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Visit the National Trust this Christmas

5th December 2019

Categories: Visitor News

It doesn’t matter whether you are a member of the National Trust or not, you’ll find a whole host of exciting Christmas themed events and activities taking place at their properties all across Devon. These places are perfect for a wintery stroll or for entertaining the kids for a few hours and many of them are dog friendly, so the whole family can join in!

Devon has several properties and areas of land that are managed by the National Trust, and all of them are offering fun this Christmas, so take a look at what you can get up to below.

Starting off at the top of the county, in North Devon we have Arlington Court. The house and ground can be found just outside of Barnstaple and there are usually lots of fun activities taking place (top tip, if you have the free National Trust app, you can find out what events are being held when) and even more so at Christmas!
This year, the house has been decorated with Victorian style Christmas decorations and if you finish exploring the house and make your way over to the Carriage Museum, you might be lucky enough to spot Father Christmas in his grotto.

Image: Christmas at Arlington Court

At the other end of the county, in South Devon you’ll find several National Trust Properties. In the English Riviera is Greenway, best known for being Agatha Christie’s holiday home. The house has been decorated with a host of traditional decorations and some of the events taking place this year are food themed! This year, the celebrations centre around The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, an interactive story inspired by one of Christie’s novels. At the end of the tour, you can learn about the history of Christmas treats in the house kitchen and take a look at some of the traditional recipes on display.

Further south near Plymouth is the former home of Sir Francis Drake, Buckland Abbey, and at this time of year you’re greeted with a festive Tudor style wonderland. The décor even includes an entire galaxy of stars perfect for those Christmas wishes and Father Christmas will be in attendance too telling you all about the Christmas traditions of the day.

Image: Buckland Abbey.

If you’re in Mid Devon, don’t forget to pop into Castle Drogo, based in Exeter, especially because this is the first Christmas being celebrated here for about seven years. The castle is being refurbished and visitors are welcome to see the castle decorated for Christmas in the same way it would have been during its first ever Christmas season back in 1926 when it was the Drewes family home.

Guests are welcome to spend time having breakfast with Father Christmas and there is a themed trail around the castle grounds.

Also in the Exeter area is Killerton. The estate consists of a Georgian House surrounded by incredible grounds with landscaped gardens, orchards, farmland and more. It’s perfect for those bracing walks! As far as Christmas goes, this year, the house’s celebrations are themed around the poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas complete with costumes! An illuminated trail has been set up in the garden and Father Christmas will be making appearances!

Image: Father Christmas in traditional green will be visiting National Trust properties.

Nearby in Tiverton is Knightshayes which boasts one of the finest gardens in the south west. In the house, you’ll find a re-enactment of a traditional family Christmas with a 15ft tree and decorations in each room made in a Victorian style. This year the team have put up over 500 Christmas decorations to create a huge and beautiful installation.

Image: Knightshayes by night.

Don’t forget to stop off in the National Trust shops and the café at each site to grab yourself some festive treats – a trip to the café for a warming hot chocolate after exploring is a great way to warm up after all!

It isn’t just the houses that are gearing up for Christmas, many of the other sites run by the National Trust are getting into the spirit too, including Lydford Gorge, Saltram and Coleton Fisacre.

Don’t forget to share your photos of your visits to Devon’s National Trust places, you can find us and the National Trust on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.