My Favourite Day Out : Wallington Hall by Unscripted Photography

I am always open to readers, friends and colleagues writing about their favourite day out and today we have Claire from Unscripted Photography describing one of her favourite days out at Wallington Hall (we love this place too!) and sharing some of her gorgeous images from the day. Over to Claire:- 

It was nearly three years ago that our family decided to make the move from the Saaarrrrfff to beautiful Northumberland.  When my husband first approached me with the idea, I was pretty nervous about it.  But one thing that called out to me was the great outdoors.  Northumberland is just so beautiful.  And in amongst that beauty, you also have some of the most gorgeous National Trust sites.  

My idea of a perfect day out always includes a picnic, a walk, tea and cake and ideally a stately home full of antique furniture and giant kitchens (makes me feel better about being a mum in the 21st century, ‘cause hey - we’ve got it so damn easy)!  

Wallington Hall ticks all of those boxes, and then some.

So when Samantha asked if anyone would like to rave about their favourite spring day out, I jumped at the chance to tell you all about our recent trip to this beautifully charming estate.

This last weekend, we made the most of the National Trust’s Residents’ Festival.  Wallington Hall was offering 2-4-1 on entry, and under 5s go free.  Normally it costs £11.80 each (£13.00 with gift aid) - so not the cheapest, but with the resident’s festival, quite reasonable for a day out..  Over 5s are £5.90 (£6.50 with gift aid).

As soon as we arrived, we made a beeline for the Walled Garden.  I find there’s something so romantic about the idea of a walled garden.  I can’t imaging I’ll ever own a house big enough to have my own, which probably just makes the mystery of those we visit even greater.  I think this allure stems from my love of The Secret Garden as a child!  Little did I know that inside the walled garden at Wellington Hall we would stumble across the most gorgeous sea of lilic in the form of springy crocuses.  It was absolutely stunning.  

The walk to the walled garden was also full of treasure.  Harry loved the little fairy doors in the trees, knocking on them quite loudly to try and wake up whomever may be inside.  And the washing lines full of fairy clothes were so sweet.  There were also lovely ornamental deer dotted about - which apparently belonged to ‘[Santa] Claus.’

Considering it was march, it was wonderfully mild, so we managed to enjoy a picnic - yes, a real one, outside, on a rug!  Food always tastes better outside, don’t you think?  Wallington Hall is full of gorgeous picnic spots, whether next to the playground, in front of the Hall or by the side of the pond.  It’s perfectly idyllic.  After refuelling, we headed into the Hall.  Which is quite frankly stunning.  I didn’t expect it to be so amazing inside.  I loved the photographs of all the staff - you don’t often see that in stately homes.  It was so nice to put faces to the people who used to make the place tick.  I of course, LOVED the kitchen, complete with the biggest and most unnecessary antique gadget I have ever seen - a knife sharpener - I thought it was a butter churner!  And I really LOVED the room full of dolls houses.  They were so pretty and wonderfully crafted - so lifelike.  Must have cost a fortune in old money.  

Harry wasn’t too keen on the Hall though, we mostly heard ‘done now, done now’ as we worked our way around.  But he did love the shadows!  There were shadows everywhere, so at least that kept him entertained!

BUT, to treat him for his almost perfect behaviour whilst we skulked around the Hall (no touching allowed is hard for a two year old who wants to touch EVERYTHING!), we rewarded him with a visit to the swings, tea and cake.  What more can a 2 year old want?  For older kiddies there’s den making too, but frankly Harry was so tired we didn’t dare test him with that as well.  But we’ll be going back to give that a whirl this summer.  We missed so much as we ran out of time. There are so many walks to enjoy, and activities are organised for children throughout the year.

All in all, I found Wallington Hall to be a lovely day out.  Something for everyone, of all ages and interests.  Lots of ways to keep the kiddies smiling.  I’m looking forward to more adventures up north!

Thank you so much Claire - your beautiful images are making me want to head over to Wallington this weekend! 

If you appreciate beautiful photography I would highly recommend following Claire across social media. You can find Unscripted by Claire Batey on the following channels:- 

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http://www.unscriptedphotography.co.uk/

Thanks again to Claire for sharing your favourite spring day out. If anyone else would like to feature their favourite day out, please get in touch here. 

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