Day out ideas within an hour's drive???

[localparent]

My parents are coming over to spend the day with the DC and me on Friday and I'm trying to think of a good place to visit with them for the day.

Ideally somewhere we can drive to rather than central London. I was thinking national trust or similar for a picnic but am drawing a blank.

Any suggestions or recommendations please?

What age are your DC?

For little ones I always think Battersea Park makes a good day out - visit to the children's zoo, trip to the adventure playground, picnic and maybe rowing boat on the lake?

If that is too close to home then places we've done recently that have been good but not too far include:

• Hobbledown Farm (more a giant playground than a farm really but still fun and not as full on as a theme park)
• Crystal Palace Park which has dinosaur statues and a maze
• Hampton Court is especially nice if it is sunny as big grounds and next to the river and you can combine with a boat trip from Richmond
• Fruit picking at Garson's Farm in Esher although may not get going properly until later in the Summer
• Greenwich: Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory (still in London but easy to park)
• Kew Gardens
• Bocketts Farm near Leatherhead
• Wetlands Centre