A wintery walk at Croome

We bought National Trust membership last Easter, and have visited a few places since. This weekend, we fancied visiting a different property. Quite a few close over the winter months, so we had limited choice. We spotted that Croome in Worcestershire was open. With huge grounds and a house to explore it seemed perfect.

You don’t really get a sense of the vastness of the estate to start with. From the reception area, you walk through a woodland pathway. We paused the bird hide to watch lots of birds (and a couple of squirrels) on the feeders. We had a look in at the ice house, before the path bought us to the church and a view over the Croome Estate.

The view was surprising and spectacular. It was obviously helped by the clear, sunny, blue skies. As well as the first glimpse of the house and grounds. There were fantastic views of the Malvern Hills. Rich and I were so inspired, that we took a detour over the hills on the way home.

The path looped round towards the back of the house. On the way round I spotted the first snowdrops of the year. These were the only bit of wildlife. A buzzard perched onto of a statue. Until it moved, you could easily have believed that it was part of the statue.

The path took us round to the back of the house. It was an impressive building. The steps up to the building were flanked by two stone sphinx. Emily was very amused by these and asked why the “ladies had their boobies out”! Thankfully, I don’t think anyone heard!

Before we went into Croome Court itself, we couldn’t resist walking across the Chinese Bridge. Crossing the bridge, you can walk across the other side of the river to explore more of the estate. However, we were keen to explore the building.

To enter the property, you need to walk round to the front of the house. The front is just as grand as the back of the property. I tried to get Rich and the girls to pose at the top of the stairs. Of course, the girls are at that age where they won’t always play ball!

Regular visitors to National Trust properties may find the interior of Croome Court a bit of a disappointment. The furnishings had all been sold off in the past to pay off debts, and restoration of the building is being done throughout. However, there were exhibitions – including works from a local artist, which made the visit interesting. There were some impressive fireplaces and ceilings, which made it easier to imagine the grandeur or the house in its hay day.

After lunch in the restaurant, the girls wanted to play in the RAF-themed playground. By this time they were getting quite tired from our long walk, so we headed home. However, there is still so much more of Croome to explore, that we will be going back.