Reaching the end...
It is nearly time. Time to chop up the English Heritage card at the end of next month. It has been a great investment, I think. We have used it as much as possible! We still have about 7 weeks left and a fair few things lined up to squeeze the last drop from it.
We have used it from Devon to Northamptonshire, and from Yorkshire to Warwickshire. It has forced us to get out and discover. That's my favourite by-product. It has driven us to make the most off it. This has included arranging holidays around places to see and taking, like yesterday, large days out which we'd not have considered, had we not had the membership.
It has also been, fun! (perhaps more so for me as a history buff, than the poor suffering family members).
We have visited ruins that are essentially bits of walls left in fields. We have visited grand ruined Abbeys (That made you wish the dissolution had never happened and they still stood, complete; like Roche & Rievaulx), Great Castles, like Dartmouth Castle, Bolsover and Kenilworth. We have visited stately homes that have seen much better day and are testament to a bygone era of upstairs and downstairs along the lines of Downton Abbey. The Duke of Wellingtons home, and Brodsworth Hall is a must see in this regard.
Any regrets? Apart from not being able to see it all! I am a little sad that we live so far away from the South East of England. There looks to be a huge amount of great historical places in the Kent, Sussex area that would be incredible to visit with the family; Deal Castle, Walmer Castle and Dover Castle are just three amazing places.
Apart from this I think we've done well and it has enabled us to get the length and breadth of the country. We have one more trip to Devon and one to Northumberland to take in a few more awesome sites before we hand the card back.
And then? We'll take a break for a few years and when the kids have got a bit older we'll re-join and attempt a few trips down memory lane. And who knows, maybe a short holiday in Kent?
We have used it from Devon to Northamptonshire, and from Yorkshire to Warwickshire. It has forced us to get out and discover. That's my favourite by-product. It has driven us to make the most off it. This has included arranging holidays around places to see and taking, like yesterday, large days out which we'd not have considered, had we not had the membership.
It has also been, fun! (perhaps more so for me as a history buff, than the poor suffering family members).
We have visited ruins that are essentially bits of walls left in fields. We have visited grand ruined Abbeys (That made you wish the dissolution had never happened and they still stood, complete; like Roche & Rievaulx), Great Castles, like Dartmouth Castle, Bolsover and Kenilworth. We have visited stately homes that have seen much better day and are testament to a bygone era of upstairs and downstairs along the lines of Downton Abbey. The Duke of Wellingtons home, and Brodsworth Hall is a must see in this regard.
Any regrets? Apart from not being able to see it all! I am a little sad that we live so far away from the South East of England. There looks to be a huge amount of great historical places in the Kent, Sussex area that would be incredible to visit with the family; Deal Castle, Walmer Castle and Dover Castle are just three amazing places.
Apart from this I think we've done well and it has enabled us to get the length and breadth of the country. We have one more trip to Devon and one to Northumberland to take in a few more awesome sites before we hand the card back.
And then? We'll take a break for a few years and when the kids have got a bit older we'll re-join and attempt a few trips down memory lane. And who knows, maybe a short holiday in Kent?
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