A cheap day out if the weather stays nice. (Saltram House (Plymouth))

Member Name: Claribella

Product:	Saltram House (Plymouth)
Date:	02/04/09 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do.

Disadvantages: Costs to see the house

After I gave birth to my son I was determined to loose the baby weight and would often be seen bombing around Saltram just to try and kick a few pounds. The reason I chose Saltram is because the grounds are absolutely beautiful and there are a number of walks that you can do around the grounds. It's actually free to use the grounds although you do have to pay to view the actual house.

Saltram house is one of the many National Trust houses in Plymouth and is located in Plympton. It is a Georgian house and is the place where the film Sense and Sensibility was filmed. It is beautifully decorated and according to Wikipedia is one of Britain's best persevered examples of early Georgian houses. If you fancy taking a look then it will cost an adult £12, a child £4 or you can buy a family ticket for £20.

For my family and I the grounds are the most attractive part of the whole place and that's not because they are free to use! If you take your car then as soon as you turn into the extensive driveway, the view will blow you away. One minute you are on a built up housing estate and then the next minute you are in beautiful, green forest. It's almost like someone has clicked there fingers and you have been transported to somewhere else on the planet.

The driveway has lots of speed bumps so don't drive too fast or you could end up being 'Exhaust-less'. There are plenty of places to park and even on the busiest of days we have always been able to get a space. The parking spaces space are opposite a big grassy area that has lots of picnic tables dotted around. There is also a little park for the children to play in although I would recommend it for really younger children. My son is two and needs a lot of help as there is a lot of climbing equipment rather than swings and see saw's.

As I mentioned before, there are a number of walks that you can do. You do have to find your way around but the first time I did it I followed the crowd. On a sunny day everyone seems to flock here so it's not easy to get lost. My favorite walk tends to go around in a huge circle and takes about an hour to do. It takes you past a field of cows, through a lovely woodland area, passed a lake and some trees that have been chopped which Noah loves climbing on. I also pass a little gypsy park, a house with chickens and ducks running around the garden and there is also a bird watching area somewhere along the route. The last bit of the walk takes you up a big hill and you pass by Saltram house before returning back to the picnic area and car park.

A bit further up from the park is a little restaurant which I have only used once. As with most places these days, they are really expensive and it cost me around £2 for a small coke. There are in and outdoor seats and the outdoor ones are in a sunny part of the garden.

The highlight of our day out at Saltram is the ducks. There is a little cobbled area with a few gift shops and right next to that is a lovely big pond with lots of ducks swimming around. The ducks are quite tame and will feed from your hand if you are brave enough. There is a sign on the wall asking that you only feed the bird's brown bread or corn from the shop because white bread can harm them.

Over all this is a cheap day out (excluding the house) which is great for picnics. There is a lot to do and if you fancy taking some balls and a cricket bat then there is room for that too. I am sure as the weather perks up and the holidays approach we will be spending a fair few days over there at Easter and in the Summer months.

Summary: A lovely day out in the sun.