Top 5 List

Andjie and Rob were spot on. They said that the National Trust pass is definitely the way to go if you come to the UK. It’ll gain you free entry to over 300 historic houses and gardens throughout England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Knowing we’d be here for over two months, we purchased an annual pass, which ran 60 pounds for the two of us. Sounds a bit steep, but we’ve kept a running total of every NT site we visited, and calculated a total cost of 180 pounds, had we paid entry fees at each site. Score! If you’re here for 7 days, you can purchase a single pass starting at 16 pounds. Not bad if you plan to cover a lot of ground.

The NT handbook is full of enticing castles and manors, but we concentrated on seeing the Southwest corner of England in order to glean a better sense of place. And, because our exploration of England has nearly come to a close, we thought it timely to post a list of our top 5 sites (#1 being best) as a tribute to the National Trust. Here it is:

#5 - Bath: You can't get into the Roman Bath house with your pass, but you'll be able to see the Costume Museum and the the Bath Assembly Rooms. Entry into the baths is worth it.








#4 - Kingston Lacy: over-the-top aristocratic wealth, but worth a visit for the Egyptian collection.






#3 - Avebury: the lesser known cousin of Stonehenge, with more history. And a pub within walking distance.







#2 - Snowshill Manor: contains an eccentric collection of Samurai outfits, Spanish Armada chests, 19th century toys, and an organic garden. Set in the crackin' Cotswolds.





#1 - Cotehele: you have to see it to believe it. A house built in 1485 with medieval fixtures and its own tower, within walking distance of the breezy quayside and a cozy tearoom.