Our little boy loves going to Montacute House and each time a different adventure unfolds for him – I think he must feel a little like Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole!

The house, with its turrets and glittering windows, was the inspiration for Tottington Towers in Aardman’s Curse of the Were-Rabbit – so that’s always a good start. But the house is surrounded by magical gardens, full of yew hedges shaped like giant avocados, wobbly hedges with secret doorways, garden houses, and a swinging seat large enough for the three of us.

There are games you can help yourself to, like a giant chess set and croquet on the Cedar Lawn. Beyond the formal gardens there is a wonderful parkland too, natural and free, where you find log-pile houses and horse swings in the trees.

It’s a great place to take a picnic and let your children and their imaginations run wild.

Photos by Katharine on Instagram