With the house move and Christmas coming, things have been fairly hectic at home over the past few weeks. I decided to book up for our favourite local National Trust venues in advance for last weekend, to break up the packing and it was lovely to get outside and explore with the children again, having been at home so much during the second lockdown.
On the Saturday we headed to Kingston Lacey. Unfortunately when I booked the 2.30-3pm slot, I didn’t realise they were closing early due to their illuminations attraction, which meant that, as we turned up just before 3pm, we only actually ended up having just over half an hour there before we had to leave.
I was a bit disappointed, especially as the tickets for the attraction, even for members as we are, were over £60, which just isn’t feasible and I’m sure has priced a lot of families out of what is sure to be a lovely event at this time of year.
We did manage to see a couple of the lights come on, as we were leaving, and I am sure it would look lovely, once everything was lit up, but I struggle to see how the high price tag is justified, and I am disappointed they haven’t discounted tickets further for members, when we have continued paying £10.50 per month over the year, even during the lockdown earlier in the year, when none of the venues were even open.
Rant over… on the Sunday we went along to Corfe Castle, another favourite of ours, and only half an hour away in the car for us from Bournemouth. Benjamin took part in the Peter Rabbit festive trail, which is taking place at several National Trust venues currently, and I would highly recommend it, it is a lot of fun and just £2 (you would need to pay £2 per child if they wanted their own activity pack, but it could easily be shared).
It was very windy when we arrived, and started to pour with rain as we were heading back out, but it was still a lovely visit and the trail definitely added a little something extra for us, as we have been so many times before.
The Greyhound Inn is a lovely pub just outside of the castle and they had a mini alpine lodge tent set up outside, which we decided to visit for a drink (and of course some substantial food, as we are in Tier 2). It was lovely to sit somewhere festive, and for the children to enjoy a hot chocolate, as we are missing the Christmas attractions this year.
Overall we had a lovely couple of days visiting our local National Trust properties here in Dorset. As I mentioned, we would have liked to have gone to the illuminations event, but this just wasn’t something we could afford at the moment, and I do feel it is too high a price for what it is. A shame, but still a nice visit, and the Peter Rabbit trail is well worth it, if your local venue has this on offer.
