national trust | Go Go Chlo

In the Autumn of last year we made a day trip to Bury St Edmunds & National Trust property, Ickworth House. The autumn colours were lovely, and I ticked another cathedral off the list!

Bury St Edmunds is a short distance from where I live, so it is a great choice for a day trip. The town is named after St Edmund. Edmund was the King of East Anglia, and was killed by the Vikings in 869, (the detail of which is depicted in art at the Cathedral). He became a saint and a martyr, and was buried at the town. His shrine made Bury St Edmunds popular with pilgrims. Today, the town is a great location for visitors to enjoy, with lots of opportunity for shopping, events and great dining experiences, as well as the below attractions.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral & Abbey

Originally built as a church as part of the wider abbey complex in Bury St Edmunds, the previously called ‘St James’ church didn’t become a cathedral until 1914. It certainly deserves to be a cathedral, from the sheer size of it! You can see the scale of it as it dominates over the rest of the town centre.

On entering the cathedral, you are welcomed by a volunteer (like all quality cathedrals…) and can pick up one of their useful information leaflets which will allow you to have a self guided tour. The cathedral also offers tower tours, I wish that I had done this on the day, and I think I will need to return in order to take advantage of this experience and hopefully see great views.

The cathedral has lots of information and imagery regarding St Edmund, and other big names from local history. There is also a large lego model of the cathedral which you can donate £1 to add a brick. This was quite impressive, and I don’t really like lego, so that means a lot! They have paused the “building work” during the pandemic but you can still put a donation forward online for your brick to be added, and see some photos. Check it out on the cathedral website here.

St Edmund

Next door to the cathedral, are the ruins of the original abbey complex. You can also see the old abbey gates still in tact in front of the road. The abbey was actually in existence before the town, and was used by Benedictine monks. The monks actually designed the town to be in a grid formation to benefit them economically, and the abbey did prove to be one of the richest in the country for some time. The abbey has a history of good and bad fortune over the centuries until eventually in 1539 is was stripped bare during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

I enjoyed wondering the large area and trying to work out which rooms the different foundations might have belonged to. My partner and I also enjoyed trying to improve our photography skills, as there are so many different shapes and shadows to photograph. The abbey ruins are part of the abbey gardens which is a public park which everyone can enjoy. I thought that it was very nice that the park and ruins were settled into each other, as it means that the community engages with the site regularly. Whilst we were exploring the ruins, we actually came across a community gathering for a Remembrance Day memorial service which was very moving.

Ickworth House

After enjoying the town centre, we made our way to Ickworth House. This National Trust property is on the outskirts of the town, and is a great place for a walk! It is a country house shaped like an observatory (formally it is called a ‘rotunda’), which is quite cool and was originally built in the 18th century. The entire place has an Italian theme to it, and you can really tell this in the look of the building and gardens.

When we visited, the outside of the front of the house was covered in scaffolding which was a shame, but it still looked great at the back, and we could still go inside and see what was once the servant’s quarters and kitchens.

We mainly enjoyed going on a long walk across the parklands, where you can see great views and lots of sheep! We really enjoyed seeing all the autumn colours, and it made some great photographs. This was especially the case when we found a tree that had dramatic roots that were over spilling into the stream (photo below). There are multiple different walking routes available within the huge parkland area, and many of them will take you past key monuments/structures/views, such as St Mary’s church that lies within the estate, and is the oldest part of the grounds.

I think I will definitely make more visits to both the town and Ickworth House in the future, as I really enjoyed myself and it was great to stretch my legs on the walk! If possible, I think I will also try to check out the West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village & Country Park. It is a totally reconstructed early Anglo-Saxon village, and looks like a lot of fun to explore and maybe attend a re-enactment event. They do archery there… I am AWESOME at archery! Obviously I was born in the wrong era.

A little late but oh well…

This January I traveled down south to one of the UK’s most popular coastal towns, Bournemouth. I stayed with a good friend right on the seafront in the suburb known as Boscombe or ‘Boccy’ East of the town. This was a great weekend get-away with lots to do nearby.

Boscombe

This suburb at the end of the beach is home to its very own pier, shopping area, and a lively community. I stayed with a friend in among a set of flats facing the beach where I could walk easily a long the sand to Bournemouth. This is definitely a great area to look at to keep the price down and still get the same quality views from accommodation like this one.

Whilst staying in the town we went for some drinks at the lovely Chaplin’s Cellar Bar. This was a great choice for a night out as it had the perfect mix of cocktails, atmosphere and entertainment. The prices weren’t bad either!

Wonder down the golden sandy beach and you will find yourself in the popular and thriving town of Bournemouth.

Boscombe Pier

Bournemouth beach

Bournemouth beach and Pier

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is well known for its events and festivals, including the Bournemouth Air Show, which I was fortunate enough to see the year before and would definitely recommend as a must see UK travel experience! Although I would not bring a car… a bit of a traffic nightmare..

Bournemouth also benefits from various gardens, a great nightlife and a bustling shopping area. The town is also home to the Bournemouth Oceanarium, which has hundreds of sea life creatures from across the globe, and an interactive dive cage which I plan to check out next time I’m in town!

Beach

Gardens

Although my friend and I are normally quite partial to a traditional cream tea when we are together, this time we went for something a little different at lunch by trying Koh Thai. We received some delicious Thai cuisine to warm us up from the cold January wind. They also made us some lovely refreshing strawberry smoothies which went surprisingly well with the Thai food.

You could tell that Bournemouth is a great place for young people to get loose and have some fun, with plenty of bars and clubs to enjoy. I could definitely see myself enjoying the beach in the day followed by partying in the evening only a few years back!

Corfe Castle

If you have an interest in history or even just nice views it is definitely worth taking the ferry across to the Studland area and making your way to Corfe Castle. This village built around the ruined castle that sits upon the hill, is a pretty little nugget of traditional English lifestyle. It consists of not only the castle and the connecting National trust shop and cafe (in which a tasty cream tea was consumed by myself) but also; independent shops, pubs, restaurants, tearooms, a church and two free museums.

Village through window of castle

Corfe Castle

Sheep roaming on hill of Corfe Castle

The castle itself dates back to the 10th century and is a massive site surrounded with roaming sheep, and covered with lots of nooks and crannies for the eager photographer. We attempted to take some nice photos but being an amateur many of mine were just bad selfies! As well as the National Trust property having regular events, there is also various information boards and a blacksmith’s workshop showing you how things were made, way back when! This castle has been through a lot, changing use between a defensive structure in the Saxon and Norman periods then to a royal palace and even family home. So as you go round you will see many stories of murder, imprisonment and war!

Corfe Castle

The views from the castle are also spectacular being perched up high on a hill and with beautiful countryside and small stone buildings surrounding it. That said… I would say to think considerably about visiting this castle if you struggle to walk up steep hills, as there is some difficult terrain to deal with.

New Forest

Lastly, I just wanted to add a note about the beautiful New Forest National Park. I only had time to make a quick detour to the village of Burley in New Forest on my way home from Bournemouth, but being as the park is only half an hour drive from Bournemouth, it is well worth fitting this into your holiday.

Coven of Witches, Burley

Titan Leather Craft, Burley

Wands!

Burley was a quirky little village in the park, known for having been home to a famous white witch named Sybil Leek in the ’50s. She was often seen walking around Burley in her long cloak with her pet bird sitting on her shoulder. She later moved to the states but her presence clearly had an impact, with the village now being renowned for its mystical gift shops which sell wands, crystals and all sorts of weird and wonderful things. I of course had to buy myself some souvenirs here and went away with a necklace and a crystal.

New Forest National Park

The best thing about it all was as I was driving out of the village, I saw the famous wild horses that New Forest are known for, roaming near the side of the road. This was the perfect end to my short trip down South.