Another Year Of The National Trust

After my post last year detailing which National Trust properties we'd visited during the period of our membership, I decided I'd keep track of where we've been and how much we would have spent again after renewing our membership. It's worth bearing in mind that during our previous membership we had Archie with us so we weren't able to go inside the houses, nor were we able to go in some gardens. This year we've been able to visit all areas, there's sometimes an extra charge to go inside the houses and the admission prices quoted reflect this.

Our joint membership this year cost us £160.80. Last year we broke even within four months, this year it took us seven months, a fair bit longer. National Trust properties were great places to take Archie for walks so we would often visit for that purpose. Our visits this year have been much fewer but more purposeful taking in the houses as well as the grounds.

Townend. Admission is £11 for non-members. £22 saved.

Hill Top and Hawkshead. Admission is £17 for non-members. £34 saved.

Hardwick. Admission is £21 for non-members. £42 saved.

Nunnington Hall. Admission is £12 for non-members. We visited twice. £48 saved.

We also visited Nunnington Hall when it was their Love Local event. The admission this day was free for all.

Clumber Park. Admission was £6 for non-members, it's now £6.50. We visited twice. £25 saved.

Fountains Abbey. Helios by sunset. Free for members £12 for non-members. £24 saved.

Nostell Priory. Parking is £5 for non-members. Garden or House admission is £9 or a combined ticket for both is £13 for non-members, though the house wasn't open on one of our visits and we didn't go inside the house on our second visit. We visited twice. £46 saved.

Dunham Massey. Park & Garden admission is £10 or House, Park & Garden is £20, though the house wasn't open when we visited. £20 saved.

Rhosili and South Gower Coast. Parking is £4 for up to two hours or £8 over two hours for non-members. £4 saved.

Pennard, Pwll Du and Bishopston Valley. Parking is £4 for up to two hours or £8 over two hours for non-members. We visited twice. £8 saved.

Woolsthorpe Manor. Admission is £15 for non-members. £30 saved.

Hardcastle Crags. Parking is £5 for up to four hours or £8 all day for non-members. £5 saved.

In total we would have spent £308 on admission to these places. That's £147.20 more than we paid for our membership, a lesser saving than last year but we expected that. Visiting National Trust properties was brilliant when we had Archie as we all got something out of it, nowadays we're not looking for places we can take a dog when we have days out so our visits have been fewer as we've tended to go elsewhere.

Again, we received the National Trust Handbook at the start of our membership and another one was sent to us at the beginning of this year. We also received three National Trust Magazines over the course of the year and there was also a promotion when we took out the membership of a £10 gift card which can be spent in National Trust cafes or shops.

The prices quoted in the post were correct at the times we visited. Some, if not all, of the properties have now increased their prices, and the price of joint membership has also now increased to £168 for the year.

Even though we didn't save as much as we did last year, membership was again well worth it. We visited some of the places we visited last time and visited new places too. We've been able to look inside the houses this time whereas we had Archie with us still during our last membership so that wasn't an option for us then.

We've decided not to renew our membership at this point in time, mainly because there's other, non National Trust places, that we've earmarked to visit soon. I'm sure we will in the future though, possibly later on this year. I think you get good value for money and there's so many different properties, there's always somewhere to go when you're looking for a day out.

Nature's Walk Blanket

It seems a long time since I had a finished craft project to show you. At the start of the year I had three things on the go, and at last, one of them is done. Actually, I finished it a little while ago now but it's been waiting to be showcased on the blog.

The Nature's Walk Blanket is a pattern by Sandra Paul of the Cherry Heart podcast. I loved it as soon as I saw it but I wasn't sure my crochet skills would be up to it so I admired other people's finished blankets as they began appearing. I believe the pattern was released back in 2019 and ever since then I kept wondering if I'd be able to give it a go. Well, give it a go I did and I'm pleased to say that I managed it. It's taken me a while but that's because I put it down over the summer months last year, not because there's anything difficult about it, it just wasn't something I wanted to work on during the warmer months. I'd class myself as a confident beginner crocheter and there wasn't anything I struggled with.

I used the yarn which is recommended in the pattern, Scheepjes Stonewashed, which is a sport weight yarn and I used the colours suggested, I think they look perfect together. I did have a little mishap as I got two of the colourways mixed up so the clover and berries patterns have been crocheted in Corundum Ruby and the flowers and butterfly patterns have been crocheted in Lepidolite rather than the other way around. I also changed the buds pattern for the heart pattern which was given as a tension square as the buds are raised and I didn't like the 3D aspect. I believe other people have done this for the same reason.

I love the deep border, I think this sets the blanket off perfectly, and the picot edging is the icing on the cake.

Here is it laid out on the spare bed to show its size, the bed is a double.

I'm so pleased with it. I really really wanted this blanket so I'm pleased that I've been able to crochet it myself. Who knows, I might even crochet another one, I know at least one person who's had their eye on it!

Mick's 60th - April

We're heading through a year long celebration for Mick as it will be his 60th birthday in August. I thought it would be nice prolong the festivities so I'm organising little surprises for him throughout the year, hopefully one each month.

Mick's been a lifelong supporter of Leeds United so when I saw that Leeds Grand Theatre were staging a Leeds Legends event last night I grabbed a couple of tickets. It was a real surprise to Mick, it isn't something he ever thought I'd have booked.

The event included live interviews, audience questions and answers, and a memorabilia auction. The ex-players were Dom Matteo, Ian Harte, Nigel Martyn, Michael Bridges and it was hosted by Andy Couzens. Anyone who knows anything about Leeds United will know that the Leeds team in the 1970s, managed by Don Revie, was a force to be reckoned with. This is the team that Mick remembers from his childhood and sadly, most of those players are no longer with us, however, Eddie Gray is and he was a special guest at the Leeds Legends evening.

It was a really good night out, I thought I might be a little bored as I don't have much interest in football but I wasn't. It was so entertaining and excellent value for money.

On our way to the theatre we stopped off for a meal at a restaurant not too far from home, but one we hadn't visited before. Mick's favourite food is Italian and we're very lucky to have a fabulous Italian restaurant within walking distance of home so we don't often try others, but it was nice to have a change of scenery on this occasion.

The food was good and the staff were very attentive but we both said we preferred our usual restaurant. It was good to try somewhere new though.

It was nice to do something a little bit different for Mick's April surprise and I was really pleased that I enjoyed it so much more than I was expecting to too, we both really enjoyed the evening.

Spring Staycation - Part Two

Following on from my last post, Mick had some holiday to take from work at the end of March so we decided to have a staycation. I wrote about the days out we had during the first part of the holiday in my Spring Staycation - Part One post. 

We'd now reached Wednesday and we visited somewhere very familiar to us, Haworth. We just love this village which was the home of the literary sisters, The Brontës. The Parsonage where they lived is now a museum which houses the largest collection of Brontë items in the world. This is the dining room where Charlotte, Emily and Anne did much of their writing. Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey were written in this room and it's believed that Emily died here, on the sofa. Haworth itself is a picturesque village with a steep, cobbled main street where many independent shops can be found.

We had planned to take a walk along the canal at Five Rise Locks later in the day but we'd had snow flurries in Haworth. In fact, I think we had all four seasons in one day as it also rained, was extremely windy and the sun put in an appearance too. We put our walk on hold but I wasn't too disappointed as it gave me the chance to visit Knitters Paradise at Coldspring Mill instead. Of course, I didn't leave empty handed.

On Thursday we visited Ripon. We always enjoy looking around the cathedral and on this particular day, the students from Ampleforth College were rehearsing for a concert they were performing later in the day. It was lovely hearing the beautiful piano and violin as we wandered around.

There's a Thursday market in Ripon so we had a look around that and I managed to pick up a few plants for the garden before we continued on our journey to Masham, mainly so we could visit Theakston's Brewery and stock up on some of Mick's preferred tipple.

We'd booked tickets to an artisan market which was being held in the grounds of Harewood House for the Friday. We've visited this particular market a couple of times before but I'm sorry to say that this one wasn't very good, there were much fewer stalls than previously, but these events allow us to explore the grounds too so it didn't really matter. Tickets can be upgraded to include entry to the house but we didn't bother with that. Afterwards we called into the garden of remembrance to take flowers for my mum as the following day was the seventh anniversary of the day she died. I was pleased to see that the roses we'd taken for my dad the week before were still going strong, plus the tête-à-têtes we planted were flowering too so there was plenty of colour.

On the Saturday we had a trip up to Richmond, a friend was exhibiting her artwork so we went to support her. We made the most of the jaunt and had a wander around the town. In the distance you can just see Culloden Tower, built as a folly to commemorate the Hanoverian victory over the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. There's a Saturday market in Richmond which we had a quick look around. It's been many years since I've visited Richmond Castle, it's somewhere I'd like to see again but sadly, that wasn't the day, it was blowing a gale and was bitterly cold, despite the sunshine and blue sky so that's still on hold.

We had planned to visit the Yorkshire Dales on the Sunday but the weather forecast was for heavy rain and wind with gusts of up to 50mph, definitely not the weather for a gentle stroll. Instead we took ourselves off to see the John Atkinson Grimshaw exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery. Born in a back-to-back house in Leeds, he was a Victorian-era artist known for painting nocturnal scenes of urban landscapes. It's many years since I've visited Leeds Art Gallery, it's actually very rare that I venture into Leeds these days, but it was well worth the trip. I'd seen the exhibition advertised and was keen to see it so I'm glad I got the chance.

Mick was back to work again on the Monday but I'm sure you'll agree that we packed plenty into his time off. There are so many interesting places we're able to visit on days out, town, coast, countryside, art, literature, science, history, nature, we've got it all going on. Aren't we lucky.

Spring Staycation - Part One

As usual, Mick had some holiday entitlement left to take before the end of March so he's ended up carrying over nine days to tag onto the new year's entitlement, but that also gave him six days to take before the month was out, so we had a little staycation, having days out but not staying away from home overnight. It suits us, there's so many wonderful places to visit, all within easy reach in a car.

Mick's first day off was a Friday, we decided to visit a National Trust property we've never visited before, Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, home of Sir Isaac Newton, the mathematician and physicist. There was such a lot of information about his life and his work, and the National Trust guides were very knowledgeable too adding to information already provided. There's a Science Centre in the grounds which Daniel and Eleanor would have loved as children, in fact they would probably still enjoy it now, we did. Some of Newton's famous experiments are displayed and they're hands-on, so you can have a go, and learn, yourself.

Isaac Newton gained his BA degree at Cambridge University in 1665, shortly before the university temporarily closed owing to the Great Plague and he was sent home. It's during this period that an apple fell from this Flower of Kent apple tree in the orchard of Woolsthorpe Manor which caused Isaac to question why things fell straight to the ground, and so began his theory of gravity. 

On our way home from Woolsthorpe Manor we decided to call into Clumber Park for a walk. It was quite late in the day by this time but we were still surprised by how quiet it was, especially as it was a nice day, there weren't very many people about.

Saturday was shopping day so that took up the morning. Afterwards, we took some flowers to the Garden of Remembrance for my dad whose birthday it would have been the following day, and as we were then about half way to Ilkley, we decided to carry on with the journey and have a mooch around the lovely town. The Grove was at its most beautiful, the sunshine had brought out all the cherry blossom on the trees.

People were queuing, as usual, outside Betty's Tea Rooms. We didn't go inside on this occasion but we had a look around all the independent shops, and there's so many charity shops in Ilkley so we had a mooch in those too. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

We visited Hardcastle Crags in Calderdale on the Sunday. Managed by the National Trust, it's a great place for a walk. A wooded valley with Gibson Mill, a 19th century cotton mill at its heart, there are over fifteen miles of footpaths to explore.

It's about a mile and a quarter to the mill from the car park. We took the estate track to the mill which is above the river, a nice flat track suitable for pushchairs and surrounded by woodland. We took the riverside walk back to the car, the terrain here is more uneven, there are rocky sections and sets of steps, but it's a beautiful walk with stepping-stones to try out along the way.

It was a beautiful spring day so we decided to head into nearby Hebden Bridge after our walk. A market town known for it's arts scene, it's such a lovely place to spend a few hours. There are pavement cafes and bars which spill out onto outdoor tables, plenty of independent shops, galleries and a river which flows through the town. We decided to take another walk, this time along the tow path of the Rochdale Canal. We really enjoyed our day.

We couldn't have a staycation without visiting the Yorkshire coast so on the Monday we took ourselves off to Whitby. I've never known it as quiet as it was that day, it was nice to wander around without the crowds which are usually there.

Afterwards, we called to see Falling Foss waterfall and then took a short detour through Littlebeck Wood on the Coast to Coast Walk to see The Hermitage, a cave carved into a boulder which dates back to the 18th century. It's said that someone once lived here, I'm not sure that's true, it's a folly which stands in the former grounds of Newton House. I think a story always adds to the mystery surrounding something like this though.

On the Tuesday we visited somewhere new to us, Lincoln. I've been wanting to visit this city for a long time, I don't know why we haven't got there before now, it's less than an hour and a half by car. We had a lovely day visiting the beautiful cathedral, once the tallest building in the world, and looking around the city centre.

Lincoln's High Bridge is a medieval bridge which spans the River Witham. It's the oldest bridge in the UK to still have buildings on it. Shame about the Vodafone shop to the right, it spoils the whole aesthetic.

This is where I'll leave Part One of our staycation, we're exactly half way through so the second half is to follow.

Lake District Goodies

I seem to be rather lucky when I enter giveaways on blogs, I've received some wonderful prizes over the years, and I've recently won another. My lovely blog pal, Jules, from the Along the Way blog was recently celebrating ten years of blogging by way of a giveaway on her blog and I was lucky enough to have my name pulled out of the hat aka random number generator.

Jules sent me a lovely parcel full of goodies from the Lake District where she lives.

If you know Jules' blog you'll have seen her wonderful photography, many photos taken on her walks on the Wainwright Fells, 214 peaks located in the Lake District. I love this tea towel listing all 214 and showing where they can be found.

This Lake District National Park water bottle will come in very handy when I'm out and about, I always carry a drink with me so it will be perfect. It's years since I last had Kendal Mint Cake, sugary fondant confectionary popular with hikers and climbers, I've already eaten it and I'm pleased to report that I still like it. The same goes for the Sarah Nelson's Grasmere Gingerbread Fudge. In my defence it had a short use by date so had to be consumed almost immediately. In reality, there was no way that was going to last beyond a couple of days in my house! I've visited the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop and it's the most delicious treat, though I'd never tried the fudge before so this was something new but just as delicious as the gingerbread. I've never tried Farrer's tea before either, again this is a Lake District brand. I haven't tried this yet but I'm looking forward to doing so.

As a knitter, I've definitely heard of Herdy, the Lake District brand with the cute Herdwick sheep as its logo. How cute is the pen. There's a sample of Bath House patchouli & black pepper face, hair & body oil, again a company from the Lake District, specialising in skin care and fragrances. And last but not least a packet of sunflower seeds which Jules sent so that Jack could sow some and watch them grow, isn't that so thoughtful.

Aren't I lucky to have won such a lovely giveaway, and everything came from companies local to Jules, a very special prize indeed. I have emailed Jules to thank her but I'd like to say thank you again here. So many wonderful treats which I shall enjoy using. If you haven't visited Jules' blog before I'd urge you to do so, she lives in a beautiful part of the country and often takes us on wonderful walks with her. The scenery where she lives is amazing.

Mick's 60th - March

Mick's 60th birthday is in August so I'm arranging little surprises for him throughout the year, hopefully one each month. Mick has no idea what's in store, I'm arranging it all myself.

South Wales is somewhere Mick's wanted to visit for a long time so I decided we'd have a short break there earlier this month. I chose The Mumbles as our base as it's at the start of the Gower Peninsula, an area Mick was especially keen on seeing. 

We arrived on the Wednesday after a long five and a half hour drive and as the clocks hadn't yet gone forward, we had limited time before the sun would set so we quickly checked into our hotel, dumped our bags and set off for Rhossili Bay, a three mile stretch of sandy shore. Can you see that little cottage overlooking the bay, it belongs to the National Trust and is available to rent. It's rather expensive, definitely out of our budget, but what a view it must have.

We didn't go down onto the beach, we walked on the coastal path along the cliffs. Sheep were grazing right up to the cliff edge and we saw semi-feral Welsh Mountain ponies here too.

It's less than a mile to the manned coast guard station. At low tide you're able to follow a path down onto the causeway which leads to the tidal island of Worms Head.

We didn't have enough time before nightfall to walk onto the island but the scenery was breathtaking. I'm so pleased we made the effort to go straight here after arriving.

The following day was cold, blustery and rainy. We saw the lifeboat in the water just off Mumbles pier, perhaps undertaking training exercises.

We decided to shelter from the weather a little while in the amusements on the pier, I don't really need an excuse to spend a pound or two in the arcades. From here we could see Mumbles Lighthouse which was built in 1794. We spent the rest of the day having a drive around the area as well as mooching a little in the shops in Mumbles, basically making the most of the day without getting wet through.

Thankfully, the Friday was sunnier and drier, though it was still very windy. We decided on another cliff top walk, this time from Southgate to Three Cliffs Bay.

It would have been nice to wander down onto the beach but unfortunately, once you've walked down you have to climb back up again and my hips are in no state for that at the moment so we admired the view from on high.

We arrived back in Mumbles and treated ourselves to delicious ice-creams from Joe's, a famous Welsh brand which was established over a hundred years ago in 1922.

The afternoon was taken up with a walk along the seafront in Mumbles. This view is looking over Swansea Bay. We stayed in a hotel in The Mumbles, had a meal in a chain restaurant on our first evening, ate in the hotel on the second evening and had a pub meal on our final evening.

We'd noticed there was a market just a stones throw away from our hotel on the Saturday so after popping to a bakery to pick up some Welsh cakes, we had a look around it before setting off home. It was actually a really nice farmers' and producers' market where you can buy fresh local produce and artisan goods. We picked up a couple of mementos to bring home with us, I got a gorgeous skein of yarn from Penrhallt Alpacas. It's an alpaca/silk /cashmere blend so very soft, and Mick got a bottle of dark rum to add to his ever growing rum collection.

We had a really lovely break and though we did enjoy South Wales and acknowledge that there's some stunning scenery, we preferred the north. It's a few years now since we visited North Wales so perhaps we'll have to visit again soon.