Junction 5

Aldenham country park
Distance from junction 3 miles
Follow the signs to the park from the motorway, it’s about a 10-minute drive.
Vast parkland and rare breed farm with poultry to feed, ponies to ride and small animals to pet. There’s a five-acre vegetable plot and heritage orchard to test your horticultural knowledge. Reward the children with a visit to one of the two play areas or woods offering harnessed tree climbing and giant bouncy monkey nets. For younger kids there’s a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed 100 Aker Wood and an indoor play barn for rainy days. The Clock House kiosk sells ice-creams, drinks, and snacks to keep you going.
• aldenhamcountrypark.co.uk, woodlands, lakeside walks and nature trails free, car park £4.50, the farm costs £3 adults/children over 3, family £10

Junction 12

Woburn Abbey
Distance from junction 4 miles
Follow the signs to Woburn village from where the abbey is signposted, it takes about 10 minutes.
The Palladian abbey, with its 3,000 acres of deer park, is currently the home to the Duke and Duchess of Bedford and their kids, which adds snooping value to the stately pile. After ogling the family’s gold and silver, housed in their underground vaults, youngsters will want to tear around the 28 acres of garden. It offers clipped lawns, ponds, woodland, a children’s sensory area and The Folly decked out with shells, fossils and fool’s gold. The Duchess’s Tea Room offers the obligatory brew with scones and sandwiches.
• woburnabbey.co.uk; abbey, gardens and deer park, adults £14.50,children £7.25, under 3s free, family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £35.50; gardens and deer park, adults £6.50, children £3.75

Junction 19

Manor Farm Shop and Tearoom
Distance from junction 1 mile
Follow signs to Catthorpe village from the Catthorpe Interchange, it’s a few minutes’ drive.
A family-run farm hosting a farm shop selling homegrown fruit, vegetables and meat, alongside homemade produce. There’s a great selection of “holiday treats” – namely local wine, beer and cheese. Cream teas (boasting several awards) can be taken outdoors, where you’ll be surrounded by butterfly-luring plants. Visit the sheep, horses and rare breed pigs or pick your own soft fruit and berries. The website details short local walks, including one to the remains of a 12th-century earthwork motte and bailey fortress, from which there are beautiful views.
• manorfarmcatthorpe.co.uk

Junction 21a

Kirby Muxloe Castle
Distance from junction 1 mile (northbound exit only)
Follow the A46, branch left, then exit onto the B5380 (Ratby Lane). At the next roundabout take the first exit on to Main Street, and then go left onto Oakcroft Avenue.
This atmospheric, fortified, moated-mansion is a great place to let kids’ imaginations run wild, especially after you tell them the building was never finished, as in 1483 Richard III had the owner Lord Hastings’ head chopped off for treason. No food (or loos) available so bring a picnic or head to the local Royal Oak Inn, a traditional village pub with large garden, two minutes’ walk away. You’ll find fancy food, plus a children’s menu.
• english-heritage.org.uk, adults £3.70, children (5-15) £2.20

Junction 29

Hardwick Hall
Distance from junction Less than 1 mile
Follow the exit on to the A617 (to Mansfield), at the lights turn right onto Rowthorne Lane (signposted to Ault Hucknall), then follow the brown signs.
It might be tricky to limit your time at this Elizabethan mansion, with its parkland sculpture trails, wonderful herbaceous borders and a prize-winning produce garden. Arm the family with a Tracker Pack to identify flowers and bugs on nature trails around the grounds. In the school holidays find family games, from cricket to hula-hoops, on the lawns. There’s den building, while football and frisbee are positively encouraged in the Stableyard. If it’s wet, the house provides dressing up, history quizzes and portrait drawing. The Great Barn restaurant offers a kid’s menu too.
• nationaltrust.org.uk/hardwick, parking £3 (access to parkland, restaurant and shop); house and gardens, adults £14, children £7, family (2 adults and 2 children) £35; closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Junction 31

Rother Valley country park
Distance from junction Just over 2 miles
Follow the A57 towards Sheffield then the A618 towards Mansfield. At lights go straight on – park entrance is at bottom of the hill on the right.
Hire a family bike on site or bring your own to explore this 750-acre park. As it’s a nature reserve there are masses of birds and wild rabbits to spot. It’s also a watersports hub with five lakes, so watch the jetskiers pose, windsurfers topple and the model boat enthusiasts launch their pride and joy. If the water beckons, try zorbing or hire a pedal boat, rowing boat or canoe. There is also a large adventure playground and miniature ride-on train. You can bring your own barbecue or try The Stables cafe, which has a kids’ menu.
• rvcp.co.uk, free, car parking £3.50

Junction 37

Wentworth Castle Gardens
Distance from junction 2 miles
Follow the signposts or put S75 3EN in your satnav.
One of the country’s most important 18th-century estates with 26 listed buildings and monuments. The decadent and frivolous main house is now a residential college but the stunning formal 60-acre grounds are open, with atmospheric ruins and majestic rescued follies. Kids can clamber over Stainborough Castle, a plush play area for past landed gentry, or use the modern adventure playground for under 12s. The cafe has a children’s menu alongside the estate’s venison and Barnsley beers.
• wentworthcastle.org, adults £6.50, children (3-16) £3.25

Junction 38

Yorkshire sculpture park
Distance from junction 1 mile
Follow the signposts.
Not any old 500 acres of 18th-century parkland, but an international centre for modern and contemporary art, allowing families to explore sculpture in a liberating, free-range way, including such luminaries as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. There’s a Young Explorers Hidden Myths Trail app to download on the YSP website. Several cafes and coffee stops are scattered about the park.
• ysp.co.uk, free, car parking £2.50-£8

Junction 47

Lotherton Hall
Distance from junction 2 miles
Follow the B1217 (Collier Lane) towards Towton, then follow the brown signs.
This Edwardian country house has a popular costume gallery and dressing-up room. Among gravel paths and yew hedges, the Gertrude Jekyll-style gardens are divided into smaller parts so some are beautifully constrained, others brim with wildflowers. Alongside nature trails, woodland walks and a red deer park, there’s an adventure playground (for under eights). The impressive bird garden has an important collection of rare and endangered species as well as the more familiar flamingos and snowy owls. Try the or appease car-lagged kids with an ice-cream from the kiosk.
• leeds.gov.uk/lothertonhall, adults £5, children £2.50, family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £15