W

hen it comes to pretty picnic spots, The Wallington estate sits fairly high up the charts.

While the mansion itself is a fairly formal affair, (check out the Italian courtyard and Lady Wilson’s ‘cabinet of curiosities’), the surrounding gardens are the perfect place to spread out on a sunny Saturday.

The hardest bit of your day will be deciding where to unfold the blanket: with rolling lawns, grassy courtyards or secluded spots by the lakes and ponds. And if your food hamper is lacking, don’t worry: you can always nip into the Farm Shop for some delicious homemade cake.

It’s great for the kids, too: there’s an adventure playground nearby, and you can all spend an hour or three following red squirrels through the woods, before ducking across the road – where the conservatory in the walled garden has plenty of benches to rest those aching legs.