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Dinosaurs, Pith Helmets and Chocolate Eggs

What do dinosaurs, pith helmets and chocolate eggs have in common?

The Hinton Ampner Easter egg hunt apparently!

On Easter Saturday, we decided to continue the tradition of taking part in the National Trust Easter Egg Hunt (even though I'm now about ten years older than the majority of the participants)! We went to the grand stately home and gardens of Hinton Ampner in Hampshire. Unfortunately the house was closed as it was damaged during the storms this year. However, the gardens are stunning which makes a great location for an Easter egg hunt.

Armed with cardboard pith helmets, clipboards and magnifying glasses, we felt ready to take on the role of explorers in the dinosaur themed Easter egg hunt.


With the aid of a map, we located all of the dinosaur eggs and solved the clues. Our prize was a chocolate egg stashed away in a huge treasure chest.


The National Trust have excellent tearooms, so I couldn't resist a quick trip to the converted stables tearoom at Hinton Ampner. We sat outside, surrounded by beautiful blossom and tulips while I tucked into chocolate and stout cake.  I was intrigued by the unusual combination and I could definitely taste the stout but it made the cake rich without being too sickly.


It was such a lovely day out and it goes to show that you're never too old to do an Easter egg hunt, especially if it's for charity!

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