Trentham Gardens — Attraction in Stafford

A great day out for all ages and easy to spend many hours here. We went with our children who range between 7 and 18.

It's very large so doesn't feel too packed even when it is busy. Beautiful and well maintained with attention given to the mazes, playground, deckchairs, benches, barefoot walk et al. The metallic fairies are beautiful and we really enjoyed searching for them all. Pity we couldn't buy any miniature versions as souvenirs.

There were some downsides though.

There should be better discounts given to the monkey area and tree top experiences if you've already paid into the gardens. Maybe half price if you've paid to get into the gardens, valid for the next month to encourage return visits.

There are solid benches to sit and rest or enjoy a picnic. However they only seat 2 or 3 for the most part so are unsuitable for most families. We had to wander around a good while to find any large enough or close enough for us all to rest or eat at.

Sign posting could be better as it's not always clear what is where nor where the different paths and forks lead to.

There's extra charges inside which should be included in your entry price. For example the train (which is massively underwhelming) would be fine if it was a free perk. The other thing is the boat rides which again cost extra; this doesn't make you feel valued after paying to enter the park. It's not even free with your expensive season pass; just slightly reduced in price. If you're going to charge admission there should be no other charges once inside: food and drink aside of course. It would be nice if there were some group deals on the food to encourage larger parties and families to eat here.

Car parking though good could easily increase the number of spaces simply by reprofiling a few curbs as there's quite a few spaces on the ends which can't quite be used. It is free though which is great.

The toilets near the entrance should be accessible from the gardens rather than having to walk back inside then all the way out to the shopping area. There's even a gate which would allow this but it was locked; I guess so staff don't have to monitor who's coming and going. Perhaps they need to offer separate toilets for the hugely popular...

Initially I thought the admission fee of £12 per adult a little on the steep side but after a few very good hours discovering the gardens and lakeside/woodland walks I thought it good value for money! I would estimate there to be 90% or more wheelchair accessibility, there are areas with steps and some areas with rough terrain, though most points of interest can be reached by taking the circular paths. Parking at the complex depends on when you wish to visit, the venue has a large car park but this can be full to capacity on a fine sunny day and is even more difficult to park at weekends in fine weather! There are refreshments and conveniences at both ends of the lake which is a good hour and half circular walk at a steady stroll. The gardens are well maintained and the gardening staff are often seen going about their business during your tour! Dogs are allowed to visit as long as on a leash, no cycles other than kiddies cycles! You may practice outdoor Yoga, by appointment! After paying admission, your ticket allows you to come and go as you please for the day! There are literally a hundred picnic tables dotted about the site and this is the most difficult decision you may have to make, which table? Great place to take the kids as there is an adventure play area and the woodland/lakeside walks will help to tire them out too! I've not covered all aspects of Trentham Gardens, you have to visit to draw your own conclusion which I'm sure will...

We came here to meet some friends for our kids to play. I had never visited before due to the business of the car parks putting me off. We met on a bank holiday Friday at 9.30am to beat the traffic, and even at this time, the car park for pretty full. On the way out it was extremely busy and people were waiting for parking spaces. The park itself is very expensive for a one off visit (we were only there for 2.5 hours, and it cost us £35 for 2 adults and a 4 year old). The park itself is beautiful, and the footprint of the land is very large. There is a large lake to walk around and a boat experience, but we didn't use this. We walked around some of the gardens, and then ventured to the kids play areas. The kids loved it, and there was lots of varied areas for them to play in from large wooden play areas to sand pits. It was Easter Friday (Bank holiday) and there was a lambing event on, where we were able to see a variety of sheep either pregnant or who had just had lambs. We saw some lambs from 4 days to 7 days old. Staff were really friendly and chatty, telling us about them. There is a cafe on site, but we did not go in. There are toilets available, which were well maintained and relatively clean. Overall, it was enjoyable, but I don't think I would pay the price again to come in. If you are local, and enjoy walks (dogs are welcome too), you can get a yearly pass, which would be worth while, but I would not...