Hatchlands Park
With over 400
acres of parkland to explore, Hatchlands also has a stunning Georgian country
house, manicured lawns, and a parterre garden. When we arrived, the house wasn’t
open yet – but there were plenty of green spaces to walk around. We went to The
Kitchen Café to buy a drink (I also bought a delicious cardamom and rose
shortbread) and then sat in the lower courtyard where it was less busy (but the
seating area was wet, as it had been raining).
I do love an
autumnal walk, and this one was particularly beautiful – going through woodland,
with all the red, orange and brown leaves on the ground. There are three
different walks, varying in length – the longest being 4km and aptly named ‘the
long walk’. I don’t think we really followed any of them and decided to walk
back once we had got to centenary wood. I think had we not planned to go
somewhere else, we would have stayed longer… we certainly didn’t see enough.
Hatchlands was built
in the 1750s and I would definitely return to wander around the grounds further
– and even visit the house, which houses a lovely collection of paintings and
fine furniture, as well as the largest collection of keyboards in Europe – all
of which have an association with famous composers from years gone by. I’m sure
Alfie would love the natural adventure play area too – almost becoming synonymous
with National Trust properties.
Polesden Lacey
Polesden Lacey
is an Edwardian house and 1,300-acre estate – formerly the weekend retreat of
Margaret Greville, who was a socialite. I was particularly interested in going
inside the property – as from the outside, it looked stunning with its bright
yellow façade, but also because of the treasures within. There were some incredible
paintings from the Dutch Masters, but what I loved seeing the most were the
collections of Cartier and Fabergé ornaments and treasured possessions –
including a Fabergé egg.
The gardens
were also stunning – the rose garden was my favourite, with so many different
varieties of garden and climbing rose. The latter covered a massive wooden pergola,
which made a beautiful (and fragrant) walkway – I’m sure it’s much better when
fully in bloom. We also saw the doggie graves, which might sound a bit morbid –
but Margaret Greville didn’t have children, but plenty of four-legged friends,
it seems. The graves are all named and dated, and we couldn’t help but laugh at
some of the more ‘human’ names, like Ian.
While we were
visiting, the grounds were set up for Ignite – an autumnal after-dark
experience. While it was a shame that we weren’t able to see the lights, fire
and lanterns in all their glory, the willow woodland animals were very cute. It
looked like a great family-friendly activity too – perfect for a pre-Christmas walk. I’m sure there’s another event running now too.
Hatchlands Park
is currently only partially open for the winter, with tickets costing £11 for
an adult and £5.50 for a child over the age of 5. Polesden Lacey is fully open
(although times vary, so check online), with adult admission costing £14 and
children over 5 costing £7. You no longer need to book in advance, and car park
charges may also apply on top – as we are National Trust members, we had free
entry and car parking.
Love, Lucy xx
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Love, Lucy xx