Parks, Gardens & Outdoor Spaces - Special Needs Adventure Family

A tall, weathered stone monument with carved figures, part of a garden ruin at Shugborough Estate, surrounded by trees and shrubs.

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Shugborough Estate – A Huge National Trust Day Out in Staffordshire

It had been around 40 years since I last visited Shugborough Estate. My rather vague memory of that visit involves a teddy bears' picnic, and I certainly don't remember appreciating just how enormous the place was. I do now!

A view from the top of some stone steps, over the garden, with flowers, trees and hedges

Accessible Attractions

Exploring Biddulph Grange Garden: Tunnels, Stepping Stones, and Accessibility

We used our National Trust memberships to visit Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire, We’d read it was a quirky Victorian garden, but it turned out to be a brilliant, immersive adventure—complete with secret tunnels, stepping stones, and hidden thematic "rooms" around every corner.

Hay bales decorated with pumpkins and a painted R.I.P. gravestone prop outside the Trentham Gardens shop, its doors covered in Halloween monster stickers.

Accessible Attractions

Halloween at Trentham Gardens

We went to Trentham Gardens to see what they had going on for Halloween.

John sits on top of a penny farthing bicycle, one foot on a pedal, while a guide dressed in Victorian costume - top hat and red coat - steadies the handlebars.

Accessible Attractions

Accessible Cycling

Accessible cycling is great fun and gets you outside enjoying things you might not see from a car.

Accessible Attractions

Trentham Gardens

Join us on a beautiful September day to explore part of what Trentham Gardens has to offer.

A statue of Arnold Bennett, seated in a chair, holding a book in his right hand. His left leg is crossed over his right and he has a pile of books on the floor to his right

Accessible Attractions

The Bursley Trail

Join John and I as we take a walk around the Bursley Trail.

The Bakewell Pudding Factory, a stone building with a sign reading "Pudding Parlour and Shop" and a Union Jack flag above the door, with people walking in the street outside.

Accessible Attractions

Trip to Bakewell

We visited Bakewell and had a nice relaxing day, apart from some toilet drama!

Blue cable car suspended from cables against a cloudy sky.

Visually Impaired Experiences

Trip to Matlock Bath

The one part of this trip that terrified me was the cable car ride up to the Heights of Abraham! Apart from that, Matlock Bath is a nice town to visit and, for me, has a "sea-side" vibe.

The image shows a colourful arrangement of dried fruit slices on a white background, including apple, kiwi, orange, and pineapple.

Accessible Attractions

Visit to Bakewell

Visiting the home of the Bakewell Tart and the Bakewell Pudding - yum!

Green mountains with trees and mist under a cloudy sky in the Scottish Highlands.

Accommodation Recommendations (or not)

Blackshaw Moor Caravan Club Site

Our first time camping and how we found the site.

A serene lake surrounded by lush green trees and reeds, framed by leafy branches in the foreground, under a partly cloudy sky.

Accessible Attractions

Accessible Cycling

We tried out the accessible bikes available to hire from Green Door at Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent.