Perfect picnic spots

Abbot Hall, home to the award-winning Abbot Hall Art Gallery, is a Grade I listed Georgian villa set within stunning grounds on the banks of the River Kent, overlooked by the ruins of Kendal Castle. The packed exhibition programme, regular family activities and play park with a dedicated picnic area means that the whole family can unwind here and enjoy a great day out together.

Beningbrough offers a picturesque formal garden featuring herbaceous borders, plus a Pergola and wooded parkland. Explore the historic hall and art gallery, with historic and contemporary garden-themed exhibitions led by Beningbrough's garden designer. Ahead of the next major exhibition opening in October, get creative in a new drawing studio, designed by artist Tanya Raabe-Webber. Kids can enjoy the wilderness play area and Beningbrough's Summer of Play activities, before refuelling with a picnic in the grounds. Got a four-legged friend? Dogs are also welcome in the majority of the gardens and along the parkland paths.

Discover Somerset's rural history and learn about the county's landscapes, food, farming and rural crafts at the Somerset Rural Life Museum. From the 21 July to the 4 September, you'll also find a raft of family-friendly activities in the museum's Fun on the Farm programme. Once you're done, take a walk around Abbey Farm which has an allotment, a barn, an orchard and a picnic area.

Chiswick House boasts 65 acres of woodland, gardens, a walled kitchen garden and lawns to enjoy, perfect for a walk, a picnic or for children to run about and explore. The gardens are open daily from 7am until dusk, and, if you've not brought food from home, the café next to the under 7s adventure playground has a great kids’ menu.

Art Deco mansion Eltham Palace has 19 acres of beautiful historic gardens to explore, including a sunken rose garden and a rock garden with a series of pools and cascades. Kids can seek out the Courtauld family's pet lemur and his friends in the Eltham animal trail and burn off energy in the wooden outdoor play area – and, over the summer, families can enjoy fairground activities, a circus skills station and puppetry in celebration of the Great British Summer.

The Oxburgh Estate gardens are a mixture of wilderness and formal, with a kitchen garden and orchard. Follow one of the estate walks through woodland, along the River Gadder and onto open meadows. Take part in family activities, and keep an eye out for bats, butterflies and barn owls while exploring the great outdoors. Families can also pick up an explorer bag from Visitor Welcome, dress up as a builder while learning about the estate's roof restoration project in the Gun Room and play Pooh sticks on one of several wooden bridges that cross the river.

A lavish family home reimagined as a Venetian Palace, Kingston Lacy has numerous gardens to explore, including the open space of south lawn (perfect for a game of frisbee or a picnic), Cedar Avenue, the Japanese Garden and more. For kids, there are two playgrounds: one in the woodlands and a second in the Kitchen Garden. Plus, little ones can have fun with giant building blocks and make the most of daily pop-up activities during Kingston Lacy's Summer of Play supported by Pokémon.

A place for both kids and kids-at-heart to get creative, Young V&A promises a fun day out for all the family. Visitors are welcome to bring packed lunches, which they can eat in the museum's spacious Town Square or in the next door gardens. The café has highchairs, a microwave and bottle warming facilities for all to use.

The imposing former home to Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister and friend Benjamin Disraeli, Hughenden was a backdrop for royal visits and political drama. With views across the Chilterns and trails through woodlands, kids can make dens and look for the many wild animals and creatures that call the gardens home. There's also a Pokémon Trading Card Game Mega Evolution Trail to tackle over summery, and a series of special, family-friendly activities.

The Play Area is temporarily closed.

Over 700 years old, Picton Castle is a unique building: a medieval castle transformed into to a sumptuous Georgian home in the 18th century. Boasting one of the best plant collections in Wales, the gardens contain rare trees and colourful plants from across the world. Take in the stunning views while you tuck into lunch in the picnic area, and then explore a family-friendly nature walk or jungle boardwalk and adventure play area.

Situated in ‘Capability’ Brown’s final garden and landscape, this fine Georgian mansion is ideal for a family day out, with plenty of walks through the woodlands, wildflower meadows, a play area, tea room and regular family-friendly events. There are also a range of games and activities as part of the hall's free Summer of Play programme. Watch the castle and sheep as they graze in the surrounding land or pop into the second-hand bookshop to stock up on some pre-loved books.

Set within 2,000 acres of land, Dumfries House boasts an unrivalled collection of Chippendale furniture. With each site connected by woodland walks, the estate also boasts a maze, an education farm, an adventure playground, an on-site café, a Victorian walled garden, and a 500-specimen arboretum.