National Trust - Dyrham Park — Attraction in Dyrham and Hinton

We arrived at the Dyrham car park in the morning, sorted out the pay n display machine, and then headed to the Visitor Reception building, which very helpfully had loos next to it.

Went through the lovely Visitor Reception, and after taking a pic of the map, we made our way down the hill towards the house which was really cool as there was a fast following stream off water following the path alongside us. We decided not to go to the park first as everything was quite damp, and we hoped it would have dried out when we came back later. Unfortunately, due to bad weather or it was that time of the season, some of the parkland paths were shut off, so the parkland walks were limited, but that was fine.

We made it down the hill, and the house was gorgeous. Nestled between 2 hills, it was a site to behold. We went round the left side of the house and went into a lovely shop. Had a nice chat with the shopkeeper, and of course, I bought a fridge magnet. He also gave me an old pin badge as they didn'thave a property specific pin badge yet, which was quite nice of him.

We left the shop and explored around, we found a lovely book shop and found some very cute hand-made hedgehogs made out of books, which i thought was really creative. we found a nice quiet garden inside the walls of the house, which was pretty. We made our way to go to the house, but we were too early, so we went into the exhibition they had on about the owner and how he came to prominence. I have to say it was a brilliantly done exhibition and the films that u could watch there were some of the best quality I have seen in the trust.

After the cool exhibition, we went into the house. They had really warm welcoming volunteers, and the house was very pretty. Our favourite bit was the volunteer playing the piano and my child started to dance, which caused the other children to dance too it was really sweet and we stayed in that room for ages. We thoroughly enjoyed the house, and it had lots of information displayed to read.

After the house, we wanted to find somewhere for lunch. However, it was very busy in the tearoom, so we tried to find a dry bench that wasn't occupied. It took us some time, but we found some semi dry green benches near the pond where we were greeted by a very friendly Robin. We enjoyed the gardens but obviously recognise they weren't at their best as we had come in November, so we will try and see them next year in the Spring/Summer. We really loved the cascading stairs water feature. It's really unique looking.

We finished the gardens and found we missed don't on the greenhouse in the house so went and saw the lovely plant collection there. After that, we made our way up the steep hill, not fun if you have a buggy, so bear that in mind. At the top we found a cute play area, it was still damp so not very usable but my child loved the tractor.

It was getting late, so we climbed another hill to get back to the car park. Definitely bring your hiking boots and not a buggy. We had a splendid time at Dyrham and will definitely be back when the weather is better and when they have out their property...

A National Trust property, dating from the late 17th century, just a few miles from the M4 motorway, on the A46 road to Bath.

Watch out for slightly misleading information on SatNav directions; they took us to the goods delivery entrance. The correct entrance is actually on the main road and is well sign posted.

A good car park, although it operates as one way. Some people obviously miss this and try to go against the flow of traffic. There is also an overflow car park which was in use on the day that we went. NT members get free parking, visitors have to pay.

Quite a small visitors centre compared to some other NT properties. The house is a good half a .ile away from the entrance, and the road is quite steep. There is a small electric bus service to take those with reduced mobility which runs at about 10 minute intervals.

The property has several footpaths which we didn't get to explore, but looked quite interesting. On the day we went, they also had a number of activities for children, which appeared to be very popular.

The house itself is huge, and the main door on the far side, away from the car park. I was quite surprised that it seemed to be a very utilitarian main door which doesn't quite fit the Baroque nature of the rest of the architecture.

Inside, it is quite stunning, with numerous unique original features. Quite a few of the items on display were the property of the original owner of the house. Unfortunately, many items are extremely fragile, and suffering badly with age. Although some might be conserved, it may not be possible to restore many others.

It's worth noting that the money to pay for the construction of the house and associated landscaping came from a wide amount of trade, sadly including that of human beings. The NT are making a good attempt to highlight this and put it into context of the time.

Outside the front of the house, there are a number of terraces which are available, but we didn't have time to visit. I'm also advised that it's worth a trip to the church to feed the birds. At present, there is ongoing work to create a new garden feature that would be appropriate for the property.

Visitors are able to leave the house by the kitchen entrance, and this places you close by a tearoom. There is outside seating and on a pleasant day, it's very enjoyable.

Because the electric bus service was full, I foolishly agreed to walk back to the entrance. It is a very steep road indeed, and I had to stop numerous times to catch my breath; or is it a case that I'm a lot older than I think?

All in all, a very good day out with a really beautiful and...

We were lucky enough to receive a free family day entry at a national trust park, and we decided upon Dyrham Park. We as a family have never visited a national trust area before, and we were so looking forward to our day. Travelling from south mid Wales. The park was easy to find and just off the motorway. It took around 30 minutes for us to be able to pay for parking as it wouldn't accept card on the machine, only members could swipe a card. You are given an option to download a pay app (unfortunately the area has no signal) we were very lucky that we had £4 in coins otherwise we would of been completely stuck and staff just stood around watching. We enjoyed walking around, and the open space was just lovely. The grounds are very well maintained, and the children loved spotting all the different fruit growing. They were a little disappointed that there was no maze because a space like that would add to the originality of the grounds. The church has sadly been left to deteriorate, and it's a shame. Directions into the main house are poor. We walked around in circles several times following directions that led us to a member of staff that abruptly pointed out it was a "disabled only entrance." When we finally found the entrance, we were warmly welcomed by a friendly gentleman in the main hall. There was one volunteer who was incredibly rude and snapped at my children for exploring the globes and pointing out certain things. She shouted at them, "Do not touch the globe" in an awful manner, that did upset them and made them jump. There was no need to embarrass them in that way. This was after we had witnessed herself and another visitor doing the exact same thing. Firstly, in my opinion, they should be made unaccessible from touching with rope around them and secondly a sign that would state "please do not touch the globes" If children are allowed inside the Manor then this would be expected from children in all honesty. We had a lovely picnic by the pond, watching all the colouful dragon flies. We didn't see any deer, which was a shame. The gift shop is very reasonably priced and the member of staff there was also lovely and friendly. Leaving the car park was very confusing as it states no exit at the point we entered but does not direct you to the exit, signs should be displayed as visitors from out of the area would have no idea. All in all, we had a lovely few hours out, although unsure of future visits as a family with...