Category: #50places2026

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Priest’s House, Muchelney #50places2026

Priest's House, Muchelney

There are some properties where you can spend the whole day exploring the house, the gardens and the grounds. However the National Trust is not just about big houses and mansions, they also have large areas of countryside and coastal areas. One aspect of their portfolio are smaller houses of interest. So, I had a plan I would three such properties in one day. The first of which was Coleridge Cottage, the second was the Treasurer’s House in Martock, the third and final house was the Priest’s House in Muchelney.

It’s only a short drive from Martock to Muchelney, I realised that I was double backing on myself, but it was in the right direction going home. 

As with the Treasurer’s House, this National Trust property is on a tenancy, which means that for someone, it is their home. They open the house to National Trust for two afternoons a week over the summer.

Priest’s House

Late medieval hall-house in a picturesque village. This medieval hall-house was built in 1308 for the parish priest of the church opposite, and has been little altered since the early 17th century. Interesting features include the Gothic doorway, magnificent double-height tracery windows and a massive 15th-century stone fireplace.

Current saving £236.30
One adult £5
Parking n/a
Total saving £5
Cumulative saving £337.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £241.30

The owner does short tours of the house, so I rang the doorbell and waited for a short while before being let in for the tour.

This is a lovely thatched cottage, with some lovely medieval features. The massive 15th-century stone fireplace was huge and made from one piece of stone. Makes you wonder how they managed to not only get that into the property, but also how they got it to the village as well.

The tour is quite short, just three rooms, but the owner gave a really lovely guide to the house, its history and many of the features. 

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Treasurer’s House, Martock #50places2026

There are some properties where you can spend the whole day exploring the house, the gardens and the grounds. However the National Trust is not just about big houses and mansions, they also have large areas of countryside and coastal areas. One aspect of their portfolio are smaller houses of interest. So, I had a plan I would three such properties in one day. The first of which was Coleridge Cottage, the second was the Treasurer’s House in Martock.

It’s a thirty mile drive from Nether Stowey to Martock and Waze took me to the back of the church rather than the property. Not sure why, but it did mean I didn’t need to contend with parking on the busy B3165. I walked through the churchyard towards the Treasurer’s House. This National Trust house is on a tenancy, which means that for someone, it is their home. They open the house to National Trust for two afternoons a week over the summer.

Treasurer’s House

Medieval house with Great Hall, completed 1293 – with kitchen added in the 15th century. Solar Block contains an unusual wall-painting.

Current saving £231.30
One adult £5
Parking n/a
Total saving £5
Cumulative saving £332.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £236.30

This is a lovely old building, one of the oldest buildings in Somerset (and the oldest building in Martock). The great hall is very impressive and you can also see the old Tudor kitchens as well. In the house itself there is the solar block which has an original medieval painting upon it which considering that this has been a private home, that it is still there.

A lovely property and a warm welcome from the tenants who provided an in-depth tour of the property with lots of insights.

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Coleridge Cottage #50places2026

There are some properties where you can spend the whole day exploring the house, the gardens and the grounds. Dyrham Park and Tyntesfield come to mind. However the National Trust is not just about big houses and mansions, they also have large areas of countryside and coastal areas. One aspect of their portfolio are smaller houses of interest. So, I had a plan I would three such properties in one day. The first of which was Coleridge Cottage.

I had been meaning to visit this property for a while, I always saw the signs for this when visiting Dunster Castle and Minehead, but never had the time, or it was closed as I came back from Dunster.

So, I planned this visit, the house opened at 11am and the others at 2pm, so it made sense to do this one first. I drove to Nether Stowey, which is on the way from Bridgwater to Minehead. I realised as I drove into the village I had been there before, when one of my children was doing a hike and needed picking up.

Expecting parking to be an issue I parked at one end of the village and walked the five minute walk to the cottage. 

Inside there was a roaring log fire, which was a little surprising as it was nearly thirty degrees outside.

Coleridge Cottage

This atmospheric cottage was home to Coleridge and his family from 1797. It was during his time here in Somerset that Coleridge wrote his finest works, including ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, ‘Kubla Khan’, ‘Frost at Midnight’, ‘Christabel’ and ‘This Lime Tree Bower my Prison’. Working with William Wordsworth on their collection of poetry Lyrical Ballads, it was here in the wild west Somerset landscape that the literary movement of Romanticism was born. Coleridge Cottage has a rich and fascinating history, from a humble Georgian home, to its transformation into ‘Moore’s Coleridge Cottage Inn’ during the Victorian era. Following a major redevelopment project in 2011, you can now explore the wildflower garden, and rooms of the cottage never previously open to the public, which have been recreated as though Coleridge and his young family had just stepped out of the door…

Current saving £221.80
One adult £9.50
Parking n/a
Total saving £9.50
Cumulative saving £327.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £231.30

I spent time exploring the rooms and finding out a lot more about Coleridge and the history of the house. After that I headed out into the small garden.

I did sit for a while, but it was very hot in the sun, so I headed into the tea room for a scone and a drink.

You don’t need long to visit this house, but all the information on Coleridge and the romantic poets was really interesting. The garden was lovely as well. I walked back to my car ready to drive to the next house on the list.

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King Alfred’s Tower #50places2026

When I visited Stourhead back in February I saw that King Alfred’s Tower was close by, but was also closed. It is only open at weekends from April to October. I had always planned to revisit Stourhead, so it was a simple decision to also go and see King Alfred’s Tower as well.

I arrived just after 11am, the car park was very busy, but I think that’s more as people use the car park for walking in the woods.

The tower is a short walk from the car park. It is just a tower, one of the corners continuing the spiral staircase. There are 205 steps to get to the top of the 180ft high tower. There are no floors or rooms in the tower apart from the ground floor entrance.

The views from the tower are fantastic.

Walked slowly down the 205 steps. Made me slightly dizzy.

King Alfred’s Tower

This triangular tower, two miles north-west of Stourhead garden, was designed by Henry Flitcroft for Stourhead’s second owner, Sir Henry Hoare II. The Tower is named after King Alfred who raised his standard here in 878. The tower commemorates the accession of George III in 1760 and the end of the Seven Years’ War.

Current saving £187.30
One adult £7.00
Parking Free
Total saving £7.00
Cumulative saving £290.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £194.30

I would probably go again, but in the autumn when the leaves on the surrounding trees are red, orange and yellow.

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West Somerset Railway #50places2026

Over the years I have visited and travelled on the West Somerset Railway many times. When we stayed at Butlins we would often walk down to Minehead Station and look at the stream trains. In September 2023, myself and my son headed to Bishops Lydeard and caught the train to Minehead. I did visit Minehead again in October 2025, but by then I had already reached my target of fifty places that year.

In May of 2026 the West Somerset Railway was running a steam gala, this time myself and my son went along to see what was going on. This time we didn’t travel on the trains themselves, but went to various stations across the line and then headed to Minehead for some fish and chips.

I was pleased to have reached my fifty places in 2025 for my #50places2025 series of blog posts. This year I am planning to do something similar with a new hashtag, #50places2026 and it will be the same rules. Each time I visit a place I will post a blog post and some photographs. I can’t repeat places, and in an extra twist I can’t use the fifty places I visited in 2025 in the list as well (though I anticipate visiting some of those places again).

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York City Walls #50places2026

On my recent short holiday to Yorkshire, my plans weren’t set in stone, I had planned to visit Fountains Abbey and the National Railway Museum, but anything else would be a bonus. On the day I left York I had planned to visit a couple of National Trust properties on the way back (charging the car at the same time as well). However I woke up earlier than I expected. So, after getting washed and dressed and a quick breakfast I headed back into York with the idea of walking the walls.

I walked over to Walmgate Bar and then headed anticlockwise around the city.

I soon lost the walls at the Red Tower.

The walls don’t encircle the entire city, sometimes that was planned as there was the natural barrier of a river, other times walls were lost to development.

Walked along the River Foss and then started walking along the walls again. Came down at Monk Bar, this was the second of the four major gates that York has. 

The next section of wall has some fantastic views of the Minster, as well as the many historic buildings that lie between the Minster and the city wall.

Arrived at Bootham Bar. Here the wall sections are lost, there are some sections in the York Museum Gardens, but these aren’t able to be walked along.

I then went across Lendal Bridge before finding the wall again.

Walked pass the railway station and around to Mickelgate, the fourth gate.

Walked along the walls. This is one of the longer sections of the wall.

Came off the walls after walking pass Baile Hill and crossed Skeldergate Bridge.

Stopped to photograph Cliffords Tower.

I rejoined the walls at Fishergate Postern Tower and then walked around the walls back to Walmgate.

Decided to have an espresso at the Gatehouse Coffee which is inside Walmgate Bar.

I was really pleased I had come back into York and walked the city walls. I then walked back to the car and headed home.

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National Railway Museum #50places2026

Back in 1979 I did a school trip to York, as well as visiting Fountains Abbey, we also went to the National Railway Museum. Though I was at the University of York in the late 1980s, I never actually got around to visiting the museum again until 2013 when we went on a holiday to North Yorkshire. I also visited again ten years later in 2023.

The museum is undergoing something of a refurbishment, and the Station Hall, which had been closed for updating, was open again, which is one of the reasons for visiting.

Essentially the place is full of locomotives, steam, diesel, and electric. It covers the history of railways in the UK from their humble beginnings, through expansion, consolidation with the “big four”, nationalisation, and privatisation.

I really enjoyed visiting the museum and for those interested (not just in trains but) industrial heritage it is well worth a trip to York.

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Hardwick #50places2026

I had actually chosen to visit Hardwick Hall as I was on my way back from visiting Yorkshire and they had (according to the website) EV charging facilities. For me this meant that I could stop there, charge the car, enjoy visiting the house, walk the grounds and still have time for a scone and a pot of tea.

However… the EV chargers were not by the house, so I couldn’t charge the car. 

Of course I got my card scanned and headed off to the amazing house.

Hardwick

An English interpretation of Italian Renaissance Architecture. This impressive masterpiece casts a dramatic silhouette across the Derbyshire skyline.

Current saving £164.30
One adult £23.00
Parking Free
Total saving £23.00
Cumulative saving £283.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £187.30

There were some amazing authentic rooms. It would appear (after a conversation with a volunteer) that after the death of Bess of Hardwick the woman behind the building of the hall.

Bess of Hardwick was the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I, and her house was conceived to be a conspicuous statement of her wealth and power. 

A wide, winding, stone staircase leads up to the state rooms on the second floor, which include one of the largest long galleries in any English house. A tapestry-hung great chamber with a spectacular plaster frieze illustrating hunting scenes has been little altered.

The rooms get higher ceilings as you go up to different floors. Impressing those who entered the house.

After exploring the house, I went to see the ruins of the previous hall.

I drove to the East Midlands Designer Outlet. It was busy and I put the Funky Cat on charge there.

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Grassington #50places2026

I enjoyed watching the Channel 5 series, the reimagined All Creatures Great and Small, having also enjoyed the 1978 series when that was broadcast.

The new series exterior shots are filmed in the Yorkshire Dales and the fictional village of Darrowby is filmed in Grassington. After my visit to Fountains Abbey, I took the B6265 through the Dales to Grassington. When I arrived in the village I parked in the Grassington National Park Visitor Centre car park (which I thought was quite expensive, however the proceeds do go to supporting the National Park). I did think it would be probably nigh on impossible to park in the actual village. Having parked I headed to the village.

They must have been filming as they were signs, and they were packing up props.

I explored the village before taking a coffee at Plaza Uno.

It’s quite a small place and it doesn’t take long to explore the village.

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Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden #50places2026

I have been to Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire before this visit, once in 1979 on a school trip and then again in 1993 when I was visiting York on a short holiday. I was back in North Yorkshire again and one of the things I wanted to do was visit the ruins of Fountains Abbey once more.

Having arrived and put the car on charge, I headed to reception to get my card scanned. After that it was into the grounds. I first went to Fountains Hall, which is a historical manor house in the grounds of Fountains Abbey. I don’t remember going there in 1993. I visited the mill as well.

It was then onto the ruins themselves, which are incredible. It was a huge building and the ruins are awe inspiring.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Ancient abbey ruins and an awe-inspiring water garden and deer park. This World Heritage Site is a uniquely blended landscape full of secrets, curiosities and breath-taking views.

Current saving £143.30
One adult £21.00
Parking Free
Total saving £21.00
Cumulative saving £260.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £164.30

This National Trust property is ruined, was burnt down by Henry VIII following his arguments with Rome over divorce.

After exploring the ruins I walked through the water gardens to the café. There I had a coffee and a scone as one does. I walked back to the ruins, this time though up the hill and to the viewing platform. 

I really enjoyed my visit to Fountains Abbey.

Though I was at the University of York in the late 1980s, I never actually got around to visiting Fountains Abbey again, in the main as when I was at University I didn’t have a car, and public transport wasn’t always an option back then.

I keep meaning to visit again, we went to York back in 2013 when we went on holiday to North Yorkshire, but the cold weather at the time (it snowed a lot) meant that we kept to indoor attractions such as the Castle Museum and the National Railway Museum.