Picnic Spots

Picnic Spots

A good picnic spot needs a few things: somewhere lovely to sit, somewhere for a wild child to disappear for twenty minutes and burn off the sandwich, and ideally a decent view to enjoy while you're waiting for them to come back. The North East has this covered in every direction, from grand parkland estates to a genuinely wild gorge walk.

Gibside, near Rowlands Gill

A 600 acre Georgian landscape garden with sweeping views across the Derwent Valley, Gibside is one of the North East's grandest picnic settings, all avenues of ancient trees, a ruined orangery and a striking Palladian chapel. There's a proper play area for children too, so a picnic here rarely stays a quiet affair for long.

• Where: Gibside, near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, NE16 6BG

• When: Open daily except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm

• Cost: Free for National Trust members. Non-member admission is currently around £17 for adults and £8.50 for children (5 to 17), though the temporary VAT reduction may bring this down until 1st September. Car parking is free for everyone regardless of membership.

• Good to know: There's an indoor picnic area at the Stables if the weather turns, plus a play fort, and the car park can fill on peak days, so arriving early or after 2pm is worth considering

  
  

Wallington, near Cambo

Wallington's grounds run to over 13,000 acres, though the bit most families gravitate to is a much more manageable stretch of lawns, walled garden and woodland around the house, with three separate play areas including an adventure playground with a zip wire. It's a proper all-day-out kind of picnic spot.

• Where: Wallington, Cambo, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 4AR

• When: Grounds generally open daily, house hours more limited (check ahead), roughly 11.30am to 3.30pm

• Cost: Free for National Trust members. Non-member admission is around £8 for adults and £4 for children, and includes parking. The temporary VAT reduction may reduce this until 1st September.

• Good to know: Look out for red squirrels in the "wild" West Wood, and there's a bike trail with hire available if anyone fancies exploring further afield after lunch

  
  

Hulne Park, Alnwick

For a genuinely free picnic spot with real grandeur, Hulne Park is hard to beat. It's the last of three parks that once surrounded Alnwick Castle, landscaped by Capability Brown, with waymarked walks past a ruined priory and the striking Brizlee Tower. There are no facilities at all inside, no shop, no toilets, no bins, so this is very much a pack-it-in, pack-it-out kind of visit, but the scenery more than makes up for it.

• Where: Entrance on Ratten Row, a short walk from Alnwick town centre (postcode NE66 3JE is approximate; head via St Michael's Church)

• When: Opens at 11am daily, closing times vary seasonally. Dogs and bicycles are not permitted.

• Cost: Completely free

• Good to know: There's free parking along the approach road to the park gate, or park in Alnwick itself with a parking disc and walk in. Remember to take all litter home with you, as there are no bins anywhere in the park.

  
  

Allen Banks and Staward Gorge, near Hexham

For something wilder still, Allen Banks offers a genuine gorge and river setting, the largest area of ancient semi-natural woodland in Northumberland, with the River Allen tumbling through it. It's the sort of place where a wild child can paddle in the shallows, build pebble towers, and hunt for red squirrels and dippers along the bank while you find a mossy spot to sit.

• Where: Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland, NE47 7BP

• When: Open all year round, dawn until dusk

• Cost: Free entry. Parking is pay and display, free for National Trust members.

• Good to know: There are picnic tables and toilets near the entrance, and dogs are welcome on leads near livestock. Paths include some steep sections and riverside terrain, so sturdy shoes are worth packing.

  
  

More picnic-friendly spots already covered

A handful of venues from our earlier guides also make excellent picnic stops, if you fancy combining a picnic with somewhere already on your list: Saltwell Park in Gateshead, Jesmond Dene in Newcastle, and Bolam Lake and Plessey Woods in Northumberland all have plenty of grass, benches and space to spread a blanket, alongside whatever else drew you there in the first place.