A couple of weeks back it was my birthday and of
course, that means I got to choose where we were going whilst on holiday in
Norfolk. As soon as I knew where we would be staying I checked out the National
Trust website to see what was close and came across Blickling, a massive estate
nestled in the Norfolk countryside.
I have to laugh as every time I mention visiting
a National Trust site to my three kids (aged 10, 10 and 13) they all groan and
say ‘oh no, not National Trust’ and it's as if it has become a tradition.
No-one will admit they want to go and then they all have a great time.
The Blickling Estate is massive with nearly 950
acres of historic park and woodland, there are many trails that you can take
around the grounds to take in many of the prominent features. The new multi-use
path is suitable for pushchairs, adapted wheelchairs, cycles and of course
walkers too. Dogs are welcome in this part of the grounds, although be aware of
the free grazing livestock.
We focused our visit on the Hall and the more
formal gardens close by. The hall is in great condition and there are lots of
open rooms that you can view. It was quite amazing to think that we were
walking through rooms that used to house the likes to Harold Godwinson (later
King Harold II of England) and Anne Boleyn’s family.
We had a lot of fun with the kids in the
kitchens and servants quarters as we pointed out articles used in days gone by
and got them to guess the use. It was amazing to see how knowledgeable they
were, I expect much of this knowledge gained from previous NT visits. The girls also enjoyed dressing up in period dress and there was a whole room dedicated to it, which we saw lots of families use.
The Long Gallery was a highlight of our house
tour, not so much because it is the biggest book collection that the NT house,
nor that the books were all being catalogued and checked whilst we were there
but because we got to meet Caroline and chat to her. I often think that the
volunteers who serve with the NT are their biggest assets and Caroline was certainly
an outstanding example. She approached us as we came in the room and struck up
a conversation telling us about the books and also pointed us back to the room
before to see the fake carpet. Very cleverly the NT is now photographing rare
and delicate carpets and making flat copies out of a plastic kind of material
and until you touch it, you'd never know. It was very deceptive.
I really enjoyed the stroll around the Walled
Garden, which is one of the newer conservation projects the NT have introduced.
They took a disused field and now it is planted in a similar way to how it
would have been in the 1930s with beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables.
There was several places to get refreshments
at Blickling, including a pub with a big garden, which is the first time I've
ever seen people enjoying a beer or a glass of wine in an NT setting. We
settled for a cuppa and cake. A cappuccino costs £2.40, a large shortbread
biscuit £1.95 and a slice of courgette, lemon and thyme cake was £3.25 and
pretty usual! As always the cafes were quite busy but we were able to get a
seat and there was water to help yourself to, which I always appreciate. We
spotted three cafes in total across the site and found they were happy to
refill our water bottles, which is good.
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| Posing in the style of The Muppet Show! |
The kids loved the big gift shop and there were
some unusual gifts as well as the more normal jams, scarves and books. Talking
of books, there was the most enormous second-hand book shop I've ever seen at
an NT site and the boys in our family spent quite some time in there, with JJ
and I coming away with a couple of books each. There was also a great garden
store and open on some days is a more specialist stamp shop.
Practical Information
- Parking is £5 for the day if you are not an NT member (make sure you have £5 one pound coins with you)
- Entry cost is £13.55 for an adult, £6.75 for a child and £33.95 for a family ticket and I think that's fair as you can easily spend a full day there
- Opening hours are wide for the parkland, with dawn to dusk but the formal gardens and cafes are 10-5.30pm in summer and the house is 12-5pm with last entry an hour before closing. You are worth checking the website as hours can adjust with the seasons
- Cycles are available to hire on Saturdays from 10am-4pm for a £5 charge
- Dogs are welcomed on leads in certain areas but please observe the rules
- Address: Blickling, Aylesham, Norfolk, NR11 6NF
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