Cycling with Kids at Wallington

This advertisement post has been published by our writer Gaia and is based on a visit in July 2022. Any shares/edits beyond this date have not been asked or paid for.

We’ve been to Wallington Hall National Trust many times over the years but always discover something different to do while we’re there.

The kids love the nature playgrounds, fairy doors and stepping stones. One thing we’ve never checked out is the cycle trails, so we decided to visit the bike hire shop at Wallington to see what was on offer and hit the trails.

Wallington Hall is a National Trust property and pre-booking is no longer required. Admission is included with National Trust Membership or non-members can pay an admission fee.

We are members and find it really good value. Bike hire is not pre-bookable, just turn up on the day - there are plenty of bikes to choose from. Did you know there is now a bus to Wallington from Newcastle? The X75 service runs every Saturday from 6 May until 2 September.

5 Reasons to Try This

No booking required - just pop along during opening hours. Bring your own bikes or hire equipment from Wallington
Suitable for the whole family and all abilities including toddlers (trailers and balance bikes are available)
Helmets are provided free of charge
Traffic-free route which is well signposted
Free on site parking for National Trust Members or you can catch the X75 bus to Wallington from Newcastle on Saturdays from 6 May - 2 September.

There is loads to see and do at Wallington and it's easy to combine with other activities here and make a day of it.

Bike Hire at Wallington

The bike hire facilities at Wallington are located in the central courtyard; when you walk through the main entrance you’ll spot them on the right.

The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and helped all four of us to pick the right bikes, even moving seats and pumping tyres where needed.

The bikes themselves are really comfy and new looking, with wide tyres and plenty of gears to help you with the trails and any off-roading you fancy doing!

We were shown the map of the trails and told to take a photo of it to refer back to it (which is a great idea) but we found the routes really well signposted and easy to follow with big flags and arrows pointing the way. You can also download a copy in advance of your visit here.

Ada tried out a balance bike (they’re free!) and had a bit of fun on it, before we returned it and swapped it for a bike with a trailer so we could go for a faster ride.

It was my first time pulling a trailer and I was amazed at how easy and light it was! Our 7 year old was also very happy with his Frog bike and soon got the hang of the gears, and we were all fitted out with helmets for free too.

Cycling with Kids at Wallington - trailer hire

Cycle hire is open over weekends during term time and every day in the school holidays from 10am-4:30pm. No need to book - just pop along.

Bike hire charges:

The hire charges for 2023 remain unchanged and are as follows:

Adult bike £9.00 for two hours
Child bike £6.00 for two hours
Bike plus trailer £15 for two hours
eBike £10 per hour
Balance bike Free
Helmets Free
The fleet of bikes includes balance bikes, trailers, children’s bikes, adult bikes, eBikes and a trike. Helmets are available free of charge should you wish to use them.
There’s no pre-booking available for bikes

Find out more about bike hire at Wallington here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington/features/cycle-hire-at-wallington

The Dragon Cycle Trails

The cycle trails are really easy to follow, with green flags and arrows guiding the way. The trails were all well maintained and easy to cycle along.

There’s a relatively flat 1.7km green trail which is great for young kids or beginners and a longer 3.8km blue trail which is a bit hillier but still doable for bigger kids. It takes you up to climb Coombe hill (otherwise known as the Dragon's teeth) to enjoy the views across Northumberland.

There are picnic benches along this route as you start to come back down from the top of Coombe Hill.

You can also do what we did and follow the green route and half of the blue route for an ‘in between’ option which took us around an hour, with a few stops. Cycling at Wallington is nice and relaxed - there's no big race and most people were stopping for rest breaks or to take in the views along the route.

If you have your own bikes, you can bring them along and follow the routes for free (normal admission rates apply).

More info and a map of the bike trails: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wallington/features/family-cycling-at-wallington

Other things to do at Wallington Hall

After our bike ride and a pit stop in the café for lunch we visited the nature playgrounds including the new Little Acorn Playspace, which is a really great mindful space for adults as well as kids; with tree trunks and stumps leading you through the lush green forest.

The kids love the wooden fort and all the zip wires, climbing frames and rope bridges at Wallington so had good go on those too. There’s also another playground with a train climbing frame and pretend station which we didn’t have time for on this visit.

Another great thing about Wallington is the walks and trails around the grounds. Have you ever ventured across the stepping stones on the river for example? Or knocked at the fairy doors? We never get bored of exploring the grounds and house, and there are special trails to follow at Easter and Christmas too.

Wallington Hall itself is a beautiful building to explore and the kids especially love the room full of dollhouses! Read more:

Our experience of the Cycle Trails at Wallington Hall

We loved the cycle trails at Wallington. There’s nothing better than the wind rushing through your hair as you whizz through forests and fields on two wheels, taking in the sights with no one complaining that they’re tired of walking and need a piggyback!

The route is traffic free and lovely and safe - a perfect option for a family bike ride.  Check out our Instagram Reel from our cycle ride here. 

We don’t have a bike rack and there’s always a bike needing serviced at home, so the bike hire option at Wallington is definitely something we’d do again in future.

Find out more here.