Exploring Together our Summer 2026 programme
Bookings for each trip opens on a Tuesday about one month before the trip. Put these dates in your diary! An email with the Ticket Tailor link will be sent to all members to remind you that booking has opened. The Ticket Tailor link will also appear below when booking opens.
If you can’t book online you can pay in person at the Museum at 1 North Parade, BA11 1AT, Phone 01373 454611 or email trips@fsls.org.uk
A few points to remember:If you are bringing a guest who is not a member, they will need to pay an an extra £5. Please let us know their name and contact details in advance of the trip.
If the trip is to a National Trust (NT) property NT members have free entrance if you bring your NT card. Non NT members must pay the full entrance fee on arrival.
For health and safety reasons, all passengers on trips, including guests, must be named on the attendance list. We also need everyone’s contact details, including email address where possible, so you can be notified of changes to itinerary etc.
The coach will pick up from Frome Rugby Club at the advertised departure time (please park in the car park behind the clubhouse) and then from outside the Frome Memorial Theatre about 5 to 10 minutes later.
For any further advance information about the trips please email me at trips@fsls.org.uk.
If there is an emergency on the day of the visit, please call 07909 179747.
We are looking forward to you joining us for some interesting and enjoyable days out.
Chris de Groot
Trips Team
Thursday 16 April – Cardiff Castle and National Gallery of Wales
Cost: £35
Pick-up: Frome Rugby Club at 7:45am; Memorial Theatre at 7:50am
Return: Leave Cardiff 4:00pm; arrive Frome about 6:30pm
Website for Cardiff Castle: http://www.cardiffcastle.com/
Website for National Museum Cardiff : https://museum.wales/cardiff/
Booking opens on Tuesday 17 March
Our first trip is to the iconic Cardiff Castle. At 11.30am, members will be divided into two groups to be taken on a guided tour of parts of the Castle not available to the general public with a full and entertaining account of its history. The tour will include some uneven floors and stairs.
The Castle has Roman foundations but for most its main attraction is the Gothic Revival, lush, eccentric and lavish renovations made by the Victorian architect, William Burges, for the fabulously wealthy Marquess of Bute. Within the walls there is also a Military Museum, Air Raid Tunnels and a Norman Keep, as well as a licensed cafe.
About 10 minutes walk away is the National Museum Cardiff, with a fantastic art collection including the famous legacy from the Miss Davies sisters, plus a current exhibition. Entrance is free and includes a restaurant. Also within easy walking distance are many pubs, cafes, restaurants and Victorian shopping arcades.
Wednesday 6 May – Hinton Ampner (NT)
Cost: £20 (plus entrance fee if not a member of the National Trust)
Pick-up: Frome Rugby Club at 8.15am; Memorial Theatre at 8:20am
Return: Leave Hinton Ampner at 4:00pm; arrive Frome about 5:45pm
Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/hampshire/hinton-ampner
Booking opens on Tuesday 7 April
Set within the South Downs National Park, this village, house and estate were owned by the Winchester Diocese from early mediaeval times. In 1597 the Stewkley family bought the Tudor manor house later rebuilding it in 1793. The Georgian house which replaced it was itself remodelled in 1867. Then in 1935, inherited by art collector Ralph Dutton, those Victorian alterations were transformed into his vision of its former Georgian splendour.
The house was badly damaged by fire in April 1960. Many works of art were destroyed. Fortunately, the firm that remodelled the house in the 1930s was soon able to restore it to its Georgian dimensions. Again Ralph Dutton rescued items from elsewhere and had the rooms elegantly redecorated; covered the exterior walls with wisteria and created a formal garden with lily pond and roses. Ralph Dutton commissioned Patrick Reyntiens to design a window in the local church of All Saints. The church still retains elements of both its Saxon and 13th century origins.
In 1985, the entire 1,650 acre estate was bequeathed to the NT. The old stable block contains a cafe and there is a second hand book shop.
Thursday 18 June – Dorset Museum & Art Gallery & Sculpture by the Lakes
Cost: £40
Pick-up: Frome Rugby Club at 8:30am; Memorial Theatre at 8:35am
Return: Leave at 4:00pm; arrive Frome about 5:30pm
Website: http://www.dorsetmuseum.org & http://www.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk
Booking opens on Tuesday 19 May
The Dorset Museum and Art Gallery in Dorchester, showcases 250 million years of the county’s history through archaeology, natural history, and art. The museum’s collections include Iron Age artefacts from Maiden Castle, local fossils, and effects belonging to Thomas Hardy. The Art Gallery has a superb collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, fine and decorative art including works by the sculptor Elisabeth Frink alongside portraits by Thomas Gainsborough and George Romney.
Sculpture by the Lakes has been described as one of the most beautiful and unique settings in the UK. With over 120 pieces positioned across the Sculpture Park, it is a place where you can experience art and the landscape working seamlessly together. Enjoy peace and tranquillity in a beautiful and serene environment. Set alongside Dorset’s River Frome, with lakes, meandering paths and plenty of places to sit, take your time, relax and fully absorb yourself in this unique sculpture park
Tuesday 14 July – Forde Abbey, near Chard
Cost: £34
Pick-up: Frome Rugby Club at 8:45am; Memorial Theatre at 8:50am
Return: Leave Forde Abbey by 4:00pm; arrive Frome about 5:00pm
Website: http://www.fordeabbey.co.uk
Lunch: cafe on site or bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens
Booking opens on Tuesday 16 June
The House is home to the stunning Mortlake tapestries, woven from the famous Raphael cartoons. Its rich history spans 900 years. It has housed Cistercian monks, 19th-century philosophers and politicians implicated in the Monmouth Rebellion. More recently, the Hollywood adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd’, was filmed here. Even now, a 12th-century Cistercian monk would recognise their quarters, kitchen and refectories, and chapter house: a rare preservation of a medieval monastery within a private dwelling.
The Kennard family inherited the house in 2009 and continue to live here, farming as the Cistercians did over five hundred years before them.
The Gardens: Home to the highest powered fountain in the country, the award-winning gardens include topiary-lined vistas, colourful herbaceous borders, an arboretum, and a bog garden, which provide all year-round interest. Designed to incorporate both the formal and informal aspects of garden design, the straight lines give way to meandering pathways the further you head away from the house, with plenty of benches and seating to admire the views along the way, and to picnic if you wish
Wednesday 5 August – Malmesbury & Chavenage
Cost: £37
Pick-up: Frome Rugby Club at 8:45am; Memorial Theatre at 8:50am
Return: Leave Chavenage by 4:30pm; arrive Frome about 5:45pm
Website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malmesbury & www.chavenage.com
Booking opens on Tuesday 7 July
This trip combines a visit to the historic Wiltshire town of Malmesbury, where the abbey has strong connections to Frome through St Aldhelm, with a visit to Chavenage, a privately-owned Elizabethan country house, built on a site dating back to Edward the Confessor,
Our first stop will be Malmesbury, at around 10.15am. The attractions in this delightful and highly walkable small town include the magnificent abbey, built in the 12th century, and the town museum. The first abbey on the site was St Aldhelm’s earliest church, built before he oversaw the building of a larger, stone complex of churches located where the current graveyard lies.
The Old Bell Hotel, adjacent to today’s abbey, has offered hospitality since the 12th century. It is an atmospheric lunch venue; there are also plenty of cafes in the surrounding streets. We leave Malmesbury at 1.15pm to drive us to Chavenage.
We will be given a private guided tour of this charming house, which is now the family home of the Lowsley-Williams family. After we have heard about the property’s eventful history, including some fascinating Civil War connections, a cream tea will be served in one of the house’s elegant rooms, looking out over the garden.
Tuesday 15 September – Wimborne Minster & Kingston Lacy (NT)
Cost: £20 (plus entrance fee if not a member of the National Trust)
Pick-up: Frome Rugby Club at 9:00am; Memorial Theatre at 9:05am
Return: Leave Kingston Lacy at 4:30pm; arrive Frome about 5:45pm
Website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WimborneMinster &
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/kingston-lacy
Booking opens on Tuesday 18 August
Wimborne is a vibrant market town, with independent cafes and shops. The Museum of East Dorset (£10.50 entry) exhibits stunning Roman wall paintings and archaeological artefacts and a beautifully preserved kitchen. Its walled garden and tearoom can be accessed separately. Wimborne Minster (free entry), founded circa 705 AD, has one of the world’s few surviving chained libraries. A former monastery and nunnery, it houses the grave of King Æthelred of Wessex. There is also a famous model village (free entry). We leave Wimborne at 1.30pm for Kingston Lacy.
Kingston Lacy was embellished and rebuilt over centuries by the Bankes family. William John Bankes created the house seen today in 1834-1855. Exiled for homosexuality, he lived in Venice remodelling the house remotely, creating lavishly decorated interiors like the spectacular Spanish Room. Paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian and Brueghel are on display as is a collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts. There is no lift but staircases are wide and shallow.
Outside, wander through the Japanese Garden to the Kitchen Garden, now being restored to its Victorian splendour (a level 15 minute walk away). As well as vegetables, there are herbaceous borders, and picturesque horticultural buildings including a vinery and peach house.
Click here for full details of 2026 Summer Trips with colour photographs
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