• Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden
    Buckinghamshire

    Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden

    November 27, 2025 - By 

    Last weekend we visited the Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden where scenes from the Nutcracker have been brought to life. Cliveden is one of our local National Trust properties although we hadn’t visited for a while. We wanted to visit the Nutcracker trail, and also get our Pooch Passport stamped (we really want to complete it this winter!). Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden The Nutcracker Trail at Cliveden is a special festive trail and open from the 15th November to the 4th January 2026. The trail is free/included in the price of your ticket. We couldn’t find a paper map of the…

  • days out

    7 ideas to make the most of a trip to Belfast with teens

    November 19, 2025 - By 

    Over half term we had a couple of days away with the teens in Belfast. Here are our 7 ideas to make the most of a weekend trip to Belfast: 7 ideas to make the most of a trip to Belfast with teens The teens love to do a mix of activities on a city break. They both enjoy learning about new areas so we knew they would love a London black cab taxi ride to explore the Peace Wall and find out more about Belfast during the Troubles. We saw a lot of street art and murals, and our…

  • dog walk at Hughenden
    Five Happy Things

    Five Happy Things {Week 30/2025}

    July 27, 2025 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for the last few years. It’s my chance to sit down and reflect on the things that made me smile in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. Five Happy Things {Week 30/2025} My kids finished Year 8 and Year 11. Their school finished later than all the others and they were so happy to start their summer holidays. My son immediately flew off to Bosnia with Explorers, and my daughter went to Scout camp in Dorset for a week. I know they…

  • Tintinhull Gardens
    Five Happy Things

    Five Happy Things {Week 15/2025}

    April 13, 2025 - By 

    Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for the last few years. It’s my chance to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of the adventures we have as a family. Five Happy Things {Week 15/2025} Last week we enjoyed a few days away in sunny Dorset where we took the teens karting at Clay Pigeon Raceway on Wardon Hill,  near Dorchester. We also visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum and watched A Minecraft Movie. We used our National Trust membership to…

  • {Exploring} Hidcote Manor Garden
    Gloucestershire

    {Exploring} Hidcote Manor Garden

    May 16, 2024 - By 

    The Easter holidays already seem long gone. The last few weeks have flown by and it’s lovely to be busy with plenty of things to do. However I wanted to write a little about our visit to Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire. This was a stop off on the long journey home from a few days in Ironbridge. We needed somewhere to stop and enjoy our picnic and this seemed a good place to stop, especially as we could use our lifetime National Trust cards to get in. {Exploring} Hidcote Manor Garden Hidcote is an Arts and Crafts-inspired garden with…

  • A visit to the New Assembly Rooms Bath
    Somerset

    A visit to the New Assembly Rooms Bath

    February 24, 2024 - By 

    If you have a few days in Bath I would recommend a visit to the Assembly Rooms in Bath. They are owned and managed by the National Trust and you can visit by pre-booked tour only. These are known as the New Assembly Rooms as they were actually the third set to be built in Georgian Bath. Designed by John Wood the Younger and opened around 1771. A visit to the New Assembly Rooms Bath With a few days to spend exploring the pretty city of Bath we decided to use our National Trust membership card and book a guided…

  • Exploring Basildon Park
    Berkshire

    Exploring Basildon Park

    February 20, 2024 - By 

    Spring is all around us here in the UK so it seemed the perfect weather for a day out exploring somewhere new. With our trusty National Trust membership cards in hand we decided to visit Basildon Park, only an hour from London. Basildon Park is a Grade I listed building, built in the Palladian style. It runs regular events and you can visit the house, gardens and tea rooms. Exploring Basildon Park We were fortunate with some lovely weather so enjoyed the drive to Basildon Park in Berkshire. We picked up a map and film trail leaflet at the entrance…

  • A guided tour of The Treasurer's House York
    North Yorkshire

    A guided tour of The Treasurer’s House York

    April 12, 2023 - By 

    It seems a while ago since we’ve used our membership cards and visited a National Trust property. We don’t seem to use our membership during the winter months but now it’s Spring we have made a list of all the places we would like to visit this year. With a few days away in York we knew we wanted to visit The Treasurer’s House in the centre of York. A guided tour of The Treasurer’s House York Admission to The Treasurer’s House is only by guided tour, which was stipulated by the donor, Frank Green back in the 1930s. We…

  • Exploring Newton House at Dinefwr with kids
    Wales

    Exploring Newton House at Dinefwr with kids

    October 27, 2022 - By 

    We love using our National Trust membership to visit a new place and as we’ve been enjoying exploring Wales we decided to spend some time at Newton House at Dinefwr, Carmarthenshire. Newton House is a lovely country house surrounded by a National Nature Reserve and 18th century landscape Deer Park. Exploring Newton House at Dinefwr with kids We arrived at Newton House and approached it from the car park. We were rewarded with an amazing view of the house which dates from the Jacobean times but was given a facelift in the Venetian Gothic style by its Victorian owners. Surprisingly…