Bletchley Park. Home of the code breakers!
Come and take a step or two back in time on the brink of war, as we take a trip around Bletchley Park! A fun filled learning day out for the whole family, young and old, there is something for everyone!
Things To Do At Bletchley Park
Learn about Women at Bletchley Park
Bletchley park is well known for being home to the core breakers, important historical figures who changed the world and saved Britain . Did you know that it was typically women who deciphered the codes? How cool is that!
Women are awesome! You can walk around various huts and have a glimpse at what happened then, the place they worked, how they worked, where they slept as well as how they dressed!
Alan Turing Exhibition
There is a spectacular Alan Turing exhibit, it had a fabulous sculpture of him and a few of his personal effects including a very special bear! This is accessible down the ramp as it’s a lower ground room!
Alan Turing was a great man who revolutionised technology to help break the codes to save Britain and win the war! You will see some enigma machines here too which my child was fascinated with, he thought they were big typewriters haha!!
‘D’ Day and Radio
Once you’ve left the Turing museum, you can head to the radio station and see how radio technology has changed through the eras and if you’re lucky you might see the radio broadcast team busy in the studio too!
We headed to the D day exhibition hall after that, which is the newest section at Bletchley park and is a great place to learn about D day! There is also a stunning brick wall with many names engraved, some who served, veterans and patriots to Bletchley Park. I actually intend on having my grandads name here soon, as it was because of him that we found Bletchley park and why we continued to visit every year)
Explore Gardens and Grounds
What we love the most is the beautiful grounds! The kids love to run around, collecting pine cones and conkers or feeding the ducks while we sit with a nice fresh coffee and picnic! The grounds are kept in pristine condition and every season is as beautiful! Spring brings you snowdrops and bluebells. Summer gives us luscious green and wild flowers. Then, Autumn gives us beautiful colours and seeds to collect. Winter gives a beautiful frosty charm -the lake used to freeze over and give an ice skating rink too!
The lake has a beautiful water fountain in the middle and if you’re on the opposite side to the mansion, this is the prime location for a stunning photo of the mansion overlooking the lake!
I could babble about the outdoors here for hours! It’s our happy place to go and we do go most weeks!! Nice for a mummy meet up with coffee and cake too!
Mansion
The mansion! The beautiful house we all come to see! You can walk around the ground floor of the mansion, learning all about the origins of the mansion house and how it was used during the war.
It is a stunning building. So, many small and beautiful details all around, inside and outside. Make sure you check out the stained glass ceiling.
Inside the house are a few rooms that are a walk in history including offices and library. The library is full of stunning books and volume collections.
Facilities at Bletchley Park
Bletchley park has ample toilet facilities inside and outside, including baby changing and disabled toilets too!
Cafe
Bletchley Park also has two cafes you can stop for a snack or as we do regularly coffee and cake! One is at the entrance and the other is on the side of the mansion which overlooks the play park This is our favourite cafe and the staff are always super friendly here. Additionally, there is also a hatch outside serving hot snacks, ice cream and drinks too!
Guided Tours
You can book guided tours with loads of expert volunteers who work at Bletchley Park. They will walk you around every area and give detailed talks about life at Bletchley Park.
You can also pick up guided audio tours too which you can do at your own pace!
Top Tips and Final Thoughts Bletchley Park
If you have a love of history, architecture or the great outdoors then this is worth a visit! It’s one of our weekly adventures and we love to support Bletchley park!
Bletchley Park always has awesome events on like The 1940’s Weekend. We’ve attended and people dress up, there’s singers and it’s magical. Vintage car show days are cool and we are hoping to attend for Santa this year too! Do check online to see what upcoming events they have on for your visit!
Top Tips:
- Dress appropriately for the weather, there is a lot outdoors!
- Go for lunch 11 ish if you’re eating here as after it gets very busy and full!
- If it’s warm we recommend the ice cream and enjoy it looking at the lake in a deck chair!
Did you enjoy this review? Then, discover what other families thought of family days out across the UK in our Reviews and Recommendations section on our website.
Follow Danie and her family for more advice and family fun inspiration on Instagram @the_little_adventurer_