We wake up at 6:15, pack our bags and the tent and we leave at 7. It’s 20 minute drive to the border controle of Le Shuttle. All goes smooth, and we can even board a train earlier . We depart at 8:30 and arrive at 8.00.
Then we realise we did not calculate the time difference, as it’s a 1 hour drive to the first site, which gardens only open at 10. The house opens at 11. So, we start our UK trip with a pitstop for some petrol, and drive slowly to Chartwell. We arrive at 9:45, so we take it even more easy and have a tea and exploration of the second hand bookstore.
We spend the morning at Churchills residency. We start with the garden. It’s already getting warm. The kids love the Marycot, a small townhouse built in the garden for the family’s youngest daughter.
Then, it’s time for the main house. Churchill lived in the house for over 40 years, between 1922 and 1965. The National Trust got it straight after his death in 1966, so the inside looks like the family just left.
As we discover the house, we get to know the family man and artist behind the states man. We even see his bed- and bathroom, which feels intimate.
The kids have to find an animal in every room, the game is keeping them at least as interested in peeking in every room as their parents.
We visit Churchills study, library and waiting room, where you can imagine people visiting with top-secret information around WW II. And Churchill strategising towards victory. There are also two museum rooms showing impressive gifts, uniforms and prices, such as the Nobel price for literarurw. And a warrant written in Dutch, with a 25 gulden reward from the time when he escaped from a Boer prisoner of war camp in South Africa.
When the house is done, we visit Churchills atelier, showcasing many of his paintings.
As it’s close to lunch time, we leave and buy some groceries at Lidl before heading West for 1,5 hour to get a bit closer to Wales. It’s 36 degrees when we pass Londen. We look for a campsite close to a river to pitch our tent later today, but first visit The Vyne, another National Trust site.
It’s extremely warm to walk to the house through the garden, and once we’re inside, Zeno has to poo. Now. As the toilets were on the other side of the garden, Zeno is allowed to use a hidden toilet in the house.
In the meantime, Tim and Cleo visit the house of the Chute’s. A family of barristers and landowners that transformer the 15th century Tudor house to a more classical Georgian style house with a large portico. It’s a bit of a class of styles but the rooms are richly decorated and the volunteers liven up the visit with lots of extra information about the pieces.
We reunite at the chapel where stained glass picture King Henry VIII and one of his six wifes.
We rest a bit in the playground before we drive the final 1,5 hour to our campsite at the riverside. It’s busy on the small English roads with many slow tractors. The car is working hard to keep us cool, and we’re happy to arrive on the campsite at 17:30.
Olga pitches the tent while Tim and kids jump in the river and follow it’s current around the camp site. They go out when they pass the tent. Luckily Cleo wants to go another time, to show Olga the way to the cold water.
The kids warm up in the sun while Olga prepares dinner. It cools down much quicker than in France. We have dinner in cardigans in 25 degrees.
It feels super strange that we woke up in France this morning. What a long, but super nice day this was!
Tim looks at the map and sees that we are surrounded by all kind of castles and manor houses so he does a quick aerial tour to finish the day.
