Days out in West Sussex with the National Trust
| From the beautiful stately home Petworth House with its enormous deer park, to Woolbeding Gardens in a quiet corner of West Sussex (you need to book in advance for that one), from walking on the Devil's Dyke and enjoying the views over Sussex countryside and the sea, to visiting Nymans Gardens. The National Trust has lots of helpful information about its places and things to do in Sussex, including:
Just click here to read all about it! And you can find out all about the events taking place here.
Memberships to organisations such as the National Trust give you a great opportunity to explore parts of Sussex you wouldn't ordinarily see - and to catch up with people. I met my friend at Standen House (okay, so that's in East Sussex just outside East Grinstead) for a coffee in their wonderful cafe and thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. Standen House is an Arts and Crafts family home with Morris & Co. interiors and it's set in a beautiful garden There's also Nymans, with its intimate gardens - and incredible views of the Sussex Weald! I just love walking there, taking in the vistas. The nice thing about Nymans is that the gardens aren't too big, so it's a great place for a relaxing stroll before you stop to explore the gift shop and take in some refreshments. The medieval manor house was remodelled in the 1920s and some of it is in ruins, but that somehow adds to the history of the place. Book lovers will love stopping at the second hand book shop, set in the old Potting Shed.
The recent programme on Winston Churchill wetted my appetite to re-visit Chartwell again, Churchill's beautiful home with its stunning gardens. And I loved my visit to Quebec House in Kent, childhood home of General James Wolfe who led the British to victory at the Battle of Quebec in 1759. There's nothing like heading out to East Head on the south coast, whether on a winter's day or a summery one. Or visit the Cissbury Ring, with its history dating back over 5,000 years. Centuries of continues grazing have produced a wonderful habitat for butterflies and flowers.
The gardens at Wakehurst Place stretch across 500 miles, and there are formal Mansion gardens. The Millennium Seed Bank has over 2.4 billion seeds from around the world, and it's banking them there in an underground collection to conserve them for the future. And it's got one of the UK’s largest outdoor art installations, Planet Wakehurst, by artist Catherine Nelson, and it's a celebration of our wild botanic garden with a built-in viewing platform 33ft high so that you can look out across Wakehurst and beyond. In East Sussex, there's Sheffield Park and Gardens near Uckfield, with historic parkland and woodland. The River Ouse floodplain is recently restored riverside wildlife haven, home to a species such as kingfishers, birds of prey, butterflies and dragonflies.
In short, you can indulge in and lose yourself in beautiful surroundings, discover more about the past, wander through stunning gardens or enjoy a refreshing and brisk walk in stunning scenery.
Enjoy all these when you become a member
Here's a list of FAQs about membership, in case you have any questions Membership subscriptions, donations and volunteers all contribute to look after all the places the Trust cares for. So you’ll be directly contributing to the protection of over 257,000 hectares of land, over 300 historic houses and gardens, and 775 miles of coastline when you take out a membership. And if you go on holiday around the UK, you can still use your membership - it's not exclusive to Sussex - there are over 500 places to enjoy, so even if you have a short weekend break away, it's worth checking to see what's in the area so that you can make the most of your membership and visit. As well as England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can use your National Trust membership card in 14 other countries, including Scotland. Join today or why not give a gift membership? |
