A week in Somerset and Wiltshire

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We spent the first week of the Easter holidays in Somerset and Wiltshire with our lovely friends. We have been holidaying together now for about eight years, exploring different parts of the UK – and this was the furthest south we have stayed, aside from the year they came all the way down to stay with us for a week. We were looking forward to revisiting some of our favourite places and exploring some new ones too.

Meare

The break started with our drive to our cottage in Somerset but, en route, we stopped off in Meare, near Glastonbury, where my dad and his wife are interred. We cleaned up the grave and left some flowers before heading on our way. The sun was shining and it was nice to visit for the first time since his interment six months before.

Our cottage was a great base for the week, and one of the nicest we have stayed in. I didn’t take one photo of it – bad blogger than I am – but it was a barn conversion with four bedrooms and really nice communal space downstairs. We spent a lot of time gathered around the dining table, eating, chatting or playing games!

Stourhead National Trust

Our first day of the holiday coincided with the clocks changing so we planned a slow day – visiting a National Trust property and then back to the cottage for a roast dinner! We went to Stourhead National Trust and I had forgotten how big it is – such a vast property but oh so beautiful too!

It was our first time spending a decent chunk of time at Stourhead, rather than just a quick stop off to break up a long drive, and we loved it. There’s so much to see – a well as a little village and pub in the middle. It’s well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Stonehenge

The next day was one of our top picks for the week – Stonehenge! We have visited Stonehenge a few times now and it’s somewhere I will never get tired of. I love that you can visit with either English Heritage or National trust membership, as well as buying day tickets, making the site accessible to many.

We explored the visitor centre and then walked to Stonehenge, taking in the views and admiring the stones from every direction. We were all knackered by the end of it so got the free bus back to the visitor centre rather than walking!

Salisbury

The day was still young after Stonehenge so we headed into nearby Salisbury, somewhere we hadn’t been before. We had a nice wander through the town, loved seeing all the old and historic buildings, and then went into Salisbury Cathedral and saw the Magna Carta. It was a great way to finish the day.

Longleat

One of the children’s favourite days was our trip to Longleat – and the first time we had been to a wildlife park from opening time until closing! It was fantastic!

We last went to Longleat for LP’s 2nd birthday, back in 2013, when Little Man was just three months old. As you can imagine, this time was a completely different experience! We started with a mooch around the African Village, getting hot drinks to take in the car with us.

The safari was a real highlight of the day, and we braved the monkey part, seeing monkeys jump on all the cars – as well as ours – and getting up close to so many animals. It was fantastic!

The rest of the day was spent seeing animals, exploring the Longleat house and rounding it off with playing in the play areas. It was such a lovely day.

Prior Park

After the big day yesterday we needed a quieter day and so headed to National Trust Prior Park near Bath – without realising it’s one of the hilliest, steepest National Trust properties we have ever experienced! It really wasn’t the relaxing amble we were expecting but the views were incredible and well worth it.

Bradford on Avon

Afterwards we had a drive around Bath to see the further out attractions like the Royal Crescent and then headed to Bradford on Avon, a beautiful little village that is well worth stopping off at.

Bath

On Thursday we headed for the park and ride to take us into Bath. Kids go free and it’s such a quick and easy journey – much better than parking in the city!

Our main aim for Bath was to have a wander and appreciate the history of the place and the familiar streets and buildings from Bridgerton and other movies and TV shows. We had lunch in Parade Gardens, which was such a relaxing place to spend time, and then did the bulk of our sightseeing!

We went in Bath Abbey for the first time – which felt quite expensive for an abbey, until we saw the extra exhibition downstairs. Don’t miss it if you’re visiting – there’s so much history on display!

And then we went to the Roman Baths – for the first time since Little Man was three! It was great to have the time to read all the signs and explore properly – a much different experience with teenagers rather than tiny children and we all really enjoyed it.

Haynes Motor Museum

Up until the end of our holiday the weather had been really good to us – dry and bright – but the rain started and so we had to hear for an indoor activity. We went with Haynes Motor Museum and spent a few hours admiring classic cars and learning about the history of the Haynes brand.

All in all, we had a lovely holiday. It was such great, quality time with our friends and we love this tradition that is now well cemented into our lives. It’s been so lovely seeing the kids grow up together, one holiday at a time. And now I just can’t wait for the next holiday – I have no idea where it will take us but I know it’ll be spent with some of my most favourite people. What glorious holidays we have.