Fourteen National Trust gardens are about to get Pokemon makeovers. From 23 May, the charity's first ever partnership with The Pokemon Company drops self-guided Mega Evolution Trails at sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with families hunting ten Mega Evolution Pokemon across themed checkpoints.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeThese aren't actual card battles, despite the official Pokemon TCG branding. Each checkpoint puts a Mega Evolution Pokemon front and centre with a physical or creative challenge inspired by its abilities, think focus games for Mega Gengar or speed challenges for Mega Charizard Y. Trail sheets track progress and there are themed photo backdrops at each site. It's the kind of thing that gets the kids off the iPad for an hour without you having to negotiate.
The trails run from 23 May to 6 September, with Rowallane Garden in County Down joining the lineup from 13 June for a fifteenth site. Locations span the country from Lanhydrock in Cornwall up to Sizergh in Cumbria, with full details on the National Trust's Pokemon page. Trails are included with admission and free for members, with no pre-booking required.
Looking for board gamers near you? Browse local communities and find your next game night.
Find events near youActual TCG content arrives later in the summer. From 18 July, 145 National Trust sites will hand out a Pokemon TCG sticker booklet featuring Mega Dragonite, Mega Clefable, Mega Gengar, Mega Charizard Y and Pikachu. Five stickers across 145 sites is a long summer of car journeys for hardcore collectors.
For organisers, the timing is a gift. May half term and the school holidays are when parents go looking for things to do with kids, and adding a Pokemon TCG learn-to-play at your local game shop or community space catches the families coming home from a National Trust day with cards on the brain. List your event free on Backseat Gamer and you'll be visible to exactly the people already in the mood.
Sources: Pokemon UK | National Trust | TechRaptor
