Bristol vs the world

This Sunday, before yet another trip to B&Q, we ignored the fact that it was drizzling, pulled on our walking boots and made a diversion to Tyntesfield.

Once home to the Gibbs family (who made their fortune importing guano), Tyntesfield is a Gothic revival house in Wraxall, on the outskirts of Bristol. It’s now owned by the National Trust.

The house was closed this weekend (it reopens on Saturday (8th March) for summer season, which gives us a good excuse to revisit soon), but there was still plenty to explore in the grounds and gardens. We were perhaps lucky that it was quite quiet when we visited; we were the only people in the rose garden and there was only one other family in the kitchen garden. I’m sure it would be equally pleasant when busy – more buzzing perhaps – but it just felt really peaceful when we were there. The rose garden would definitely make for a perfect reading spot if it was a bit warmer (though I imagine then it wouldn’t be as quiet. Catch-22!).

We – unintentionally – happened to turn up on crafts market day too, which takes place on the first Sunday of every month. This was quite food-orientated when we were there (and predominantly preserves and cakes), but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We were also very tempted by some of the hand-crafted wooden benches on offer – unfortunately we’d taken the car with the small boot this time, but we won’t be making the same mistake again! (Another excuse to revisit…)

And obviously no visit to a Trust property is complete without a trip to the café for tea and scones – the perfect end to a slightly soggy walk.

Full disclosure: I’m a Trust employee so get free entry to properties. However this post is in no way affiliated to the Trust and this trip was taken of my own accord and in my leisure time.