2nd Sep 2024
For most this will be your first Mother’s Day at Linmere. If you’ve been organised and booked Sunday lunch long ago, well done you. If you’re ‘open to suggestions’ (aka not booked anything yet), we’ve short-listed 5 destinations to enjoy Mothering Sunday and get to know the places around Linmere.
1. Afternoon Tea at Flitwick Manor
There are some fine venues around Bedfordshire to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea, with Luton Hoo, perhaps, one of the finest locations in the world. We recommend Flitwick Manor House, just 15 minutes’ drive from the Farmstead and offering a better value choice. Originally dating back to 1632, now owned and operated by Best Western Hotels, this is fine country manor and an ideal venue for a Mother’s Day outing. We contacted the team there and they confirmed spaces were still available, requiring a £10 deposit.
Flitwick Manor, Church Road, Bedford, England MK45 1AE Great Britain
7 miles – 13 minutes’ drive from the Farmstead
Tel: 0330 028 3406
2. College Lake Tring
Formerly a chalk quarry, College Lake is one of the Wildlife Trust’s flagship nature reserves. The lake now supports over 1,000 different wildlife species and is considered one of the best locations for waterbirds in the South-East. The lake offers a 2-mile trail around its perimeter with plenty of hides for the twitchers amongst you. What makes this place special is the view from the eco-visitor centre, overlooking the lake. With a café and seating to enjoy the view, this will make a memorable family afternoon. The lake is open from 10am–4pm on Sunday, with a requested donation of £4 for parking.
College Lake, Upper Icknield Way, Bulbourne, Tring, Herts, HP23 5QG
13 Miles – 22 minutes from the Farmstead
https://www.bbowt.org.uk/nature-reserves/college-lake
3. Jordan’s Mill
We’re spoiled for museums around Linmere and this is something we’ll cover later in the spring. For Mother’s Day, we’ve plumped for Jordan’s Mill in Broom (nr Biggleswade) Bedfordshire; the founding site of the Jordan’s Food empire. Dating back 150 years, the mill was restored in 2013 to provide visitors a charming museum, visitor centre and café, set on the banks of the River Ivel. Take a tour of the mill, set the kids free in the meadow and woodland, enjoy the blossoming mill gardens and relax at the Riverside Café to enjoy tea, cake, or a choice of cooked food. This is an enchanting corner of Bedfordshire and well worth a Mothering Sunday to enjoy it.
Tours of the mill are either guided or self-guided. Tickets begin at £5.50, with children going free.
Jordans Mill, Holme Mills, Southill Road, Broom, Bedfordshire, SG18 9JX
19 miles – 34 minutes’ drive from the Farmstead
4. Wendover Woods
A trip to Wendover is perfect for Mother’s Day and just about every other day of the year. Covering 800 acres of mixed woodland, including the highest point in the Chilterns, Wendover woods offers breath-taking views across the forest and Aylesbury vale behind. On a good day, you’ll catch the edges of Oxfordshire. A choice of walking trails, a Go Ape activity course for younger visitors and an outstanding café & restaurant, offering a large veranda overlooking the evergreen forest.
Parking charges apply and expect the company of a lot of other families with the same idea.
Upper Icknield Way, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Tring HP22 5NQ
19 miles – 44 minutes’ drive from the Farmstead
https://www.forestryengland.uk/wendover-woods
5. St Albans
Linmere is situated in the Diocese of St Albans, being our closest city. St Albans is an ideal Sunday jaunt for Mothering Sunday, with parks, medieval streets, ancient pubs, and we mean ancient, plus the inspiring cathedral. Whilst Sunday lunch openings likely to be as rare as hen’s teeth, you’ll find plenty of walk-in cafés and street food to keep the family fed and refreshed. Spring is a good time of year to enjoy a stroll in and out of the cathedral and the accompanying gardens.
St Albans has ample car parking, with reduced fees on Sundays.
15 miles – 24 minutes’ drive from the Farmstead
Linmere is designed to be a place for communities that embraces the natural environment, and where all generations can enjoy a great quality of life. This exciting new collection of leafy and walkable neighbourhoods, situated north of Houghton Regis Bedfordshire, located close to M1 Junction 11a. Nestled into verdant surroundings, its first homes completed and inhabited in 2021. The Land Trust will maintain and preserve these spaces on behalf of Houghton Regis Management Company.
