This post was published in August 2023 by our writer Bethanie. Please check with venue direct for the most up-to-date information before heading out as information can change with time.
Up in the Scottish Borders, just a short drive from Berwick Upon Tweed, you will find Paxton House. We always have a lovely day out when we visit here and I wanted to share more information with you about what’s on offer for families.
Add Paxton House to your list of places to visit, perhaps tying it in with a visit to Berwick Museum , Spittal Splashpad & Playground, Berwick Indoor Swimming Pool or the Chain Bridge Honey Farm.
Read next: 20 Things to do in Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Visiting Paxton House.
Paxton House is one of the “finest Palladian houses in Britain”. You can have a tour of the house itself, admiring the stunning furniture and art work. However, we always seem to spend our time exploring the grounds and river walk, so actually end up just buying a day ticket for the grounds.
A breakdown of ticket prices are below:
Day pass to House and Grounds
Adult: 14.00
Concession: £12.00
Children (5-16 years old): £6.50
Family (2 adults, 3 children): £33.00
Day pass to Grounds only (this is the option we go for)
Day Ticket Adult: £7.00
Children: Under 16s FREE (up to 4 per paying adult)
There is also an option to buy a yearly pass which costs £20 per adult. I think this is great value if you live close enough to visit two or three times a year. Especially useful over the school holidays.
It is worth noting the house is only open April until October, however the grounds are open daily all year round.
Use postcode: TD15 1SZ. Paxton House is located just off the A1 past Berwick.
Highlights:
- Kids Go Free (Grounds Ticket Only)
- Fairy & Dragon Trail with Dragon Eggs, Fairy Houses & Dressing Up (£4 per booklet)
- Den Building
- Riverside Walks - You Can Often Spot Salmon Leaping
- Net Fishing for Salmon available to book (additional charge)
- Playground with Zip Wire
- Boat Trips (additional charge)
- Dogs on leads welcome in the grounds and Stables Tearoom (courtyard or harness room)
- Accessible by bus - Travelsure bus #32 from Berwick stops outside
- Free onsite parking
- Tearoom with locally sourced produce or bring a picnic
5 Things We Love About Paxton House.
The River Tweed runs along the border of Paxton House grounds and you can enjoy some lovely walks along this stretch of the river bank. There are a couple of pebbly beaches where you can sit and skim stones. It can also be a popular fishing spot so keep your eyes peeled for salmon leaping out the water.
If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, there are boat trips that leave from here, taking you along the river. You can find out more information about prices, dates and how to book on the Paxton House website.
There is also an old Victorian Boathouse which has been recently restored and you can actually hire this for private events. (All enquiries through Paxton House.)
Obviously, the main highlight for the kids is the playground. It isn’t very big but provides plenty of opportunities for climbing, swinging and sliding. What else could you need?
My older two absolutely love the zip line (the grown ups do too!) whilst my youngest loves the swings. Even the baby swings go nice and high which I sometimes find hard to find at play parks?
Located just a short walk from the car park, you could always head here for a play first before exploring the rest of the grounds.
This is a lovely trail that takes you round a large area of the grounds, but not too far which is perfect for little legs. My two year old happily ran most of the way and was completely manageable for the kids.
Along the trail you can expect to find fairy houses, dragon eggs and a den building area.
The only downside to the trail for me, is that it costs £4 per trail booklet. We didn’t realise this until we had already asked for three booklets and my youngest can’t write so the book was wasted on her.
My advice would be to buy one trail book and take it in turns filling in the answers. The kids will still love following the trail arrows and looking for clues.
I guess though, if you take into consideration that children are able to visit Paxton for free, this perhaps makes up for it.
At the end of the trail, there is a dressing up box filled with masks and dragon costumes, which my three loved. We had to drag them away!
I have added this to our favourites list, because it is a great space for the kids to run around in, as well as there being a small pitch and putt area. (It is small but the kids love it.)
When the sun is shining, this is a perfect sun trap right outside the main house. We like to sit here while the kids play before looking round the gardens.
Because you can’t go anywhere without a snack break can you? We tend to mix it up; sometimes we bring a picnic and other times we call into the Stable Tearoom for a bite to eat.
It is a gorgeous space, set in the old stables (hence the name), and the stable stalls are still there so you could find yourselves sitting in one. There is the option to sit in or takeaway, and on a nice day it is quite pleasant to sit outside in the courtyard.
All the food served is locally sourced and they also serve Pilgrims Coffee as well as ice-creams from Doddington Dairy.
From our home in Northumberland, it is just under an hour's drive to Paxton House and we tend to spend at least three hours here. You can make this longer of course, if you include a house tour and a long walk beside the river. I would say it definitely makes for a great family day out.
It is worth following the Paxton House social media pages for up to date information of “what’s on”, as they often host pop-up markets and a summer family day.
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