By Stormy the Dog.
I recently visited a place with my family called Bateman’s, which is owned by the National Trust. Apparently, a man lived there who wrote a book about animals (Rudyard Kipling). It seemed like a long drive to get there compared to my usual short trip to the woods, and I squeaked a lot on the way, according to Mum.
I wasn’t allowed in the house for some reason (something to do with dirty paws). I could see through the windows that they had decorated some trees for Christmas, and my family were quite excited about it.
The Batemans Christmas theme is The Jungle Book, which Kipling wrote.
They then decided to have a picnic, which I had to wait through with just the occasional boring treat. I just wanted to run and sniff.
Eventually, we went for a walk around the gardens and woods, and Mum let me off for a bit in the woods where I could run—at last.
We had to stop again so the humans could look inside the watermill, which had another Christmas tree, but then we continued on another walk.
Dogs are welcome on leads around the gardens, and National Trust places are very welcoming to dogs. They put out water bowls, have doggy gifts in the shops, and you can get a “pooch passport” to get stamped on each visit, with a gift when you have collected enough stamps. We can even go in the tearooms if you haven’t brought a picnic.
I had a lovely time and am looking forward to my next adventure.
Batemans National Trust,
Bateman’s Lane,
Burwash,
East Sussex,
TN19 7DS
