Today I felt like Hermione Granger

I've made it my mission to appreciate England more. Whenever anyone say's 'holiday' we automatically picture ourselves on a plane out of England and somewhere exotic. And don't get me wrong, the world has many fantastic holiday destinations to offer but since returning from my travels last September, I realised that I have barely explored the country that I actually live in. When speaking to people from other countries, they seemed so excited about the prospect of travelling to the UK to experience it's beauty and history. I began to feel a little embarrassed about how I felt that England was just, well, a little boring. I've been to London a couple of times,visited a few of the seaside towns, once even ventured up to Northumberland, but all in all I haven't spent much time exploring this place which really is quite a shame.

There are SO many cool places to visit here, even if just for one day. That's the beauty of it I think- we all love to get away from the ordinary and to have a break from the mundane, so why not spend a Sunday visiting one of the beauty spots of England and getting to know your own turf a little? 

So I kickstarted this mission with a day trip to the fascinating Lacock Abbey. Set in rural Wiltshire, you can't help but walk around this place and feel like you're on the set of some period drama. It's rich in character and holds 800 years worth of history. Back in 1232, the abbey was founded as a nunnery by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, and you can wonder through the 'Cloisters' which is where the nuns would have spent most of their day sat on cold, hard benches practising their prayers and reading. These cloisters are also famous for their part in the Harry Potter movies. There are even cauldrons dotted around which make you feel like you're actually wondering around Hogwarts, "experiamaaas". 

There is also a museum here which celebrates the achievements of William Henry Fox Talbot, who began pioneering the photographic negative in 1834 whilst working at the abbey. The museum holds a fantastic display of his work which is really interesting whether you're a keen photographer yourself or not. 

I read somewhere that the abbey once cost £750ish to buy. If only I could go back in time and take that amount of money with me, I can't imagine how surreal it would be living in a building like that. Lacock village itself is just as beautiful. It's very traditional and has lots of cute little houses and a couple of pubs where you can go to relax at the end of your day spent wondering around the grounds of the abbey.

If you're after a relaxed day of wondering around a beautiful village whilst learning some history at the same time, then I would highly recommend this place. I can't believe this lovely this corner of the world has been on my doorstep for the past 7 years and I have only just visited it! Definitely looking forward to taking more days out like this. England, I am sorry for abandoning you.

:)

Beer garden

A rare photo of me and my Dad :)