You might have read that we had some fun visiting castles and gardens. If you haven’t, then go ahead, click those links and come back here. I shall wait.
In September, Ashwina, Baby and I embarked on our annual holiday – this time to Suffolk. The last time we were in the area was more than ten years ago when we visited Dunwich Heath. That trip also marked our first National Trust vacation, which paved the way for many more in the future.
This time, we booked The Round House which is located deep in the woodlands of the Ickworth Estate. As you can see in the below photo, it’s very round!
Unlike, or probably like, our other holidays, we spent most of the time in and around the estate. The Ickworth Estate is about 70-odd miles from where we live, and I had to do that journey 4 times as I had to return to London for work at the end of the week.
On one of those days, we explored the Ickworth Estate including lunch at the Ickworth Hotel.
The Ickworth Estate is massive. After lunch, we decided to explore the gardens around the house. Even that short stroll turned out to be quite a bit of walking. Eventually, we made a full circle back to the car park on a lovely day.
Walsingham
One of the key highlights of our trip was a visit to The Catholic National Shrine & Basilica of Our Lady at Walsingham. The journey to Walsingham took about 75 minutes on winding roads, but I was surprised to find the Shrine tucked away on a narrow road with passing places.
During our visit, we went off-season, so it was very quiet. We grabbed lunch at their small tea room before exploring The Slipper Chapel. We also took the opportunity to visit the shop and pick up some holy water.
Closing Words
We had a relatively quiet holiday, although Baby had a great time exploring the area around the house, playing with rocks, and feeling the grass under her feet. Our nanny was with us, which allowed me to find some time to work on coding. Abhinav also joined us for a few days. Although work projects interrupted our holiday, we still managed to relax, and I personally enjoyed the long drives to and from London. My next proper break will be between Christmas and New Year, and I’ll be writing my summary post of the year that was. Stay tuned on the 31st of December.
