Garden Visit: Brodie Castle & Playful Garden

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

We had the absolute pleasure of staying in Nairn last week for the school’s October break. Nearby lies Brodie Castle, so with membership cards in hand, we scooted along the road to see what we would discover in our latest NTS adventure…

Welcome to Brodie Castle

Dog Friendly

As you would expect, our focus is always on the outside space which is not lacking at Brodie. Being late in the season, there was no-one in the ticket hut but we managed to find a member of staff who pointed us to walks around the grounds where we could tire Noodle out. We headed for the aptly named Swan Pond. There is a gorgeous dog-friendly walk around the pond and through the woodland which the whole family loved.

A beautiful walk around the Swan Pond

There are lovely bird hides along the way and we stopped and enjoyed the views and the wildlife as we walked around.

Lovely views from the bird hides

By this point the kids were ready to explore the Adventure play park. Dogs aren’t allowed so Noodle and I continued our stroll while the kids burnt off some energy.

Playful Garden

After a quick lunch we were ready to explore the main event – the Playful Garden. And my goodness, we were NOT disappointed. The relatively small area is packed to the gunnels with fun things to explore. The kids enjoyed twirling themselves around on the spinning tops.

Spinning tops look great and are fun to twirl in.

The tall mirrored posts make an impressive feature as soon as you enter the garden and lots of fun was had running around them and peering around.

The mirrored posts are a great optical illusion.

Spinning the drums to make the pictures inside come to life was great fun for the kids and would suit children of all images.

Make the images come to life

A miniature model of Brodie Castle is the coolest playhouse for the kids to explore and make them feel like giants!

A mini Brodie Castle or a giant Tilda??

(Almost) everything is interactive in Brodie Castle and these metal horses and unicorns were great for climbing on.

Giddyup Brodie!

Music is a huge part of the sensory experience in the Playful Garden and can be heard throughout. There were lots of tubular bells, xylophones and timpani drums to explore and kept the girls entertained for a long time.

Music maestro please

Colour coded xylophones with sheet music encouraged children to play their own tunes

Colour coded xylophones with sheet music encouraged children to play songs

Playful mounds with in-built tunnels were just amazing to watch the kids play and hide in. A worthy addition to any large outdoor space for kids if budget allows.

The mounds reminded us of Charles Jencks landforms

An island had been created in the garden with water around all sides and large stepping stones allowing the only access. Only the brave can make it across – but will they make it back??

To reach the island you have to find a way across!

The signature piece in the Playful Garden is the giant bunny which you see as soon as you come in. Children are encouraged not to slide and climb on Brodie Bunny but it’s an amazing sight to experience.

The signature piece in the Playful Garden – Brodie Bunny!

The gardens are wheelchair friendly and the majority of things in the garden are accessible to everyone with lots of sensory experiences. The only down side is that dogs are not allowed in the Playful Garden. Perhaps if they could be allowed on lead to the tables outside the cafe that could be an option to improve the customer experience. We didn’t pop into the castle as dogs aren’t allowed and it’s by guided tour only which takes an hour and we didn’t want to leave Noodle for any longer. For us it’s all about the outdoor spaces anyway! We highly recommend a visit to Brodie, especially to the Playful Garden.

Vialii