A Great Day Out - Simples!

Before Child, I’d not visited a garden centre since, as a whining 12 year-old, I was dragged around Poplars Nurseries by my parents. Bedding plants and border shrubs totes aren’t my thing. I may be slightly more enamoured by soft furnishings and scented candles now that I’m A Grown Up, but my horticultural skills are still limited to liberally spraying the patio with weedkiller and reminding the husband that he needs to mow the lawn every other weekend in the summer.

But one of my favourite places to visit with Charlie nowadays is the Van Hage garden centre in Amwell.

Let’s start with the kids’ stuff first. There’s a mini children’s zoo. I’m not sure if it qualifies as a zoo (I don’t actually know how you qualify a zoo, full stop), but it’s certainly got a good selection of animals for kids to peer/poke at: chickens, monkeys, rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, goats, giant tortoises, peacocks, rabbits, and more chickens. Charlie loves it, although he tends to run around pointing out the animals to other people (we do visit often; did I mention it’s free?).

There’s a miniature train to ride on, too. Again, we’ve been on it countless times, although it’s not stopped being fun just yet (even for me).

And in the run-up to Christmas, the place becomes even more magical. The incredible Christmas displays and decorations aside (one day I hope to be able to afford more than the odd bauble), there’s a real ice rink and a Santa’s Grotto. (I should note that I haven’t visited the grotto with Charlie so far. There’s a booking system and I’m not that organised).

During the summer the centre also plays host to a circus, which takes place this year from August 23rd to 31st. Find out more here.

But the place also has loads to offer adults – even those of us who don’t like plants.

There’s a whole shop devoted to candles, for a start. I could genuinely spend a fortune in there on the Banana Cream Cake Yankee Candles jars.

The Food Hall has an amazing selection of treats and jars of stuff that look pretty, but are unlikely to be used (in my kitchen, at least).

There’s a book section, a clothing store (selling Barbour and Hotter shoes, amongst other brands), home and giftware, and a toy section, which mostly features sturdy traditional toys.

I could spend hours there without ever looking at a shrub. And the café is good and reasonably priced, too.

Even if, like me, you’d rather patio over the garden, you should visit Van Hague. Just leave your purse at home if you can't resist (pricey) scented candles.