Our Final National Trust Pass Visit, May 2025

Well our National Trust pass was due to expire on the Monday so we thought we’d squeeze one last trip out of it before it did. There are hundreds of places to visit with the pass, all across the UK so you’re never short of something to see or do in your local area or further afield.

To mark the retiring of our pass, we decided to do a double trip. Penrhyn Castle was one of our favourite visits last year as it was a stunning place, so we added that as stop one. Stop two was over to the nearby Bodnant Gardens, another of our favourites, as we still hadn’t seen the Laburnum Arch in full bloom, and it was in full bloom on this day!

Another trip along the North Wales coast road, passing about 100 other castles as we went, over to Penrhyn Castle. If you’ve read our full trip from last year, you’ll find its a stunning castle both inside and out, with a very Hogwarts vibe, especially the grand staircase.

It was a visit at a different time of year this time, so luckily it wasn’t wet everywhere outside. The sun was shining and the gardens looked fantastic, basking in the sunshine. The Castle itself, glowing in the sunshine was standing prominently amid a backdrop of lush green landscape.

As with everywhere, prices have gone up. Entry to Penrhyn Castle in 2025 starts at £17 per adult, and £8.50 per child, with under 5’s free. Family passes start at £25.50 and parking is free to all guests.

We did the usual walk around the Castle walls and went on the tour inside the building, through the living areas, checking out the stained glass windows and displays as we passed through into the grand staircase. The staircase itself still looks magnificent with all of the intricate detailing and light shining through the ceiling above. Again, its very Harry Potter feeling. We did spot a lot of different gargoyle type faces carved around the staircase this time. You see something different everywhere you look.

After viewing the upstairs areas and over the balcony to the large main room below, we headed back out through the gift show and cafe area to the courtyard inside the castle walls. Here, we found something we must have missed last time.. or it was closed. You could walk around the kitchens.

Down a few awkward steps (there was also a ramp for disabled access) and into a smaller yard area, lead to the kitchens. The main staff kitchen was a large, open room with several large tables all decorated with period pots, pans and food items. Along the wall was a large open fire area with a roasting spit. The next room was where all of the crockery was stored and all of the tables and cupboards where loaded with cups, plates, bowls and serving dishes. The final rooms were the pantry room with tables filled with fake fish, meat and poultry.

While the kids ventured off to the adventure playground, I went in search of caffeine. There’s a smaller cafe inside the middle courtyard area, so I headed there. We’d brought a packed lunch so no food required, but the waft of fresh pastry and spices was too much. I checked out the fresh counter and they had a curried cauliflower pasty. Now, I’m not vegan or vegetarian, and as a rule I don’t like pasties, but this thing smelled delicious, and I can confirm it tasted good too!

The kids play area at Penrhyn Castle is tucked away in a wooded area in the middle of the castle grounds. It’s a fun little walk through to find it and its got a fair bit there to keep the kids entertained. Obstacle courses, climbing frames, see-saw and a giant swing, plenty to do here. So whilst the kids played, I took advantage of the peace and quiet and tucked into my coffee and pasty.

That was it for our trip to Penrhyn Castle this time. Its a stunning place that is well worth a visit. Some castles can be a bit empty and boring for kids, but this one has a lot to see and do. The castle makes a great backdrop for a picnic on a summers day and is a lovely place to just walk around.

We initially came to Bodnant Gardens last year and loved it. I said then and I’ll say it again, I’ m not one for walking around “gardens”, it sounds boring. But his place felt a but more special. Parts of it felt like you were walking around Tolkien’s Middle Earth, other areas were relaxing and tranquil, its full of history and architecture too. But the main reason we’d headed back was to see the Laburnum Arch in full bloom.

When we came last year the Laburnum arch was past it’s best. No flowers, just a long tunnel of dead and dying plants. This time though was a completely different story. Alive with bright yellow flowers, the arch really is a spectacle and one of the things Bodnant Gardens has become known for.

It’s hard to catch it empty for a decent photo, but it was relatively quiet towards the end of the day when we visited this time so managed to get a few good shots. We walked a few times through the 55 metre long bright yellow tunnel, with the flowers dangling down overhead and we were so glad we’d managed to catch it this time.

We did a full lap of the gardens and saw everything. Walked along the edge of the streams, saw a Heron wading in the shallows, watched thousands of tadpoles swimming in the water near the Boathouse, walked along the bridges and stepping stones, visited the kids play tunnel at the back, found the great view of the stone bridge through the Rhododendron branches and made our way to the Old Mill in The Dell for some ice cream. Disappointingly, there was no Bara Brith ice cream this time. Insert sad face here.

Unlike our last trip, we walked up to The Poem on this occasion. The Victorian Mausoleum building sits high on a bank, looking down over the bridge and waterfalls below. Visually, its stunning and sits perfectly in this picturesque spot. When you get up to it though, there’s just a few shoddy looking locked doors which spoils the overall appeal of it. Best look at it from afar and imagine it looking pretty many years ago.

A visit to Bodnant Gardens isn’t complete without walking up towards the Pin Mill for that postcard shot. It’s a stunning area. We walked around the pond and up through the tiered gardens whilst taking in the amazing scenery. Climbing back up to the top past the garden pond an upwards to Bodnant Hall and it’s views over the Welsh countryside.

A great way to finish our National Trust pass. Glad we were able to finally see the Laburnum Arch in bloom and great to walk around the picturesque gardens again. Its a lovely place to visit. And who knows, if we get a National Trust pass again, we’ll definitely be back.

Bodnant Gardens prices have increased since our last visit. Adult tickets now start from £18, Children from £9 and under 5’s are free. Family Pass combinations are £27-£45 depending on the selected option. Car parking is also free but was very busy due to the Laburnum arch being in full bloom, so you have to book to visit during this time even with a pass. Oh, and be prepared to walk much further from the overflow car parks.

Head to the National Trust website for more information on Bodnant Gardens and Penrhyn Castle.