It’s been 9 months since our last visit to Hughenden. When it re-opened in June we found tickets were like gold dust, but we finally managed to visit this weekend. A lot of things have changed since our last visit but it’s still worth a visit. So let me tell you a little about our socially-distanced visit to Hughenden Manor.

​Hughenden Manor was home to Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. It provided a backdrop for political drama, royal visits and an enduring love story. And it has a secret wartime story to tell.

A socially-distanced visit to Hughenden Manor

We love visiting Hughenden so it was with trepidation that we visited again today. We didn’t need to worry though, as although it was different, we still had a lovely day out.

There are lots of measures in place to keep everyone safe, the most important is that you must pre-book tickets to visit. Tickets are released every Friday for the following week. You are given a 30 minute time slot to arrive by and tickets are checked as you enter the car park.

Hughenden is a fantastic place to visit and this was the first time we had taken our puppy. Thankfully Hughenden is very dog-friendly and our little pup had a wonderful time exploring Hughenden. Sadly the house is closed for the time being but we were still able to explore the grounds, and the toilets, shop and cafe was open.

The woodland playground you walk through from the car park to the house has been closed since our last visit. The kids loved playing here so they were a little upset that it had been closed but this was due to the fact they were building a new play area in the orchard (which is not yet open but looks really good).

We walked around the outside of Hughenden Manor, around the formal garden, some of the parkland and the walled garden. My daughter loves to climb trees and she found plenty!

The walled garden is my favourite part of the estate. Set on a gentle slope, the angle is a unique feature of the garden. Even in cooler seasons the heat rises up the slope creating a warmer climate and a ‘frost gate’ in the bottom corner allows the cold air to escape.

The garden is planted with all kinds of fruit and vegetables. The willow tunnel was closed (again my 8 year was most upset about this!) but we all loved exploring the different plants which grow around the walls. We even spotted this scarecrow guarding the maize.

There was a one-way system in place which was great for socially distancing and masks had to be worn in the shop and cafe. The cafe was a little limited but we were able to take our tea and cakes and sit outside which was lovely.

The weather was amazing which definitely helped our socially-distanced visit to Hughenden Manor. It was busy but it never felt too busy and we were so happy to be back somewhere we all love. Hopefully it won’t be another 9 months before we visit again!

You can book tickets to Hughenden via their website and find out the latest details on visiting, including their special activities this half term.