Visit to The Vyne – 10th August 2012

With a day off work, we decided to make the most of the sunshine and drove over to make our first visit to The Vyne, a National Trust property near Basingstoke.

Good to see the National Trust embracing Social Media

The Vyne is a Tudor house with extensive gardens including an attractive lake.

We arrived soon after 11am and made our way first to the walled garden. Here, there are an extensive array of vegetables which are tended by workers from Thrive, a charity which uses gardening to change the lives of disabled people. As well as fruit and vegetables, the garden also contains various chickens, a large glasshouse and a selection of outdoor toys for children.

Vegetables in the summer sunshine

Rebekah with a lemon tree

One of the borders in the walled garden

Emily

We moved on through the garden and managed to secure a bench with a view over the lake, where we were able to enjoy a picnic lunch.

The view out over the lake

Bench with a view

After our picnic lunch, we made our way down to the main lawn at the back of The Vyne, pausing to admire the Summer House and some of the more formal planting on the way.

A large worm!

Rebekah reading about the Summer House

Inside the Summer House

Some of the formal planting

Part of the garden with the Summer House in the background

Rebekah enjoyed climbing up into the lower branches of a large cedar tree.

Rebekah with a large cedar tree

With an eye to the Olympics, there were a number of sporting activities that children could take part in, on the back lawn. Holly and Rebekah enjoyed a sack race.