On the outskirts of my home town, situated in the cutest little village is Montacute House. A national trust manor, which is open to the public. In the heart of Montacute village, Montacute House combines a 2,300-year span. Surprisingly, we have lived here for all my life but have never visited the house. Which is just crazy, as it is simply stunning.

Montacute is well known for its expansive drive, a popular favourite for brides wanting to get married there. The drive is accessible to walk up and then take a stunning shot of the front of Montacute House. We visited it on a lovely warm day and enjoyed both the house and its grounds.

I recently purchased the National Trust membership for myself and my mum, in order for us to spend quality time together and also get out of the house, as it’s where we both work from. I wanted to be able to use these adventures to blog about and also take photos of. The National Trust membership is well worth the price; each month I pay £8.00 for us both. When we visited Montacute we instantly knew we were in for a good deal as one adult would have been £12.00. Ridiculous if you think about it! If you ensure you use the card at least once, you will know you have gotten your money back!

What intrigued us upon entering the house was the amount of rooms which have yet to be restored/ are not in use. It really put into scale the size of the house to us. At the top of the house is the Long Gallery, literally the length of the house, occupying many of the Tudor & Elizabethan portraits which are on loan from the National Portrait Gallery. What struck you upon entering the gallery was the smell of the rug, made from the same material as it would have been back centuries ago.

The gardens themselves were stunning, some of which are open free of charge to the general public. So a great place for a picnic! There are many wonders to explore including the courtyard with its impressive fountain. So many different types of trees and plants – it makes me almost excited for winter and the shots I might be able to get here. Let’s not forget the café for a little cup of tea and they always have a gluten free cake – perfect!

Final stop was the shop, where I picked up a little poetry book, a pot of honey and chutney! Yum!

What is your favourite place to visit? I’d love to know!