The castle is lovely and grounds are absolutely stunning. Although the structure and landscaping…read moreare lovely, our tour guide felt the need to weave her strong political views into most topics. Examples would be regarding a pitcher/jug that is displayed in one of the glass cases. She said the pitcher "should not be here" and if she had her way "it would be returned" because it was "stolen from a masque." She also said when referring to Dr. Edward Jenner being the first to develop a successful vaccination for small pox that "it really is a question if he were the first." She said he barely beat Africa and Turkey in this world altering vaccine. To which doctors to whom was she referring to in Africa or Turkey? She made a comment of, " My grandfather always said, 'Whatever horrible acts done have been done have been done by the English first.' and I firmly believe this." She was also railing against the decisions of the monarchs before the addition of the parliament. Then she went on to say she wished she could get rid of the current government. A guide should concentrate on the facts and remove biases. It is quite distracting and unnecessary.

What can you say about one of the oldest inhabited castles in the world which is still owned by the…read moresame family from 900 years ago. You have to go. Its where Edward II was murdered with a red hot poker up his fundament .

Cabot Tower is a tower in Bristol, England, situated in a public park on Brandon Hill, between the…read morecity centre, Clifton and Hotwells. It is a grade II listed building. The tower was built in the 1890s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the journey of John Cabot from Bristol to land which later became Canada. It makes for a pleasant walk through the park, although a steep climb if you go to the top.. Lovely views of Bristol once you are there.

When I asked where we were going, I was told to see the Folly. Who doesn't love a good folly? Turns…read moreout my friend was talking about Cabot Tower. The park surrounding the tower is lovely, even a dreary November day. The tower allows great views of the city. The only problem is getting up and down on a busy Sunday. The steps are narrow and I may have slipped and thought I was going to die. Definitely worth a tour around and hopefully you won't have to pass folks on the stairs as you go up and down.

Bishopsworth Manor was built around 1720 and is a grade II* listed building. I've only ever stopped…read moreand gawped. Its a lovely old house. Nearby Manor Woods Valley would once have been part of the estate. The Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol is said to live there now and it is not open to the public. However it may be opening its doors to the public on Doors Open Day (this year will be on Saturday September 11th). I may up my rating from 3 stars to 4 stars then, for the moment its just a bit too frustrating to be on the outside wondering what is on the inside!

Clevedon Court is a lovely old National Trust property located near to Clevedon. It is quite small…read moreand wouldn't really make for a whole day out although it is good for an afternoon visit. The gardens are lovely with a steep hill that local children love to roll down. Refreshments are sold in the carpark in the Summer but are not generally available. It makes for a good day out when combined with nearby Tyntersfield in Wraxall, another National Trust property.

Clevedon Court is a lovely National trust property located on the outskirts of Vlevedon…read more Parts of the building are quite old and there are rooms dedicated to collections of glass and pottery. Some of the artwork is quite beautiful. The grounds are lovely, with loads of trees and flowers, though the gardens are small compared to many other properties in the National Trust. They have a small tea/food area located by the parking section. It's well worth a visit if you would like a nice afternoon out.

'Y Garreg Siglo' in Welsh, a great place to visit, not far from Pontypridd Hospital and with a…read moremarvellous view over the town. The central stone is over 5 feet high and placed there in Neolithic times. It does indeed 'rock' slightly back and forth if you sit or stand on it and push a bit! The stone circle surrounding it is much more recent, having been arranged there only one or two hundred years ago (there appears to be some dispute about the exact date). There are various other stones dotted about the Common. There are several places to park nearby along the road side.

Such a nice estate. I went here for dog walk, but would also be great for kids day out, picnics, or…read morejust a nice walk. There loads of areas to roam, lots of fields, woodlands tracks and kids play areas. We took the dogs a walk through the fields, then through the woods up to the castle and back down to the house. The house is a really lovely venue aswell for a wedding. I attended a wedding ceronmy in the house a few years ago which was beautiful. They have Carpark onsite and coffee/snack shop selling hot & cold food. We also had a ice lolly from the ice cream van aswell before we left :) Me and dogs will be back again very soon!

Lovely big park for walks, dog walks and picnics. Good sized playground for kids. Plus the Manor…read moreHouse is a museum where you can learn about the history of the estate.

Everyone has heard of Stonehenge, right? but maybe not these stones. These are most definitely…read moreworthy of a visit. here is some information regarding them - The megalithic complex at Stanton Drew in Somerset consists of three stone circles and a three-stone group known as "The Cove," dating back as far as 2000-3000 BCE. Although this is the third largest complex of prehistoric standing stones in England, it is surprisingly little known. The village of Stanton Drew preserves the third largest complex of standing stones in England, built about 4,500 years ago. Perhaps because it lies off the beaten track, its remarkable prehistoric stone circles have not received the same level of interest and exploration as the more famous examples at Avebury and Stonehenge. Yet recent surveys have revealed that the circles and cove were part of a much more elaborate and important ritual site than had previously been imagined. There are three stone circles at Stanton Drew, one large and two small.  They have never been excavated, so it is difficult to say exactly how, why and when they were built. However, based on comparison with other stone circles and timber monuments, it is likely that they were constructed as ceremonial monuments around 2500 BC, during the late Neolithic period. The Great Circle, at 113 metres (370 feet) across, is one of the largest in the country. It has 26 surviving upright stones, although there may once have been many more. Geophysical surveys, which detect features under the ground, have revealed that the monument would have looked very different 4,500 years ago. Inside the circle were nine concentric rings of wooden posts, each standing several metres tall. Although similar timber circles are known elsewhere, such as Woodhenge, this is the largest and most complex timber monument known in the British Isles. Surrounding the stones would have been a large and deep circular ditch, 6-7 metres (20-23 feet) wide and about 135 metres (440 feet) in diameter, probably with one or two banks, making it a henge monument. A 50-metre (164-foot) gap on the north-east side formed a wide entrance. The other two circles, to the south-west and north-east, are smaller. The remains of the north-east circle, even though it is the smallest of the three, include some of the largest and heaviest blocks of stone, which would have required many people to move. Within this circle, geophysical surveys have shown that four enormous timber posts once stood in a square. This is a type of monument built across Britain and Ireland during the late Neolithic period, sometimes called 'square-in-circle' or 'four-poster' sites. It is not yet understood whether these were buildings, raised platforms or some other form of ceremonial structures. The three circles stand on the floodplain of the river Chew. Both the Great Circle and the north-east circle were approached by short 'avenues' (parallel lines) of standing stones leading down towards the river. Most of these have now fallen

It's likely that you'll have heard of Stonehenge and Avebury, but Stanton Drew Stone circle? Not…read morequite so famous. Which is a shame because it's just on our doorstep and very pretty indeed. We parked just behind the pub (The Druid's Arms - a pertinent name!) and rambled into the fields, passing the £1 honesty box and paying our toll. The stone circle is owned by English Heritage, but the car park and stones themselves do need a bit of upkeep I suppose. You can grab a leaflet about the history of the place on the way through the kissing gate (how very English). It's dodge-the-sheep-poo into the field, and when we were there were certainly more sheep than people (so leave your canine friends at home). The stones themselves, monolothic structures, shaped into a circle with one flat horizontal rock in the middle. Fancy a picnic? This is a great place to lay out the table cloth in the summer (again, dodge the droppings though!) All in all, it takes less than 20 mins to wander around the whole site and is actually a larger site than Stonehenge (although the stones themselves are smaller). However, the pub's a nice one and there's a pretty church nearby - so you could easily spend a Sunday afternoon out in the area.

Drunk too much tea at the Hayes Island snack bar? Relieve yourself in style in these beautifully…read morearchitectured Victorian water closets. The latrines are framed by an ornate black metal gold tipped fence. A brass handrail guides you down to polished granite floors beneath the busy shopping street. When I visited the facilities they were clean and well maintained. I loved the heavy hardwood doors and brass fittings, the cast iron cistern and the smooth wooden chain pulls. But was slightly disturbed by the 'needle bin' facility on the wall, however better safely binned than scattered on the floor! Although wheelchair inaccessible, a notice on the fence helpfully tells you that disabled facilities can be accessed at the back of the Hayes Island snack bar during opening hours. Highly recommended.

The big yellow mansion you can see from the M32 is Dower House - built in 1553 by Sir Richard…read moreBerkeley and used subsequently as Pur Down Hospital and the Burden Neurological Institute. Closed in 1985 and converted into luxury flats (think just under a grand a month for a one bedroom). The house overlooks Stoke Park which connects freely to Pur Down fields and woods. You can get here off Broomhill Road - so if you are walking or cycling in Snuff Mills just go up the busy road until you get to the mini roundabout at the top and you will see a big pair of fancy black iron gates. Pedestrian access is to the right and a nice wide path leads you all the way up. There is a fishing lake at the bottom here which is very popular.