There are lots of firsts in your child’s life you will always remember. They are so special they are engraved into your mind and heart….the first time they smile, giggle, say “Mama”, crawl and take those first steps. Last week we experienced another one of those firsts which brought a lump to my throat and a smile to my face. It was definitely a day I will always remember.

The girls really enjoy doing woodland trails, quizzes and treasure hunts. They adore visiting places that have these activities. Usually the older two read the clues, write the answers and Daisy runs along happily giggling and repeating what they say. However, last week we visited Lacock Abbey during a week away in the Cotswolds and for the first time ever Daisy was trying to read and actually writing down the answers (just letters). It was amazing to see the difference a term at School has made:

lacockabbey-1-2

lacockabbey-1-3

Lacock Abbey is packed with history. It started as an abbey and nunnery, then became a Tudor family home. The last owners were the Talbots, a caring close-knit family that loved their home in Lacock. You might know it as the birthplace of photography.

Many films and TV productions have been filmed here, The big girls and I were excited to see these included Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’

lacockabbey-1-7

Daisy was delighted to be able to join in properly with the trail and I think this moment marked a huge shift in the relationship between these girls. Although they are already close and very much a team, I think this is going to become more so now and look forward to lots more days out and trails like this:

lacockabbey-1-15

All of us agreed it was quite possibly the best trail we have ever done. It also meant we really got to explore the place fully. There was just so much to see and do we ended up staying much longer than expected:

lacockabbey-1-6 lacockabbey-1-8 lacockabbey-1-9 lacockabbey-1-10 lacockabbey-1-11 lacockabbey-1-12 lacockabbey-1

There were lots of things to keep the children entertained along the way. In fact we spent all morning exploring the gardens and completing the trail then after a quick picnic in the car (it was too cold for the picnic tables) we went back in to explore inside:

lacockabbey-1-14 lacockabbey-1-13 lacockabbey-1-10 lacockabbey-1-5 lacockabbey-1-4

A truly fantastic place to explore for the whole family.

We do enjoy getting out and about exploring but days out can soon add up so we make the most of our National Trust membership when away. There are so many places to discover. We took the time to visit a few more last week so expect more posts soon.

countrykids_logo

Karen x