Sudeley Castle is a place where the very walls are steeped in adventure and history, not to mention bloodshed; it’s replete with tales of kings, queens, intrigue and betrayal. My children were enchanted by the story of Brock, a pet badger who lived as part of the family within the castle walls.

In celebration of the castle’s badger connection, Sudeley has collaborated with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to create a living willow maze, with a Wind in the Willows theme. A huge sculpted badger, a mole, and a native water vole; characters from a favourite story suddenly larger than life.

Alongside the castle, there is a playground in the form of a huge wooden fort: the stuff of childhood dreams. Having spent their precious pocket money on swords from the extensive wooden armoury in the gift shop, my boys whiled away the morning running through its corridors, re-enacting battles with their friends. As I sat in the sunshine and watched them, it felt as if we had escaped the present for a moment, suspended in time by some special Sudeley magic.

Images by Laura Pashby