Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood

Sudbury is the home to a historic country home and museum of childhood set in beautiful surroundings.  Sudbury was the first place that we visited a year ago when we first become members of the National Trust and being only 30 minutes away is an ideal location for a quick visit.  This time we were meeting friends there who also have two young children.

The car park to the grounds and hall is just across the road and it free to National Trust members.  When entering the grounds there is a small Chapel in front and then to the right you can see the House. Behind the house is the court yard where you will find the restaurant, shop, Childhood museum, reception (for booking the house tours) and the toilets.

Beyond that behind arched shrubs you will find the gardens and a small wooden park - this was where we headed first, and as per usual our child found a tree to climb.

The park is wooden and has climbing equipment, a trim trail,  rope swings, wooden houses and dens and a climbing frame.  The kids spent a good half an hour playing here before we all felt hungry and decided to have a picnic on the grounds just below the house.

After lunch we decided to take the children out of the sun and went to explore the childhood museum.  Inside they is plenty to see and do.  The children enjoyed playing with the old toys, looking at old dolls, and they even were able to climb through a replica chimney to show how small you had to be to do the job.

We then continued our tour around to the house where the children were given a hunt to complete. they were given a small booklet with photographs that they had to spot around the house. This is one of the many things that I love about the National Trust, there is always something on for the children to take part in.

The house inside was beautiful with ornate ceilings and furniture.  I wouldn't say it was the most exquisite house we have seen but it was beautiful in it's own right.

We all would recommend Sudbury if you are a National trust member with children as there is so much to do and see.

Tatton Park - NT

Living in the Midlands we are extremely lucky with our location as most attractions are not too far from us.  This is the same for National Trust places.  Using the app we often look for new places near to us, and about 50 minutes away is Tatton Park.  Tatton park is deer park just on the outskirts of Manchester.

The drive into Tatton park is just what we expect from a National Trust place, open fields, large lakes, garden buildings and deer.  Although Tatton Park is owned by the National Trust it is managed by Cheshire Council and , therefore, there are additional charges for National Trust members for the farm and for parking.

We chose Tatton Park as there are plenty of things to do onsite including the gardens, a maze, the mansion, a park, grounds to walk around and farm.

Firstly, we visited the gardens and the maze, spending around an hour. The gardens like most National Trusts are beautifully maintained.  There are secret gardens behind walls, lakes and ponds to walk around, a Japanese styled garden area and a maze to explore.  Although the weather was warm but cloudy, the gardens were not busy and they were extremely peaceful considering it was in the school holidays.


After a walk around the gardens we decided to head over to the cafe for some lunch. As it was a last minute plan we hadn't packed a picnic so for a change we were going to eat on site.  The cafe was busy but we did not have to queue for long.  It offered a selection of sandwiches and hot food including jacket potatoes.  Most sandwiches were around £4 and the hot meals around the £8 mark which we though was a bit steep, but having no choice we order a Jacket Potato and Tuna, two portions of chicken strips with chips and beans and 3 soft drinks = £29. As we normally take our own lunch we didn't realise that these place charge so much for food.  However, we did think that the jacket potato and tuna was reasonable at £5 seen as it was quite large.

After Lunch the mansion was open so we decided to have a wander through the house. As always the staff are informative and keen to tell you all about the different rooms and artefacts inside them.  The husband was impressed by the house as he thought that it felt homely and I have to agree.  The rooms felt lived in and not like they were for show.

After all the 'adult' stuff Titch was keen to play on the park so that was where we headed.  The park was large and although it was busy, Titch managed to get on all the equipment he wanted.

If you are looking for a day out for all the family I would definitely recommend Tatton Park, I would just take your own food rather than buying from the Cafe.


Information:

Address
Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN

Prices for gardens and house:
National Trust Members:  Free
Non Members: http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/visit/attraction-and-park-entry-prices.aspx

Gong Hey Fat Choy

February Half term is here and once again we were tasked with finding suitable activities to do this week that we can all enjoy and that keep Titch entertained.  we have found it extremely useful having our National Trust membership as there is alway somewhere to go. This time we headed somewhere a bit closer to home - Biddulph Grange.  We have been told that it is beautiful in the Summer when all the flowers have bloomed but even on a cloudy February day it was just as good.

We spent about 2 hours exploring the grounds and was it was near to Chinese New Year there was a Chinese Trail to complete with a prize at the end - a Fortune cookie - which Titch loved :) .

The grounds of Biddulph grange are beautifully kept and well presented. there are lots of things to see and places to explore within the garden. We particular liked the Chinese garden.

Titch not only enjoyed the trail but also enjoyed the grounds, looking at different plants and statues.

And after a cold visit ....

A hot chocolate was defiantly needed.

Christmas Eve Chaos - not

Christmas Eve... every family that I know have their own Christmas Eve traditions.  Ours normally consist of a meal in the evening at a local pub and then home to open new PJ's, a Christmas film, a Christmas story and a Hot Chocolate before bed.  This year was no different. these still happened, but we also wanted a Christmas Eve day time activity that would keep Titch busy and get us out of the house.

Being National Trust Members we decide to see if any where had any activities and luckily we found a place that had a Christmas trail on. The weather was chilly but dry so we thought why not.

So we wrapped up warm and set off to Quarry Bank to hunt for the Bells.  

We were surprised by how beautiful the place was.  The Mill was not open but we got chance to look in the house and then explore the gardens hunting for bells.  Apparently no one had found them all yet today, so this was a challenge that Titch accepted , but unfortunately did not achieve- we found 8/9.  

As it was Christmas Eve we also treated ourselves to a sausage roll, a hot drink and a cake each.  Well we did need warming up after our bell hunt.  

This was definitely a great way to spend Christmas Eve. Titch got to be outside - which he loves - and we had a stress free day.  

An Autumn Break

This week we decide to book ourselves a holiday in the U.K for 4 nights - but this time with the dog in tow. never before had we taken the dog with us so this was a new experience for us.  Now one thing to bare in mind is that although our Huffy is loveable and cute, when he is in the company of another dog he is a nightmare. Whether he is scared or being territorial we are unsure, so we knew this was going to be an interesting break.  We wanted somewhere that would offer us opportunities for days out with the dog and, if it rained, accommodation that we could stay in during the day, so we finally chose a Log Lodge in Gloucester. It was an ideal location as it was not too far from the Cotswolds and was next to the Forest of Dean.

The journey down was relatively peaceful and surprisingly the dog enjoyed sleeping most of the way - except when we went around roundabouts.

When we arrive we were greeted by the owner who showed us around the lodge and gave us all the relative information. The lodge of beautiful. There was nothing on the site other than lodges and a small walking area for the dog. Inside the lodge it was clean and spacious and definitely perfect for a 4 night stay.

Over the week we wanted to get out as much as possible.  Taking Huffy with us we needed to find places that were dog friendly.  The first place we visited was a National Trust - Croome in Worcester. We obviously couldn't go into the house but the grounds were open to dog walkers.  It was spacious and lots of different walking routes and , although it rained a bit, was a great few hours out.

The next day the weather was a beautiful Autumn crisp day, so we decided to head to the Forest of Dean to Symonds Yat. After a few wrong turns and scary up hill drives we managed to find a place to park and went exploring.

The Forest of dean was beautiful and Symonds Yat offered stunning views of the Wye Valley.

On the Thursday we decide to take a drive to the Cotswolds and headed to another National Trust place Woodchester Park.  It was quite scary on the drive up as the fog descended on us and this was the view of the Cotswolds that we had.

We did finally arrive and it rained non stopped.  This did not dampen our spirits. After a good walk around we ventured back to the car for a picnic after cleaning the dog with baby wipes!

Huffy enjoyed the mud and so did we.


After getting back he slept, actually we all did.

Titch enjoyed himself so much that he decided he wanted to draw a picture of the Lodge to remember his holiday.

The British weather was not on our side, but we had an amazing week.  We laughed, spent time together. played board games, and just had fun.  Holidays are what you make of them and no matter the weather you can still get out and about - even if you do end up covered in mud.

'The un-stately home'

As I have previously mentioned this year we become members of the National Trust, so wanting to get the most out of them we decided to take my Dad and his partner out for the day to Calke Abbey.

It is often difficult choosing places that we all would like to go,  so we often look for events that are on that Titch would enjoy.  This time its was 'Apple Day,' and anything to do with food would interest him.  We also had read the reviews and descriptions on the National trust web site and seemed an interesting place to visit, especially being called 'Un-stately.'

As with most National trust places the grounds were superb and got a thumbs up from Titch due to the fact the the trees made good climbing ones- it really isn't hard to please my child.

Entrance into the house was timed so we took the opportunity before our time slot to explore the grounds and visit the ' Apple day' activities.

We had the opportunity to taste and buy the different varieties of Apples that are grown on the grounds and Titch made himself an apple spiral of which he was extremely proud of.

By the time we had done all of these, it was time to visit the house.  It was definitely different to the other places we had visited and it is understandable why it is called the 'Un-stately home'.  And a word of warning, if you don't like Taxidermy do not go - the house is full of it.

Titch though did enjoy waling through the cellars and paths under the house.

This time we didn't take a picnic with us so we ate in the Cafe in the stables. The food was reasonably priced and tasty too.

All in all a great Autumn day out.

Lyme Park - National Trust

Last year, we decided to become members to the National Trust, as we all enjoy a bit of history and Titch loves being outdoors.  After seeing many friends post about the places that they go, we decided to purchase them and then we set off on our travels.

Choosing a place to visit is relative easy, especially with the National Trust App.  One of the first places that we decided to visit was Lyme Park in Stockport.  We chose here because we felt it offered lots for all the the family: the house for the parents (although they often do trails around for the kids so that they don't get fed up),  gardens to picnic in and , of course, a park for Titch to run around in a get out his energy.

Lyme was relative easy to get to and didn't take us too long from Staffordshire which is always a bonus.

Here are a few snaps and reviews taken around Lyme:

The house is just as beautiful inside as out with many rooms to explore, even Titch enjoyed learning about the history of the house and got involved with the dressing up.

Outside the grounds are stunning.  There are gardens to explore, a lake side walk, a small forest that you can weave your way through.  We ate out picnic on the lawns and then spent a good 1.5 hours explore the outside.





We even had time to play a few outside games that were set up on the lawn for visitors.





The grounds that Lyme are set on re vast and offer spectacular views of Manchester and there is also a park for big and little kids to explore.

It is definitely worth the visit and is still one of our favourite National Trust Places to visit.