Waddeson Manor

Website: http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/

Weather: Mainly bleak and grey with occasional patches of glorious sunshine - pathetic fallacy for days out with the kids

Logistics: Hooray for buses, kids loved them and they made life so much easier

Activities: treasure hunt - or orienteering if you're feeling fancy - used stamps rather than a pencil (a very nice touch) and the kids got a medal as a prize. Minimal parental effort required. Excellent

Playground: Superb, loads to do and lots of different levels catered for.  Kids loved it

Coffee: Good crema and tasted fine. A pleasant surprise

Food: Excellent lunch boxes for the kids and very practical having an outside stall which meant minimal queuing for food. Not so keen on being exiled to al fresco eating in -5 degrees as the restaurant was waitress service.

Grounds: the house is stunningly ugly, arrestingly so.  The kids even commented on it so I suppose that counts as a cultural experience. There was an aviary with some very shy birds. Also a hilarious statue of a woman fellating a gourd (see above).

Accessibility: Concrete paths all the way and there were specific mobility buses visible around the grounds for wheelchair users as well as standard shuttle buses.  There were wooden walkways between playground areas but I imagine the woodchips might get a bit treacherous if self-propelled. 

Overall: Recommended - minimal risk of suicidal despair or psychotic acts of rage