On arrival at the Priest’s House in Easton on the Hill, we were stumped. The app said it was open, the website said it was open, but the door to the property was firmly locked. Thankfully, my more observant NT companion spotted in a waterproof cabinet instructions on how to get the key for the … More Priest’s House – Northamptonshire

The first new National Trust adventure of 2020 took me deep into the Peak District as part of a birthday get away.I’m staying in the Leaping Hare Barn – as quaint and comfortable and welcoming as it sounds. I even met the leaping hare – a house rabbit called Teddy.In previous years I’ve visited the … More Longshaw, Burbage and the Eastern Moors – Derbyshire

This post begins with a confession – I actually visited Osterley Park and House back in April, I just never seemed to find the opportunity to write it up. So here we are in the final days of 2019, and I’m determined to make sure I begin the next decade with a clean slate. Osterley … More Osterley Park and House – Middlesex

Today’s visit was the ultimate treat for me – a Tudor house, decorated and suspended in its 1920s hey-day, filled with Christmas decorations, and a crisp, blue-skyed, winter day. What a way to finish off this Year of Trust. Barrington Court in Somerset is a real mishmash of eras – originally built in the 1500s … More Barrington Court – Somerset

Given that the Iron Age hill fort of Lambert Castle was built around 2,500 years ago, it will come as no surprise that there is no longer any remnants of a castle at the top of the hill. Aside from a trig point and a handful of grazing cows, there is very little at the … More Lambert’s and Coney’s Castle

Nestled in the Blackdown Hills and on the county border is this little National Trust gem – a beautifully thatched building used as a Baptist meeting house for over 350 years. Getting here was a bit exciting given all the rain Devon has had recently as the turn off is sharp, the hill is steep, … More Loughwood Meeting House – Devon

Update February 2024: In the four years since I last visited, Lyvedon has both grown and changed. Whilst the unfinished project of Sir Thomas Tresham still stands on a raised mound overlooking the Northamptonshire countryside, the same as it has done since the 16th Century, the Manor House which had been the Tresham family home … More Lyveden – Northamptonshire

You’ll know by now that I’m a big fan of a strong, independent woman. Especially those women who fiercely scratch their name in the annals of history for their own achievements and character, not merely relegated to the status of ‘wife’ or ‘mistress’. And especially women with the good strong name Elizabeth. Bess of Hardwick … More Hardwick Hall – Derbyshire

If you venture to Duffield Castle expecting a grand building rising from the hilltop, then I’m afraid you will be sorely disappointed. There is, in fact, almost nothing of Duffield Castle left. It is a hill with a few rocks in the shape of a square and an odd little stone igloo – which I … More Duffield Castle – Derbyshire

Definitely the smallest National Trust property I have visited thus far, Winster Market House is just one room at the top of some well-worn stone stairs. In fact, it’s so small there wasn’t even anyone from the National Trust there to scan my card. So really, you don’t even need to be a member to … More Winster Market House – Derbyshire