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Carriages at National Trust’s Arlington Court

When we go on holiday I always want to do more than sitting on the beach. Our recent camping trip I did relax that a bit and we had 3 full days on the beach. But we also took a couple of days out for a day at Watermouth Castle, a brief trip to Ilfracombe and a visit to Arlington Court.

tower-at-arlington-court

Arlington Court is another National Trust property. It’s a lovely location for families to visit. When we arrived, the car park was busy but once inside it didn’t feel overcrowded.

Arlington Court

On arrival we headed straight to the tea rooms for lunch. It was busy (a busy load of foreign students must have turned up) but there were plenty of tables. N was happy because there were kids lunchboxes…these make him love National Trust and persuade him to come with me.

The house

There was lots to see at Arlington Court. N of course moaned about going in the house, but having a friendly volunteer on the door to tell him about the mice trail soon made him agree to investigate the house.  The house was interesting as they so often are, with the history of the building mixed with the more personal Chichester family belongings.

staircase at Arlington Court
hall at arlington court
fireplace at Arlington Court

Other than the mice trail, there’s also a games room where children (and adults) can play the old fashioned games, get dressed up and put on a theatre show. I was surprised that N got behind the theatre, even if he did only last about 2 minutes before some other people walked past, looked at him, and made him nervous.

playing theatres
Victorian games
playing old fashioned games

One quirky activity they have at Arlington is the Bat Cam. I quite fancied having a look but N refused point blank. I guess we can just look out on the patio at home because I’ve spotted a few bats flying around there.

peacock
hiding in front of hydrangeas
Someone didn’t want photos

Carriage museum

There’s also the formal gardens which from a distance looked good but we were short on time so we could get back to meet the others at the beach. Our next stop was the Carriage Museum. I wasn’t sure how N would like it, but he seemed to really be interested.

carriage museum at Arlington court

While a lot of the museum is facts, lots of information boards to read, and then the carriage exhibits, there’s plenty of interactive options around. From buttons to press to set ‘people’ talking, to carriage seats for you to sit on and find out what it’s really like when a carriage moves. There was also a wooden horse you could harness up, and dressing up costumes.

trying out carriage motion

A highlight was seeing the gold parliamentary speaker’s carriage. No photos are allowed to be taken, but it’s a really spectacular sight, and very gold and blingy!

While we were there we also watched staff rolling one of the carriages out into the courtyard for a photoshoot. N was really into watching that, and he had plenty of questions that I had to try and answer. After nearly an hour there, we headed back out and up to the main part of the grounds again to enjoy the beautiful hydrangea.

moving carriages for a photoshoot
Chilling little boy
pretty blue hydrangeas

Around Arlington Court, there’s also a trail. We weren’t following it, but we did spot the knitted 3 little pigs and the wolf. I had to read the ‘alternative’ fairy story which provided a few laughs. N decided that the brick building they were displayed on was definitely where the 3 little pigs lived.

alternative 3 little pigs

Our only disappointment with Arlington Court was the play areas. I was excited beforehand because there are 2 outdoor play areas. But they’re both some walk away from the main house, and both in different directions to each other. So for young children, it’s quite some walk when you’re trying to encourage them. This is when you wish they sometimes could take scooters to stop them moaning so much. We just didn’t have time to get to them.

If you’re in the area, I’d definitely recommend Arlington Court. It’s a lovely place for a walk, and there are plenty of different areas and activities to explore for any age.

Have you been before, or do you have any National Trust recommendations in the area?

Why not take a look at these similar posts.

ilfracombe
barricane beach
days out devon

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11 Comments

  1. We have never been to Arlington Court but it sounds lovely. Looks like you and N had a great day there! Oh those carriages look great too. Xx #CountryKids

  2. Looks like a great place to look around, the carriage exhibit looks really interesting (and fun for children). Shame about the play areas as I think it always helps to have them close by to keep children happy but looks like a fantastic place! #countrykids

    1. Yes, it is a lovely place. Nice to have something additional to the house with the carriage museum. Not something you see very often

  3. Its a nice tip to bring scooters if you are planning on going here!

    I think its always boring for kids to go inside when the outside fun is calling you so having that trail is a nice way to lure the kids in and let the parents see the beauty of the house =)

    #CountryKids

  4. What a beautiful place. My boys (including hubby) always moan about National Trust properties but they’re soon exploring the houses when there’s a trail involved!

    #countrykids

  5. Arlington Court looks like a fab place to explore, so much for N to see and do. Those carriages look amazing, I bet N loved seeing them all and being able to sit in some! National Trust properties always manage to include a couple of fun trails for kids both inside and outside of the buildings, it’s great that it encouraged N to do some exploring.

    Thanks for sharing with me on #CountryKids.

  6. This looks lovely! We love the national trust for days out. Love how they always have activities and trails around the houses for children x

  7. We love Arlington Court too. Olivia loves dressing up in there. lol I agree, we haven’t even been to the play area as Olivia was too tired to walk up. Did you went to Heddon Valley? It’s a National Trust too, there’s a good walk to Heddon Mouth, not that far from Arlington court too. xx

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