Speke Hall National Trust Review

Spring is the perfect time of year to get out of the house and venture down to a National Trust property. It’s not too hot for walking around the gardens and if it gets a bit chilly you can pop inside for a tour! Speke Hall is one of my favourite National Trust locations. We are lucky to have some great places near us for days out with kids, including Tatton Park, Dunham Massey, and Rufford Old Hall but Speke Hall is up there as one of the best. Here’s our Speke Hall National Trust review.

Speke Hall Prices

It costs a family around £35 to gain access to the whole of Speke Hall. That includes the hall itself, the gardens and the activities within the hall. However, if you have a National Trust membership like we do, it’s all included in the membership price. Parking is also free.

Speke Hall National Trust

Speke Hall National Trust location

You’ll find Speke Hall in Speke (obviously!) in Merseyside, on the banks of the River Mersey. It’s actually right next to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport so it can be fun for the kids to see planes taking off while they’re there.

Girl and boy sat on bench at Speke Hall National Trust

What is there to do at Speke Hall National Trust?

Obviously you have the Tudor manor house to explore and there are regular tours or you can work your own way around. It’s a Grade 1 listed building and still looks so impressive.

The main selling point when you have kids to entertain though, is the activities outside:

The Hedge Maze at Speke Hall

The kids love this! We have been so many times to Speke Hall and each time they head straight to the maze! It has 12 gates, 5 bridges, 4 finger mazes, 3 weather vanes and a viewing platform. The view of the River Mersey from the platform is lovely when the weather is nice.

The Play Area at Speke Hall

There’s a play area for young children to play, including a climbing frame and slide. There’s also picnic tables overlooking the play area so you can sit and relax while the kids play.

Boy on play area at Speke Hall National Trust

The Giant Childe of Hale Play Trail at Speke Hall

The trail is fantastic and always a hit with the kids. It’s based on the legend of John Middleton of Hale who was supposed to be 9’3″ tall! Through the trail we get to see “his” feet sticking out of a cottage as the legend suggests. There’s giant shoes to be found, along with buttons and faces.

Giant at Speke Hall National Trust

Boy with giants shoes at Speke Hall National Trust

Child playing drums at Speke Hall National Trust

The trail leads to a cut away area where the kids can play instruments, complete an obstacle course and build dens. They can also measure themselves against the tree and find out if they’re a baby giant or peasant! It’s nice to keep returning to Speke Hall and noting how the kids have grown since our last visit.

Measuring tree at Speke Hall National Trust

There’s also a zip line, wobbly bridge and stepping stones – perfect for the kids to burn off some energy! When we went they had the Winter Woolies trail on, where we had to look out for scarfs and hats dotted around the woodland.

zip line at Speke Hall National Trust

The Gardens At Speke Hall 

The gardens at Speke are lovely. There is a “Secret Garden” which you can find via tunnel off the North Lawn, whilst the North Lawn itself gives gorgeous views of the Tudor Hall. There’s also a kitchen garden to explore. Dogs aren’t allowed through the gardens but they are allowed through the woodland trail.

Gardens at Speke Hall National Trust

If you have nice weather you can easily wile away the day at Speke. There’s so much for the kids to do and explore. We thoroughly recommend it.

Speke Hall National Trust pinnable image