Being Buttons

Glamping in a Tipi at Wasdale National Trust Campsite

Glamping in a Tipi at Wasdale National Trust Campsite
As much as I love being in the outdoors, camping has never really appealed to me. I think it’s partly because I didn’t do it as a child (when most people get their fond memories) but also because of the various camping disaster stories I’ve heard. Needing a loo in the night and having to traipse across a muddy field to get there didn’t appeal. Getting wet and having to put up and down a wet tent, plus the risk of it leaking, sounds like a weekend nightmare to me. And that’s without even thinking about things like mice, the challenges of cooking on a camping stove and much more. Whilst I love being outdoors, I also like being warm, dry and having a proper night’s sleep. View Post

125 years of the National Trust

125 years of the National Trust

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the National Trust, so I’m sharing some of my favourite National Trust properties and landscapes in this post.

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Christmas at Stourhead

Christmas at Stourhead
Christmas illuminations seem to have been particularly popular this year. Just in the area around Bristol I’ve seen adverts for illuminations at Westonbirt Arboretum, Longleat and Stourhead. I think I first received an email about the Christmas at Stourhead illuminations back in June – long before I’d begun to even start thinking about Christmas. However, it was instantly something I was interested in. I’d never been to a light installation before and it sounded like it would be a fun thing to do so we found a free weekend and booked our tickets. View Post

Visiting Lavenham: A day out in Suffolk

Visiting Lavenham: A day out in Suffolk
I’d never heard of Lavenham before I was taken by a friend recently on a day trip from Cambridge. Last time I visited Cambridge I experienced some of the alternative activities the city had to offer, and this time I was keen to explore some of the surrounding area. You can tell that my friend knows me fairly well as it was pretty much my prefect day out. A pretty village, picnic, National Trust property (and tea room!) and some time walking around in the fresh air. Before we went I was banned from looking it up online, as I was told that it would spoil the effect when we arrived. If you’ve not been, consider this the spoiler alert for the rest of the post. But if you want to see some of what the village has to offer, read on. View Post

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