Spring had sprung full of bluebells, snow drops, jonquils and a host of golden…read moredaffodils....thousands of them at Wimpole Hall gardens! A treat too good to miss, so on with the wellies and out into the cold to view carpets of yellow bobbing heads in the wind, so many different varieties - double headed, frilled and ruffled, diverse colours, small and tall - a visual feast. Once we were seeing yellow even when we blinked we moved onto the walled garden area to nab tips on how to overwinter a garden and tend to spring plants. Next was my favourite bit the working farm full of farm animals. The piggies were oinking with delight in the sunshine, tiny piglets tucked into their mum's milky tums, teen piggies squealing and tussling in the hay, absolute porkers stretched out getting some vitamin D. Working shire horses next, all enjoying a Sunday rest in their stables, majestically tall and proud. Goats watched us from their pen as we strolled over to the rabbit area where you can stroke a soft fluffy bunny :) The National Trust are doing an amazing job at Wimpole creating such a stunning environment and still a working farm. Next visit I hope to go inside Wimpole Hall to take a peek at the treasures. Interestingly the cashier at the entrance explained you can join a US based Royal Oak Foundation to gain access to National Trust properties too: https://www.royal-oak.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16989092567&gbraid=0AAAAAojR5xkph6HhxgWwr0TrOTJFbLimN&gclid=CjwKCAjw-J3OBhBuEiwAwqZ_h8aFOrcjYZKrJ52bVVUoAmKQgEiZaZPiklQqW3F1jwx77CamTcpgaxoCIoMQAvD_BwE

Wimpole Hall Estate, now in the care of the National Trust, includes a grand stately home, a…read moreworking farm, lovely gardens and grounds (excellent for long walks), a cafe, shop and bookstall, and also includes an historic parish church. The history of the site dates back 2,000 years, though the Chicheley family who owned the estate from 1428 to 1686 began the core of the house we see today. The estate then passed through the hands of a dizzying array of nobility (the Earls of Radnor, the Duke of Newcastle, the Earl of Oxford and then the Earls of Hardwicke). Philip Yorke (1690-1764), 1st Earl of Hardwicke rebuilt the north and south fronts, but is also notorious for a judgement made while he was Attorney-General, which maintained that slaves brought to the UK remained enslaved while on British soil. The house passed to Viscount Clifden in 1894, before being bought by Captain George and Mrs Elsie Bambridge in 1942. The daughter of Rudyard Kipling, Elsie used her wealth to refurbish and furnish the hall, and is largely responsible for the condition in which we find it today. The hours for viewing the house are slightly more restricted than the rest of the grounds, but it is still well worth a visit. The former stables include a shop and bookshop, and nearby in the Old Rectory (behind the church) is a very nice café, serving usual range of light meals, cakes and teas that the National Trust is well known for. My favourite part of the site is the extensive walled garden, which from spring to autumn is a riot of colour, mostly herbaceous perennials. The church is also well worth a visit; this functions as the parish church, and was largely rebuilt in the late 18th century. However, it retains a 14th century mediaeval chapel (the Chicheley Chapel) which contains an impressive array of monuments of the nobility who have owned the Hall down the years. The estate now (2025) has a large series of car parks and a new, purpose-built visitor centre with toilets, about 250m from the house. Those with accessibility needs are advised to look at the National Trust website, which has details about access.

This is the late Lord Lionel Walter Rothchild's lifetime passion, his pride and joy. He hated…read moreworking at the family bank (as you do) and much preferred collecting and collating animals in an enormous way. He then stuffed the animals (as you do) and kept them in this enormous collection. At some stage his collection was donated to The Natural History Museum and this is its Tring Branch. You can see almost every animal that you can think of in less than 1 hour ; tiger, lion, rhino, polo bear other bears, zebra, domestic dogs. An enormous python. A huge selection of insects - these days Lord Rothchild may have been considered to be on the spectrum - and he seemed to want to collect as many verities of the same insect as possible. The children love it, especially on a rainy day.

This museum is free to enter, and is a fun filled day out for all the family…read more This museum displays stuffed animals from all over the world, and you can see pretty much every animal/bird/insect/creature you can imagine here, from whales and giraffes to gorillas, tigers, and even butterflies! There are beaultiful grounds outside to eat a packed lunch, or there are refreshments available, and a little gift shop which is reasonably priced. Kids and grown ups alike will love this place!

We have recently moved to Chesham and I can't tell you how pleased I was to come across 'The White…read moreHill centre'. My son does drama there on a Saturday morning with Blag theatre group and there are countless meetings and clubs advertised on the notice boards. gardening, sewing, keep fit,pilates etc. It is a good source for information about what is going on in the local area as ther e is afoyer stuffed with leaflets and posters advertising all sorts of events .It is a great resource for the locals.This is a hub of activity .The building itself is old and has corridors a bit like a rabbit warren.I am sure that it was once used for something else.I must find out as Chesham is full of historic buildings. From the centre of Chesham you can see the White Hill centre clearly as you look up White Hill and beyond to fields and fabulous views.

Loved this small quirky museum squashed with charming yet informative exhibits, from local…read morearchitectural pieces such as medieval door frames to saxon skeletons set under the floor, an Egyptian mummy to interactive childrens exhibits, coins to clothes, and of course you can't forget Wallace the lion, one of the shabbiest looking pieces of beloved taxidermy :) The ladies at reception were very friendly, there are 2 floors to explore and it is jam packed with something for everyone. Definitely recommend it, the entrance price was cheap for the amount you can gawk at

A really charming and well maintained little museum. There was always something to hold the…read morechildren's attention from the obvious brushing for treasures in a sandpit, colouring table and nice big grassy area outside to run around to more hidden treasure likes a stuffed fox and headgehog to stroke and glass panel flooring with skeletons underneath! There really are some incredible treasures in this place and we learnt a lot about history of the local area (which was integral to British history in general) in a fun way. We spent about an hour here and there was a place for a picnic or there was a big park close by too with a children's playground.

For a good fun day out with your kids Stevenage museum is the place to go. As well as being very…read moreinteresting and interactive about the history of Stevenage. They often have speciality exhibits ranging form the Romans throughout history. During the summer holidays the run work shops for all ages with either free or very little admission price. Very friendly and informative staff, lots of fun things for children to do including a hunt around the museum having to pick up on certain objects to collect a prize at the end. The places get filled up for workshops so look out for announcements to book your place early.

The attraction here is as the name implies, the collection. A large number of vintage aircraft are…read moreon display and the museum is one of those that exhibits a collection rather than tells a themed story, although there is plenty about the early years of powered flight. I visited on a day when there was no special event involving aircraft so maybe the place comes alive when there are air displays. Quite expensive but there is a small discount if you pay in advance online so do that if you can.

A wonderful collection of historic aircraft including some VERY early bi- and tri-planes. Unlike…read moremany aircraft museums this one actually flies most of their planes at some time during the year. We were told one plane was never flown because it was too dangerous! Very reasonably priced, you can spend the whole day walking around looking at old planes, talking to people restoring them, and maybe see something take off using the grass landing field - just like in WWI era. The museum shop also has some interesting artifacts, like reproductions of the Pilots Handbook for Spitfire and other WWII planes.

This is an excelent museum situated by the beautiful river. They have regualr exhibitions and…read moreduring the school holidays they have lots of activities going on for the children. Most of the things they have there are free, we recently went to a showing of reptiles which our children loved. Access is a drag if you have a pushchair or wheelchair.

The House On The Hill Toy Museum is the nuts! If you've got a penchant for all things retro in the…read moretoy department, you will be in heaven in this place. Depending on which way you look at it, and what your interests are, entry to the museum is either a free bonus when going to Stansted Mountfitchett Castle (see my other review!), or the Castle is an interesting diversion once you've been to the Museum. Either way, as you walk up the hill to get there you are greeted by signs on your left showing some of the stuff you're about to see and interesting facts about the museum (like the one that informs you it's the largest toy museum in the world and is 250 feet above sea level). On the right is the 'dinosaur encounter' - there are some pretty big models of dinosaurs and some sound effects as you go up, the kids love it as they are almost hiding in the surrounding grass. On entry you realise that history is just as important to the museum as the toys themselves, as they are complemented by some excellent nostalgia-inducing items. On this occasion I walked straight in to a full size robin reliant bedecked in Trotters Brothers livery and a cabinet with all kinds of signed merchandise and books etc for both Only Fools and Horses and Dad's Army. Peppered throughout the museum are also pieces of WWII aeroplanes that were brought down around Herts and Essex. Couple that with the soon encountered display of WWII artefacts (some very rare) and you get a sense of the passion for history that the owners have. But, what we're all there for is the toys. You will slowly make your way around saying things like, 'Wow! I used to have one of those! and nudging your reluctant visiting partner and saying, Woah, do you remember those?!. Toy after toy after toy will leave you with equal doses of wonderous joy and sad, departed regret, but all will hold your fascination for some time. There are toys from every single generation on display here, so it really is a place for the whole family, and each display has a fact card with some interesting little nuggets to read about the exhibits. Highlights are: The largest single collection (I believe) of Action Men and accessories, including some very rare stuff. A huge collection of Star Wars toys and memorabilia, Barbie/Cindy, Meccano, Britain's figures, TV Tie-Ins such as the A-Team and the Smurfs, Board Games through the ages, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and a section with some arcade games - new and old. You can buy Old Pennies to use on some of the machines there too which is a nice touch. There are also Lego stations dotted around on one floor to keep the kids amused while you peruse all of the corner-of-the-eye-tear-inducing objects surrounding you. There are nods to the music industry too, with some interesting little trinkets to look at. It doesn't feel that big in the cubic metre sense in here, but with most of the cases being crammed full of stuff it's irrelevant - you will be there for a long time if you really want to appreciate all that you can see. Kids just love looking at all the stuff, adults even more so. This is a pretty well hidden little gem of a place, and if you're in the area, it's a must see. As a final note, car parking in the immediate vicinity is limited to a council-run public car park, so take some change with you (it was £2.00 for 6 hours so not hideously expensive, but needed if you're going to the castle too). There are other parking places but they are a walk away. Also, at the time of writing, admission to the museum is included with your ticket to the castle, and is priced at £8.50 for adults and £6.50 for children.