There are spooky goings-on happening all over Dorset during October and we have been lucky enough to be invited to some.
Our first visit of the half term break was to Minterne House and Gardens, for their Halloween Trail.
Situated in Minterne Magna, Minterne House was home to the Churchill & Digby families for over 350 years. The 1st Sir Winston Churchill was born here and his brother The Duke of Marlborough, “had to make do with Blenheim”.
The gardens, which are open to the public, have a Historic collection of Rhododendrons dating from the Victorian Plant Hunters trips to the Himalayas and with over 27 acres to explore, there is a haven of tranquility to be had in Dorset.
My first tip of the day is not to trust your satnav. The postcode took us to the farmhouse. Keep driving around the corner and then the carpark is opposite the church next door.
It is then just a short walk up the drive to the house where you buy your entry tickets at their cafe. Prices are £10 per adult and £5 per child which includes a goody bag with a mask, tattoos and sweets inside.
The first part of the trail is a pumpkin trail where you need to find the hidden message. The kids made it more fun by singing songs beginning with that letter and dancing to each pumpkin they found.
The trail was much longer than I was expecting and there were some spooky goings on as we got deeper into the gardens, including Spiders & Cobwebs hiding in the shrubbery.
The pathway was fairly even, all the way around, apart from some uneven stairs down from the Himalayan hut, but you can by-pass this bit if you need to.
Although the trail is aimed ay younger visitors, Eliza and Sebby are a competitive pair and enjoyed exploring the gardens and taking part in the challenges set along the way, which include a pumpkin / apple spoon race, witches hat hoopla and a ghostly throwing game.
There is also the opportunity to pose for a halloween selfie on one of the bridges.
The trail took us around an hour to complete and then we treated ourselves to some of their delicious cakes they had on offer and sat in sunshine on the terrace.
We will definitely be back to Minterne House for future events, which include fireworks on 1st November and the enchanted night garden over Christmas.
@chelseamamma We enjoyed a fabulous day exploring the Halloween Trail at Minterne House and Gardens near Dorchester today #halloweentrail #halloween #minternehouse #dorset #fyp #foryoupage #visitdorset #dorchester #autumnvibes ♬ Autumn – Gabriel Veras
Disclaimer: We were guests of Minterne House for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own