THE VYNE: Hampshire's best kept Tudor secret that is great fun for all the family

A trip back in time to a fascinating Tudor past that's perfect for autistic kids and their history loving parents.

Our guide to enjoying an autism friendly weekend break in Newbury, Berkshire is now available.

VISITNG THE VYNE WITH AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Hampshire, England

We visited The Vyne with my mother and our two autistic children on a Monday afternoon in late May. Having not heard of it before we were really impressed by the beautiful grounds and its fascinating history.

Now owned by the National Trust, who were gifted it in 1956, the house and gardens have a history stretching back through time to Henry VIII. It offers formal gardens, a woodland play space suitable for ages 2 - 7yrs, a café and a large house which is open to visitors.

The house was well furnished and maintained, and it was a real joy to walk around.

Our favourite room was the lady of the house's drawing room, it still had an original piano that guests were welcome to play. There was also a fascinating hall that had been used by Anne Boleyn (second wife of Henry VIII) to receive guests - apparently she had demanded that all evidence of Catherine of Aragon (his first wife) be covered up before she arrived and replaced by her own coat of arms, and these are still there today.

WERE STAFF FRIENDLY and WELCOMING TO OUR AUTISTIC CHILDREN?

The staff at the entrance kiosk were very welcoming and the room attendants throughout the house were friendly and knowledgeable, happily answering our questions.

In one of the rooms there was an old pianoforte, an original from the period that we were invited to play. I thought that was nice gesture, even though we declined to let the children anywhere near it!

WAS THE VENUE ACCESSIBLE? DID IT CONSIDER AUTISTIC CHILDREN SPECIFICALLY?

There is hard gravelled path that connects the main areas of The Vyne (e.g. cafe and house) and it is mostly accessible for buggies and people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility. The rest of ground comprises natural paths with tree roots that make them uneven or wooded areas that can get quite muddy.

They have an accessible / baby change toilet in two blocks and some blue badge parking.

While there are no resources or facilities directly aimed at supporting autistic or adhd kids there is a small woodland playground / garden that the boys enjoyed and there are a number of quiet garden spaces if some calm time away is needed.

WHAT WERE THE FACILITIES LIKE?

This small palace was a great space to explore. Note that we were asked to leave our buggy and large rucksack in storage lockers that were provided next to the house before entering. This was free of charge.

The cafe was nice, serving the standard National Trust menu of sandwiches, soup, cakes and jacket potatoes and had plenty of outdoor seating - although we did sit inside as it was a bit cool. The inside space is quite small, so we were asked to leave the buggy outside.

The garden, as is often the case, was the real winner, and we spent much longer exploring it then we had expected. We really loved the 17th century summerhouse and the 600 year old oak tree.

DID WE HAVE TO QUEUE? WAS IT BUSY?

We visited mid Monday morning and it was not busy. There was no need to queue to get into the grounds or the house.

DO THEY OFFER DISABLE CONCESSION ENTRY PRICE?

No, there is no disabled concession available on the the door.

Entry is free for National Trust Passholders.

Non-passholders pay an entry price - visit their website for up to date information on admission cost: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/hampshire/the-vyne

While parking is free, during busy periods at weekend and the school holidays try and arrive before 10am when the gates open for the best chance of getting a space.