About Me

About me

My name is Nik and I am Mum to two small boys called Sam and Oliver and partner to the long suffering Ali and we are based in Devon, England.

My blog is about my journey though life, the highs, the lows and all the fun and messy bits in-between.

It is a personal blog that is written by me and only features my opinions. I do work on behalf of businesses and companies, writing posts and reviews but I will only give you my honest thoughts, if I love it or hate it I will tell you.

If you would like to get in touch with me or my mini monsters please contact me at
themummymonster1@gmail.com





Sunday 22 April 2018

Dartington Hall - April 2018

 
This morning I wanted to just go for a wander, nothing strenuous just a gentle stroll and I was thinking of heading to one of our local walks such as Decoy or Stover. However I always come back grumpy due to the amount of dogs and other people. Can you tell I woke up grumpy??? Lol

So when Ali suggested heading over to Dartington Hall, it was perfect!! 

We arrived and the first car park was fairly empty although the onsite cafe looked busy. 
We paid to park (£1 for four hours) which in my eyes was a bargain and we headed off under the arch. 

Thankfully I had remembered the stones from the Devon Ricks and Stones Facebook page so the boys could hide them along the way. 

Once under the arch and past the Barn Theatre you are greeted with the sight of The Great Hall and what a beautiful site it is. The courtyard is lined either side with the most quaint cottages which are dwarfed by the impressive Great Hall building. Unfortunately the Hall was closed for. Private function but I’m sure it is as good inside as it is out.

 
As you head past the Great Hall, you then get a wonderful smell of Sunday lunch from the onsite pub and head to the cherry blossom trees. The boys had great fun thinking it was raining or snowing whilst the petals were gently falling to the ground.

 
 
You can then choose your own path, we decided to head don to Jacobs Pillow. The pillow is a large ball sculpture which is very tactile and the boys loved chasing a round it.

From the sculpture we headed further down into the gardens. The garden are steep slopes which when dry, the boys absolutely love running or rolling down the slopes but unfortunately due to the wet weather they were today out of bounds.

What I was amazed at was the amount of flowers that were in bloom. Some of the flowers I hadn't ever seen before. There are also the old trees which have gnarled with age. Ali remembers playing on the same trees when he was a child.






















Whilst strolling around Sam was extremely chuffed to find a small hut, which heard water rushing through. He decided a troll  must live down there and its padlocked to keep him locked away. He thought they would unlock it at night so he could stretch his legs and find some food!! Love a child's imagination. Oliver just loved the padlock and refused to move away!! lol



We then headed down to the stream where Sam found some stepping stones to cross whilst Oliver and I took the long route around. We then found some trees to climb and sit in. Whilst sitting on a bench we came across a friendly robin. He was so cheeky trying to be brave and closer and closer to us until I put my finger in the air whilst talking and he flew straight across the top of it. The boys loved it.





















Whilst Oliver sat on the bench Ali and Sam went off to discover The Old Playhouse. A beautiful house with a tree climbing around it. What a wonderful childhood someone would have had to have this particular building to play in.





After the playhouse we headed back to the Great Hall and then slowly back to the car park. Unfortunately we didn't have time to head to the park today but we vowed to return with a picnic and make a day of it.

Overall, a couple of hours spent wandering in a truly beautiful setting which quite frankly I had forgotten about and missed.

 
My opinion is that Dartington Hall has something for everyone of all ages, it really is worth a visit.









 

3 comments:

  1. Looks like such a lovely place for a walk. Love the flowers you spotted a your pictures in the trees. Parking prices sound really reasonable too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It’s lovely to stroll through whatever the drain and it’s funny that great parking makes all the difference 😁

    ReplyDelete
  3. Drain?? Sorry that’s mesnt to say season!! Lol

    ReplyDelete

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