I have been coming to Deer's Leap park for many years and throughly enjoy it, rain or shine…read more For those if you that don't know Deer's Leap is a dedicated mountain biking park in East Grinstead covering some 240 acres. The site offers a range of cycling tracks from family friendly tracks to tracks which run through the woods and are aimed at the more adventurous rider. There is on site parking. Now if you think your own bike may not be up to that's fine they hire bikes on the site. You can hire one at a reason price for either 1-2 hours or half a day. I have to say riding over the terrain that the park offers you may find that 1-2 hours out in the park maybe enough. Once you have ridden for as long as you want to, or because your body is telling you that is enough they have a cafe on site also. In the cafe you can get 'proper' coffee (freshly ground) alongside the usual snacks you can also get a toastie. If you have ridden your own bike they do have a 'bike wash'. So you can take your bike back home all clean and shiney. I did find out that they can provide birthday parties with include riding activities and archery. If they do that I am sure they must also provide for the corporate bodies who want to do something different for team building. If you venture down (or up) to Deer's leap remember rain or shine bring a change of clothes!!!! (There are no changing rooms but there is a toilet to change in or your car)

Priory Park really is the jewel in Reigate's crown. It seems to stretch on forever, and has…read moresomething for everyone. The vast grassy area is often busy with football games, but there's plenty of it if you, your children, or your dog want to just have a run and play in the grass. The lovely sunken garden has a beautiful fountain, and is a really nice place to sit. There is also now a cafe, which looks lovely, but I've never been in. Continue down the path and you'll find the playground, delightful for older kids, but I must emphasize that the council really missed a trick here. I actually avoid the playground, especially when I'm alone, as there are multiple exits, a nightmare when you've got more than one young child to look after. Also, the play area doesn't have much for the little ones and you spend most of your time trying to keep them from killing themselves on the equipment meant for older kids. It's just not fun for the little ones to be constantly told no, no, no, or the parents who feel on edge the entire time. Further down you'll find a beautiful pond, filled with ducks and swans, made MUCH safer during the recent refurbishment, with only two small areas left unfenced along the pond to feed the ducks. Before you'd spend far too much time pulling the little ones away from the edge. Now, I enjoy going and having a stroll around the pond, confident my kids are safe. If you're feeling really adventurous, there are plenty of trails for physical abilities of all types. You could (and we have) wander for hours through the woods.

It is the oldest botanical garden here in London. There are…read morelots of different kinds of plants from all over the world. Some are edible, some are medicinal and some are just common plants that you may see everywhere.The garden has a variety of medicinal plants from all over the world that can heal from a simple sickness up to serious illnesses like breast cancer. There is a cafe on site to take some break. Best place to relax with great surroundings.

It's one of the beautiful park in Crawley. My 2yr old enjoys…read moreroaming round in the park

Family friendly - but as a sneaky adult pretending never to leave my 20s this place is also joyful!…read more Meercats, rabbits, pigs, peacocks - the nature centre is a random selection of animals tucked away in tilgate park, a little walk in. It is in desperate need of donations continually,but still works on a donation entry only - allowing for those with families to still go. it is part of Crawley which harks back to the times where it wasn't all about making a buck. `i do also loved the wall garden area - has a bit of a /secret gardenesque' feel. If you are looking for something to do in Crawley (which is a bizaare place to come as a tourist) then pop down to tilgate park and you could do this. 1. See animals at centre (for free! - please donate) 2 book go ape in for 3 hours (for cost) 3. Go to smith and westerns (i do miss the pub that was there before, this place is dark) 4. sit out on the lake and have a picnic 5. Walk around the park, with woodland, and gardens.

Nymans was one of the highlights of a recent country walk (part of walk 16 in Time Out's Saturday…read moreWalker's Club) and definitely worth a return visit in its own right. As a lunch time stopover for hungry hikers the cafe is a bit of a let-down, though. We had a sandwich and ploughmans which were both OK but rather overpriced. After a walk around the grounds which include romantic ruins, stunning views and beautiful gardens, we returned to the cafe for afternoon tea. Just to be even more disappointed - they have a problem with their water which makes hot drinks taste disgusting (apparently, we aren't the first to notice and something is being done about this - to their credit, we did get a refund, but a nice cup of tea would have been more welcome). If it weren't for the lacklustre catering this place would definitely deserve a full five stars. The garden centre looked outstanding, even for the National Trust's high standards.

This is a good day out. There is something round every corner. You are greeted by the cafe which is…read morealways a good start and this one has some good outside seating as well as inside. There is plenty of room to picnic in the wooded car park. You can then meander through the wonderful 20th century gardens, the Rose Garden, The Walled garden with it's amazingly colourful herbaceous borders (this must be one of the most photographed in England !), by which time you've almost forgotten about the house ! But not for long. Through an arch in the wall, there stands the Majestic house. Turn another corner and there is the most wonderful, Romantic, Gothic like ruin. It is hard to believe that it was only in 1947 that a fire ripped through the building and this part was left standing & unrepaired. An amazing back drop for the gardens & a golden photo opportunity. The knot garden & the sunken garden are set around the house & ruins then lead on to a beautiful wooded estate , over 200 acres, with wonderful views across Sussex. Although a frequent visitor I still find walks & paths that I have never found before. The rooms on the ground floor of the house contain fascinating day to day artifacts of the family and the NT Stewards are friendly and informative. I see different things every time I visit. There is a good sized shop & small plant area. There is good access for the disabled.

So people may think I'm crazy but I booked a trip to Paris and Finland this June and made sure to…read morefly into London so I could visit pooh corner. I am a Huge EEYORE fan and last time I came to London I didn't have a chance to go and I promised myself I would come to the birthplace of my favorite character. I didn't realize how far out from the city it was but boy was it beautiful! The ride there and it's surroundings. The staff at pooh corner cafe was very sweet and helpful. My train from london to paris was a few short hours away.... So yes.....I literally flew into london for a few hours just to go to pooh corner and pooh bridge! The love for Eeyore and my best friends love for Pooh made this trip easy and fun! Best way to find it is if you visit pooh corner cage they will give you a map and tell you exactly how to get there. Once you see the sign you keep walking for a few minutes and you will find the iconic bridge. It's is BEAUTIFUL....so peaceful I could stay and relax there for a bit. Yes you are in the "100 acre woods" which is technically Ashdown forrest. It's the bridge that you see in the winnie the pooh cartoons ...the bridge that is said to be the one A.A. milne and his son a.k.a. Christopher Robin would play at. For a die hard fan this is a must do!! Happy yelping mis amigos!!

This is the ultimate gem for any Winnie the Pooh fan. - to come to Ashdown Forest and play…read morePoohsticks on Poohsticks Bridge Built in 1907 and originally called Posingford Bridge, it is considered to be the bridge on which Milne and his son first played the game. Its continued popularity led to a campaign to rebuild in the 1970s. The bridge was subsequently reopened by Christopher Robin Milne and officially renamed as Poohsticks Bridge However, continued tourist traffic necessitated a further rebuild in 1999 and Disney, who now own the rights to Winnie the Pooh and other donors funded the reconstruction to the bridge which stands there today. The walk from the nearest car park is however not the easiest with a fair slope and distance. However, for true fans, it is worth it. Visitors aiming to play Poohsticks on the bridge are requested to bring their own sticks to avoid damage to nearby trees There are now even a World Poohsticks Championships held annually in Dorchester but for true fans, Poohsticks Bridge is the only place to drop your stick into the water and rush over to the other side to see whose stick emerges first For those of you who would like to practise, here are the official rules for Poohsticks: http://www.poohsoc.org.uk/sticks/rules.html

My friends live in Tunbridge Wells so they wanted to take us to the place that inspired AA Milne's…read moreWinnie the Pooh's hundred acre woods. I learned today in England that a forest is not necessarily defined as a place loaded with trees but rather a place of expensive land for hunting. Apparently several Royals have hinted this land over the years. Since this is one of the highest points in Sussex, the view at this time of year was quite lovely as the leaves were changing colors and the expansive hills shined brightly under the sun. This is a great place for a weekend hike. My only complaint was the trails had deep grooves in them which made it difficult to walk and certainly something to consider if you are traveling with young children or those who may have trouble maneuvering through.

Situated in Ashdown Forest, just south of Wych Cross is Ashdown Forest Llama Park. It's easy to…read morelocate, being on the main London to Eastbourne road (A22). There is a moderately sized free car park. The admission charge is £5.95 for adults and £4.95 for children/concessions (in 2008). It is open from 10am to 5pm every day. The park consists of some covered pens and several large fields. There are a large number of llamas and alpacas including some very young ones. There are also three female reindeer. There is also a barn which is used as museum/eductaion centre. The contents of this was mainly about the uses of llamas and alpacas and there was a short 8min video. There were a few hands-on activities for the younger visitor. Outside there is the required adventure play area for children. Inside the main building there are toilets which appear to be well maintained, a gift shop and a coffee shop. The gift shop contains a lot of products from South America and a large range of alpaca knitwear. Whilst not expensive, they products were certainly not cheap. The coffee shop offers home made cakes and light lunches, including Sussex Cream Tea. Where possible they use organic and/or fairtrade products. There is a large indoor seating area and more tables outside. The prices are quite reasonable. It is also possible to go for a walk with a llama. This is seperate from the admission charge and costs £30 per person. The walk is for about 2.5 miles and lasts approx 1.5hrs. You are taken in a group with a guide. However the minimum age for this is 14, and so we were not able to take advantage of it. Overall it is a nice place to visit but I cannot imagine it keeping any one occupied for more than a couple of hours. It is certainly not an all-day place.

There's more than 100 llamas and alpacas at this park that has been breeding and nurturing them…read moresince 1987. Llamas and alpacas have always had a bit of bad press about being bad tempered but a visit here will quickly show you how badly deserved that reputation is. They are very friendly indeed. They offer 'Llama Walks' here which is a really novel idea and a great thought for a birthday present but i have to admit they are a bit pricey at £30 per person. You can always share a llama for £50 between two though!

From the owner: The Llama Park is not only home to herds of both llamas and alpacas…read more New animals include reindeer, Spanish horses, Shetland ponies, donkeys, sheep and goats. Not to mention our lovely Welsh Pigs. Chickens, peafowl and Guinea fowl run wild and are greatly loved by visitors and staff alike, whilst ducks, geese and turkeys show off and generally make a lot of noise. Customers can buy food to feed the animals. There is also an excellent coffee shop and restaurant, renowned for cream teas and Sunday roast lunches. There is an excellent and reputed fashion shop selling alpaca knitwear and a wide range of top quality clothes for men, women and children. We also offer two types of llama walk - full and family. The Full Walk allows guests to lead a llama on a one and a half hour walk through the enchanting local countryside. The Family Walk is shorter lasting half an hour around The Park and is designed to let children share the joy of walking a llama parental supervision. Finally, there is also an outdoor playground with a bouncy castle and picnic tables. Following extensive renovations The Llama Park now holds a Music, Dancing and Alcohol licence until 01:00 and a Wedding Licence. There are two beautiful barns which are used for Weddings, Parties of all types and for all ages, as well as for craft fairs, barn dances, music functions, film shows and, of course, The Llama Park's famous Christmas Wonderland with the 'real' Father Christmas.

We always used to take my granny to Borde Hill for a nice long walk around the gardens and then a…read moreslap-up lunch in the cafe afterwards. Country Life Magazine describes this place as one of the most important gardens in the UK. Its not too hard to see why as you walk around the 200 acres of breath-taking, grade II listed parkland and woodland. Everything is arranged and planted as individual 'rooms'. My favourite is the 'Garden of Allah' as the plants really are amazing. This is an ideal place for a nice long walk with a group of relatives or your better half. You really won't find many places like it in Sussex.