Scolton Park (Doxbin) — Attraction in Spittal

Went with family for a picnic and walk in the magnificent Manor grounds on Sunday.

Plenty to do and see for young and old alike.

Arriving just after midday, we parked up and purchased an annual season ticket for £25 (soon going up to £35) in the shop/cafe. Daily parking is from £3.50.

Just across from the shop is 'Margaret' the old train engine which can be explored in a designated station area next to a children's wooden play train and the bike hire (for those who wish to ride along the bike trails).

We headed past a larger play area with seating near the clean and tidy toilet block out along a pedestrian trail to a picnic area near the play Pirate Ship anchored on the edge of a big field where some sheep are kept in a pen.

After our picnic we headed further along the quite muddy trail in the woods(to the delight of our youngest member!!) passing through a bird hide by the lake and also a (seemingly disused?) railway line on the estate boundary, catching several delightful glimpses of a local buzzard circling above in the bright afternoon sky.

We returned to the shop/ cafe via the musical area where large metal tubular bells hang ready to ring out a tune when hit by the drumsticks placed there.

After a drink and ice-cream, we returned to our cars for the journey home boosted by the most enjoyable time we had.

Definitely worth more than one visit as you can by arrangement also see the Manor House itself, theToy Museum and the delightful walled...

Family of four with children aged 11&13, we paid for parking having parked in the overflow car park we walked down over the field. We were greeted by a totem pole style carving, very impressive and we made our way to the park. My husband went to the gift shop to ask about trail maps around the grounds,and came back with their own leaflet. We as a family went in search of the other carvings. We enjoyed walking the paths, finding carvings, reading the descriptions, before having tea and cakes in the coffee shop. These were beautifully made, tasty and very fresh. From there we chose to walk the walled garden,and the last path of the day, which the kids did tree spotting. Then they went to the park where they played for an hour on a very well presented, and placed play area with lots of activities. We had an enjoyable afternoon,with only having paid for...

We really enjoyed Scolton manor and park and ended up wishing we had put more time in the car park. We went on an overcast and occasionally wet day and took wellies. This turned out to be perfect. There are plenty of things to see and interesting woodland to tour. Within the woods there are numerous places for children to play and interact with. We also found a BMX track so I would recommend bringing your child's bike as there's plenty of chances to ride it.

The walled garden was maintained by volunteers who where very willing to pass on information and share the history of the place. The was also an informative room explaining about the bees they have on site.

Overall this was a low cost day for us as you only need to pay for the parking and I would recommend this for families with young children. Seating options were limited if you were of an...