There has been one local National Trust property that I have been wanting to visit for some time, but we never seem to have got there – Cloud’s Hill in Bovington.
Cloud’s House was once home to T.E Lawrence a British scholar, writer and soldier who mobilised the Arab Revolt in World War One and became famous as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
The cottage itself is very easy to find as is close to the Tank Museum. I think holding a Cadbury’s Egg hunt made it a very popular location for local families as the small carpark was packed and I was lucky to find the last space.
We collected our Easter Egg hunting sheet which involved finding articles hidden in army satchels dotted around the site, which also challenged the children to answer questions about Lawrence of Arabia himself.
His cottage was tiny but packed full of memorabilia. He loved a hot bath and installed the bathroom in the cottage, lining the walls with cork and fed water up by pump from a nearby tank and fitted a boiler into the room to heat it.
Lawrence himself slept in barracks at nearby Bovington Camp but he let his guests stay overnight in the Bunk Room. He made the ‘ships’ cabin’ bed himself and on top of it you can see his own sleeping bag. He also kept food in this room, such as cheese and nuts, in glass bell jars and lined the room with metal foil to keep it cool and it was really surprising how small the cottage was.
Outside the cottage is a motorbike shed which used to house Lawrence’s beloved Brough Superiors but now contains a display about Lawrence’s life and basic facilities for making tea and coffee.
In the evenings Lawrence loved to climb up to the top of the small hill overlooking the cottage. There he would spend time in quiet meditation and look down on his peaceful retreat. The kids were itching to climb up and we found a couple of picnic tables to rest at and then slid most of the way back down again!
The kids were very pleased with themselves that they completed the trail and worked about the clues to find the missing word, each earning a chocolate bunny reward.
If you have an interest in T.E Lawrence and his life then I highly recommend a visit to Clouds Hill, but I do advise you plan it in with a visit to the Tank Museum, Monkey World or Lulworth as it is a tiny site in comparison to other National Properties and I cannot see anyone being there much more than an hour.
I’ve not heard of this place before but it looks really good. We missed out on Easter hunts this year for various reasons, which I’m really sad about.
What a lovely property and place for a spot of Easter Egg Hunting!
What a lovely place for an egg hunt!! I love an easter egg hunt, even today (five days after easter!!) we had an egg hunt in the garden!
The house looks so interesting to have a look around! Bet the kids were pleased with their chocolate bunnies 🙂 xx
I drove past this yesterday on the way to the Tank Museum and wondered what it was like. Will take a look sometime when we are out that way. Thanks for sharing #countrykids
What a great place to explore, I’d never heard of Clouds Hill before but it looks jam packed with history. It’s great that the kids enjoyed exploring and learning about T.E.Lawrence, I bet they loved all the quirky little designs in it. I’m amazed how small it is but it looks like you spent a lovely afternoon earning some chocolate!
Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.
We’ll be down that way next month and the Tank museum was on our list of places to visit, maybe we can pop into Clouds Hill too, it sounds interesting.
#countrykids
It’s surprising that such a small place holds so much heritage. Perfect location for a bit of Easter egg hunting too 🙂 x
One of the best locations for egg hunting. Looks like everyone had so much fun.
Looks like a lovely place for a day out and great to combine with Easter fun too
I drove past this last year on the way to Bovington and had to admit my ignorance (also as a house in our village was renamed Clouds Hill and I had no idea why until my mum enlightened me!). Good to see what’s there and I’ll add it to a day out in the area next time we are passing. #CountryKids
We’re National Trust members but have never taken the trip to Clouds Hill. After reading this we’re going to plan a trip with some other attractions thrown in x
How lovely to be able to explore and investigate this little gem. I do like a bit of history, and I love how properties like this are available for us to visit.
Looks like a really good place to hunt and explore
What a lovely little place to set small peoples imagination alight! I love it although I’d never heard of it before, and would be a great place to visit #countrykidsfun
I have never heard of Cloud Hill but is amazing how much history it is entrenched in. That is one super Easter egg hunt x
This is one NT property we haven’t been to so must do when we are next down that way-it looks a super day out! #countrykids
I haven’t done that one yet, but great tip about combining it with the other ones! I will remember that
Looks like a great day! I love visiting national trust places.
This looks like such an interesting place to visit, definitely one to bear in mind next time I visit any of the nearby attractions.
What an interesting place for an Easter egg hunt. #CountryKids