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A day trip to Stourhead

A day trip to Stourhead
Stourhead is one of those National Trust properties that I somehow knew about, despite having never previously been. Its gardens are world-famous and I instantly recognised them from photos that I had seen elsewhere. What I hadn’t realised was that it’s not actually that far from Bristol, and is an easy day trip if you have access to transport. As soon as I had twigged this, I was keen to dust of my National Trust membership card which had been languishing in my purse for a while, and explore somewhere new. View Post

Taking the West Somerset Railway to Minehead

Taking the West Somerset Railway to Minehead
I’ve never really classed myself as a train enthusiast. I enjoy travelling by train, and I do find there is something rather magical about steam trains, but I’m not mad about them. However, when I found out that part of The Blogger’s Retreat Visit Somerset trip was a ride on the West Somerset Railway, I did get a little bit excited. There’s something rather quaint about heritage railways that makes them rather appealing. I’m not an expert, but in my experience the stations are usually very pretty, the railway is usually run by volunteers, and it’s a lovely way to watch the countryside go by. The West Somerset Railway certainly fitted that description! View Post

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Kowloon, Hong Kong
We spent most of our time in Hong Kong in the Kowloon area. We were staying in Mong Kok, famous for its markets and being the most densely populated area in the world. It’s not as shiny and new as Hong Kong Island but there is a lot of development happening along the waterfront and given a few years I don’t it will be long until both sides look a lot more similar. View Post

A Day Trip to Wallington Hall

A Day Trip to Wallington Hall
It’s incredible how there are some places you can visit over and over again as a child, but return to several years later and have virtually no recollection of the place. This happened to me recently on a day trip to Wallington Hall. Wallington was somewhere I visited multiple times as a child and whilst there were some things I could remember perfectly (such as the dolls’ houses room), there were other things that felt completely new. View Post

5 National Trust sites in and around York

5 National Trust sites in and around York
Since a very young age, I have associated National Trust properties with fun days out. My parents had membership, so growing up it was a cheap and easy way to have a good day out which usually included some history, a walk and some tasty cakes! Over the past couple of years I have resisted buying membership, thinking it to be expensive and unnecessary as I don’t have a car and wouldn’t be able to reach many properties. However, I was wrong. I recently caved in and bought Young Person’s membership and have already made my money back, making it good value as I still have the rest of the year ahead. The car thing is still a bit of an issue, so I’d recommend checking which sites are accessible without a car in your area so you can still get full use of it. If you are visiting York… View Post