The Vyne

 

We have been really busy recently with buying and moving into our first flat(!) but a couple of weeks ago we managed a quick weekend break away. Not many people seem to do "real holidays" anymore as it's so stressful getting out of the country with planes being cancelled or new travel restrictions or skyrocketing prices everywhere - it's just easier to explore your home area. For Reece's birthday this year I bought him a couple of nights' stay in an AirBnb and a day at Longleat Safari park which neither of us had been to before but was definitely worth the trip (and we'll absolutely be going back again!). 

We travelled up the day before Longleat and had to plan a couple of stops so that we could feed or change our little one, or just give him a break from his car seat. It's only about two-three hours away from us but we did get stuck in traffic on two of the motorways, so it was nice to have factored in a stop to get out and stretch our legs that's prettier than a motorway service station. 

National Trust places are great to stop at if you are members - it's basically free toilets, carparking (usually) and somewhere beautiful to look round. I would highly recommend joining as there's always somewhere to visit wherever you go and we revisit our local spots multiple times a year to see the change in seasons. Of course we'd chosen the hottest weekend of the year so far so Finley was a little bit on the grumpy side and we didn't really spend all that long there but it was a beautiful place for a picnic and ice cream!

This is The Vyne, in Hampshire, a 'former Tudor powerhouse turned 17-century family home, set in gardens, woodlands and wetlands'. 

You have to book a carparking time slot at the moment because they are having some major works done, which takes up room in the main carpark so there are more limited spaces and, due to our motorway delays, we were slightly late (stressful!) but luckily it was a Thursday and there was barely anyone there so it didn't matter and it was really rather pleasant walking around with nearly the whole place to yourself. 

We walked in through a really lovely walled kitchen garden and through a tree lined pathway with a lake on one side and cows beyond. It was really very picturesque and tranquil. The house itself is apparently a third of its original size, having once been an immense Tudor palace!! The fortunes of the family waned over the course of the English Civil War and, when the property was sold, it was made smaller and more manageable with a decorative portico added. 

We didn't go inside the house - now that we have a slightly unpredictable 12 week old who, at the time, was very hot, we are dictated by him on what we can do and how much he'll tolerate. Really all he wanted to do was lie in the shade on the cool grass and stare at the trees so we relaxed and ate ice cream and quickly wandered around the outside of the house on our way back out to the car. 

I wish I was better at knowing the names of all of these gorgeous plants. The above one was really pretty with all of the different sections to it, the floaty petals, the rice-like stamens, the tightly nestled bobbles in the middle with the spikes? All very technical terms I know but it makes for a fascinating bloom!

Reece snapped one of my new, all time favourite, photos of me and our little one! Standing in front of the lake which the portico of the house looks on to - maybe we could pretend we live there rather than just passing through?