This half-term we booked a four-night stay at Orchard Cottage, Somerset. We would be going away with our friends and Orchard Cottage looked like the perfect place to accommodate us all. The cottage is part of the Dillington Estate in Ilminster, just off the private drive of Dillington House. It was the perfect location for our holiday in Somerset and all the adventures we had planned.
An Overnight Stop at Salisbury
To make the drive to Ilminster easier for the children we booked Premier Inn overnight stays at the start and end of our holiday. Our stop on the way to Somerset was at Salisbury. This gave us the chance to visit Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a place I have only driven past as a child and Darren had never visited. It was nice to cross this historic monument off of our places to visit list.
Orchard Cottage, Dillington Estate
We couldn’t wait to arrive at Orchard Cottage. We knew we had booked a luxury cottage and we couldn’t wait to see it in person. Hoping it was going to be the perfect base for our holiday in Somerset.
Our Local Adventures At Orchard Cottage
For two days during our stay, we decided to stay local to our cottage. On the first day, we walked into Ilminster to visit the local butchers and buy lunch. This was a recommendation from Dillington Estate and we all really enjoyed our cooked lunch from the meat we purchased at Bonners of Ilminster.
We also visited Pip’s Railway Carriage Cafe, another recommendation from Dillington Estate. This quirky cafe is in a railway carriage. There is also seating in a green double-decker bus in an undercover outside area. All of the food there is meant to be amazing but we only stopped for a hot chocolate and cake break.
I got the chance to try my very first pumpkin spice item here. I had a pumpkin spice cheesecake.
The cakes really are amazing!
We also walked to Dillington House and looked around the gardens. It looks like an amazing place to get married. In December they are hosting a Christmas event that includes an ice-skating rink. I bet that will be an amazing weekend to visit.
Being that it was Halloween we couldn’t let it pass without a little Halloween celebration. We were gifted a Halloween party pack from Sparkle Parties which included decorations and party supplies.
As well as a pin the nose on the witch game.
We also carved pumpkins and spent the evening in front of the fire with a nice takeaway.
Visiting Longleat Safari Park
Orchard Cottage is only an hour away from Longleat Safari Park so we couldn’t pass up the chance to visit. I had no idea what to expect when we visited and it really is an amazing place with so much to see and do. They were setting up for The Festival of Light whilst we were there and it looks like it will be amazing. I think we will have to plan a future visit at Christmas time.
Visiting Monkey World
On the way to the final destination of our half-term holiday, we stopped at Monkey World in Dorset. We were gifted entrance in exchange for a review. Monkey World had come highly recommend and I was looking forward to our visit. During the day of our visit the rain did arrive in the afternoon but we managed to visit all of the monkeys.
Visiting Paultons Park
Our final destination was to spend a day at Paultons Park the home of Peppa Pig World. At nearly ten Ethan still loves Peppa Pig and Paultons Park has been on our must-visit list for many years. We were always worried that Ethan wouldn’t be able to cope with the travelling distance. Being so close I had to add it into our half-term plans.
Unfortautly our visit was during one of the windest and wettest days of the half-term holiday. Lots of the high rides were closed at the start of the day but we managed to go on all but two of the Peppa Pig rides. Both Ethan and Little E were in their element. We also somehow managed to dodge most of the rain. I’m so glad we stuck to our plans. I’m sure the children will ask to visit again in the future too.
We had a lovely half-term holiday in Somerset with our friends. It was great getting to visit more places in the UK. Hopefully, this is the start of exploring more of the United Kingdom.
