Last weekend we took a Sunday afternoon trip to Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire with the kids, for a little exploring. As national trust members, we get to visit great places like this at any time with no entrance fee, just a monthly membership of £10 which is great value considering a single visit to our favourite place would cost triple that for one visit! You can also visit places all over the UK, so it's always good to take our cards on holiday to check out the local NT places too.
Although there isn't a great deal to do in Lincolnshire, having places like Belton house and now Tattershall to visit at any time is great for those weekends where we are low on funds or struggling for ideas of what to do. All the NT places are very family friendly and we've not been to one yet we haven't enjoyed.
For some reason we'd never ventured to Tattershall before, we'd been told there wasn't much there for kids so had left it on our to do list until now and I'm so glad we went.
On the day of our visit the sun was shining bright but with weather warnings for high winds, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves which is always good for us, less so for the castle. The castle itself is small and quaint, with a double moat, simple gardens, some ruins at the back and a beautiful church just by the car park which is also worth a visit.
We were given a map of the property and information on why it was built, who lived there and a history of the castle before it was taken over by the National Trust for visitors to enjoy. The castle is amazing inside and out, and although there's not a lot inside such as furniture or replica items, it really makes you use your imagination as to what it would have looked like and what the rooms would have been used for. The architecture is simple yet stunning, with great big fire places and beautiful windows and views.
If you venture up the 130 odd steps to the top, there's the best views of the surrounding countryside, lakes and castle grounds next door. Being Lincolnshire it's not roly poly hills and mountains as it's incredibly flat, but it was surprisingly nice to admire. It was really windy up there but a great place to be, just keep an eye on the kids and keep them close as it's very high!
Our kids really enjoyed our time at the castle, it just goes to show that although there were a few old fashioned games for them to try, they really don't need the big play parks and really do enjoy the history and exploration as much as any of us.
The staff at Tattershall were all very friendly and knowledgeable, with a cosy little gift shop serving refreshments. Although there isn't a formal cafe like most National Trust places, this was perfect for us with a nice hot chocolate to warm up with and plenty of seating outside in the grounds. On the way back to the car park we popped into the church to see inside and it's really quite stunning, home to the grave of 'Tom Thumb', bats (that we didn't see but really wanted to) and beautiful high ceilings and things to see.
The spring flowers were all out too, so there was lots of colour to enjoy and the sunshine just made it even better, so I'd recommend going on a nice day to get the full appreciation of the place. To get to the top there's a wide spiral staircase but worth noting no disabled access beyond the first floor which has a ramp. This is a great place to spend a few hours and will be enjoyed by all ages.
Does you family love castles too?
