pooh sticks to den building and fossil hunting, there are plenty of opportunities to complete some of your 50 things at Ilam Park and Dovedale. Find out more here.
Find the perfect place for a picnic
It might be a bit chilly this time of year, but the park can still be a great place to eat outdoors with plenty of picturesque places to choose from. The popular Manifold Tea-room offers plenty of choice for hungry and thirsty explorers too.
Ten top tips for things to do with the family in the White Peak
- Spot fossils in the stone steps in Dovedale valley
- Cycle the route of the former railway track in the Manifold valley
- Spot the old chimney pots in the Italian Garden at Ilam Park
- See the 'money trees' beside the path in Dovedale
- See Viator’s Bridge at Milldale - an ancient packhorse bridge
- Listen to the water bubbling in the boil holes in Ilam Park
- Explore caves in Dovedale valley
- Walk across the ridge and furrow in Ilam Park
- Look out for wildlife in and around the National Nature Reserve at Dovedale
- Find a far reaching view from the top of Thorpe Cloud or the other peaks in the White Peaks
Wonderful Wildlife
Take the time to notice all the wonderful ways of wildlife when you explore Ilam Park, Dovedale and the White Peak. Tune in your senses to reconnect with nature that is all around you - crouch down and take a closer look at the bugs on the ground or stand close to a tree and listen to all the different birdsongs in the tree canopy above you. Will you spot dippers diving across the river, buzzards soaring high above or yellow wagtails bobbing about?
