At the end of February we went out for a day trip for the first time in what felt like FOREVER.

We have been in lockdown in the UK since the start of January 2021 and we have not been allowed to leave our local area.

It’s the third lockdown we’ve had and this is probably the toughest as it’s been winter. It’s been freezing cold and we’ve been trapped indoors, had a lack of sun, lack of entertainment, no gym to go to for exercise and escapism, no socialising, the kids have been home the whole time climbing the walls whilst we try to work at the same time… it’s been quite crazy and cabin fever has definitely been setting in… and did I mention it’s been freezing cold?!

Even before this year started we were in lockdown in November and even in December (and for most of 2020) we had restrictions on meeting others, meaning we only met up with one household on Christmas Day indoors and that was it.

Life has certainly been very different and travel plans and days out have totally been put on hold, often leaving us feeling like a prisoner in our own home! We both work from home and have been at home more than ever, day in day out, groundhog day everyday for months on end!

It’s now March and we will be allowed to start seeing one other household from the end of the month, then hopefully we can travel again mid-April. The UK will be gradually easing lockdown restrictions, so things won’t be looking normal for quite a while.

But at least the weather will start to improve now, making local walks more enjoyable and appealing for us and the kids. At least if we can get outdoors more often without being freezing we can lift our moods and feel less trapped.

There has literally been no days out or travel for us for months, but we decided to visit Rococo Garden at the end of February which is around 5 miles from our home and as it’s an outdoor attraction it is allowed to be open for local visitors.

It’s the only attraction local to us that we can legally travel to right now and I will share our thoughts on visiting Rococo Garden in February in this blog post and lots of photos too!

It’s not our first experience of Rococo Garden and you can read my first review in my blog post Painswick Rococo Garden review and photos: things to do with kids in Gloucestershire

However, our last visit was in the summer. We went in August 2019 for my birthday for a family day out and at the time they had a sculpture exhibition.

This was our second visit ever and without an exhibition to see and it is of course February, so winter is very different for gardens!

Read on to see what we thought of Painswick Rococo Garden in February.

Painswick Rococo Garden review in February

Luckily we went on a really sunny day which was reasonably warm. In fact, very warm for Febraury!

The week before we had booked our visit, but the weather changed to rain and being outdoors all day we didn’t fancy it. So we were able to cancel our pre-booked slot and change it for another date which worked out perfectly as it was one of the sunniest days of the month.

As it’s a paid attraction (around £25 for our family of four) and it was winter still, we didn’t want to waste our money or first day out in ages by rushing round being wet and cold!

Plus, they have a kids playpark at the end and we really wanted the kids to be able to play on the outdoor wooden climbing frames and adventure playground without it being too wet and slippery.

Normally in the winter we can take them to soft play centres and indoor entertainment venues, but due to lockdown everything has been closed so they’d literally been climbing the walls indoors for weeks!

To go in lockdown we had to book a time slot on Eventbrite, The slots are half hour and you simply turn up at any point within that half hour, show your booking and pay on arrival.

What did we think of Rococo Garden in February?

So what did we think?

We had a really great day out. Well, it’s a half day out and we spent just over three hours in total at Rococo Garden.

I think in the summer we’d probably spend a little longer.

It was probably made a lot more great as we’d felt so trapped at home for so long. It was so good to feel almost normal again and be able to do some sort of activity!

The maze was closed, due to social distancing rules, but otherwise everything was open outside to see.

Without the sculpture exhibition we saw before, there is less to see, but it’s still a lovely garden to walk around. I probably said it in my last review, but the sculptures we saw before looked so amazing around the gardens that they should buy them all and have them there permanently!

Even without, there is lots to see and explore, even without all the leaves on the trees in February!

The kids love exploring the woods, looking in the tiny houses, walking around the pond and of course playing in the playground at the end!

We took a warm picnic with us from home – pasta in a Tupperware we cooked just before we left – and enjoyed this sat on a picnic table by the pond.

We also had some delicious vegan cake from the takeaway cafe at the end and sat on a picnic bench in the carpark to enjoy before we headed home.

It was a lovely half day out and if we were to go again then I’d definitely wait until it’s warmer and when there’s another art exhibition to see or some sort of event.

Snowdrops at Rococo Garden

The main thing to see in February and admire are the blankets of beautiful white snowdrops.

Rococo garden has so many snowdrops!

If you are looking for somewhere to see snowdrops in Gloucestershire, then this is the place!

There were also lots of daffodils and some pretty purple/pink flowers that I don’t know the name of.

Our Painswick Rococo Garden photos in February 2021

Here are a bunch of our photos so you can see what Rococo Garden is like in February:

If you want to visit Rococo Garden when lockdown is over, or now if you’re local, then here are the details you need:

Address: Gloucester Rd, Painswick, Stroud GL6 6TH

Website: https://www.rococogarden.org.uk/

More great garden reviews:

Glendurgan Garden, National Trust, Cornwall

Bristol Botanical Gardens review

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