So last week, Luke and I revisited Calke Abbey. This is a historic house that we love and it was actually the first historic house that we visited together. I’m fairly certain that this is the house that made us fall in love with visiting historic places.
It’s been over a year since we visited Calke Abbey, and since we haven’t actually been out on a proper date in nearly 5 months (sucks I know), this seemed like the perfect spot to go and visit.
For starters, it was only the garden that was open, so it was a nice open space. But also how perfect is it to return to the place where we first fell in love with exploring historical places together?
Anyway, it got me thinking about how we still enjoyed visiting the same place and how, in a way, it was actually better (ignoring the fact that we couldn’t enter the house, as it was only the gardens that were open). So here are a few reasons why revisiting the same place is just as good, if not better!
You Will Always Miss Something
The one thing I have learned from revisiting places is that I always seem to miss something. Doesn’t matter how big or small, there is always something. For example, when me and Luke went to Calke Abbey the first time we never took part in Calke Explore.
We also seemed to miss some hidden artwork on the bricks on the building, the ice house and the gardeners rooms (including the little shed for the garden pony).
I have no idea how we missed all that from our first adventure together, but clearly we weren’t very good explorers back then.
But even so, there are plenty of places that I have visited, Conwy Castle, Kedleston Hall, Shugborough, Caernarfon Castle etc… and every time I’ve visited I have always found something to marvel at. Something new to enjoy.
So, no matter how many times you visit a place you will always miss something, which is why visiting the same place is always a good idea.
If You Loved it the First Time, You’ll Love it Again
From my own personal experience, I know that there are many places that I have fallen in love with from my very first visit and I keep loving them every time I visit.
There’s just something comforting about visit a place where you know where you are going. It’s like when you are driving to a completely new place, does anyone get scared because they don’t know what the parking will be like?
That’s something you don’t have to worry about when you revisit the same place again.
And just because you loved it, doesn’t mean that you won’t love it any less the next time you visit. In fact, you’ll probably love it more as you’ll have more memories associated with it.
You Won’t Feel Like a Tourist
Have you ever gone round a castle or a historic place and just felt like you didn’t know enough? You read every sign, ask all the questions, listen to the audio guides if there are some and sometimes people can feel self-conscious.
This isn’t something that happens to everyone, but the good thing about revisiting historic places is that you will already have a good idea of the history behind them.
It’s not just about the history either, you will also find your favourite spot to explore as well, or your favourite place to have a picnic! So it’s great when you know where you are going, and what your favourite spot is.
I have no problem joining a tour or asking something which might be an obvious question, as I always want to learn as much as I can about a place. But there comes a point where you visit somewhere so often that it just feels like a second home.
I always find that quite comforting as I don’t feel like such an outsider (not that there is anything wrong with being a tourist, otherwise how would you get to explore these amazing places).
You’ll Learn More
The most obvious reason to visit a place though is the fact that you will learn a lot more then you did on your first visit.
This is the great thing about visiting historic places as it is the best way to learn about past. It’s a lot more interesting to see how things would have been done, to have a visual rather then just read about history in a book.
As previously mentioned, you will also miss out on a lot of information when you first visit. Some historic places are huge and it would be impossible to learn everything about them in just one day.
Which is why you should go back, not just for a second time, but for a third, a fourth etc…
If You Didn’t Like it the First Time, Give it Another Try
This isn’t something I can relate to when it comes to historic places, but I always try and give places (like a pub), the benefit of the doubt if I didn’t like it the first time.
Often, as humans, we are too quick to judge. But I do think that some places can just have a bad day. Obviously if it’s horrendous then you can make that judgement call on whether you return or not.
For things like if it was raining when you visited, then that can affect whether you liked it or not. But please don’t let the rain be the reason you don’t like visiting a place!
One of my favourite times is when I visited Bolsover Castle with Luke, and even though it was a miserable wet day, it was also the day that we took our first selfie together – so of course we didn’t let the rain ruin our day.
But even if you didn’t like it the first time, just give it another chance. Some historic places will be different each time you visit them. They might have different events on, more tour guides on offer, more volunteers etc…
Of course you are allowed to have your favourites, I know I do, but every place I’ve visited has always fascinated me. And every single one that I have revisited has just been that much better!
What are your thoughts, have you revisited any historic places and preferred them the second time? Or do you normally only visit a place once, and then never again?
CastlesandTurrets 
What a great revisit to Calke Abbey this was, I couldn’t believe how much we have missed out on the first time! I do believe you learn more from the second time, but the feel I always get is when you arrive, everything still takes your breath away. Looking forward to going exploring again very soon x
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Yes you can always learn a lot more the second time, there’s just far too much to learn at places to learn it all in one day! Will be good when we can explore again like normal x
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Great post, love the message. Passed Calke Abbey last week and really wished we had the time to stop off, as we haven’t been yet. Glad that you liked it as much the second time round 🙂
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Thank you 😊 Calke Abbey is honestly so amazing though – I’d love to go again even though I was only there the other week haha!
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We have our favourite places too. Quarry Bank Mill and Biddulph Grange, Tatton Park and Lyme Park. All fantastic and near enough to us, with events to keep the kids interested and we always find something new.
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Oh yes those are all fantastic places! Was meant to go to Tatton Park before lockdown started though, so have yet to visit there. No matter how many times you visit though, I love that it’s still just as interesting and that you can always find something new!
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Tatton is wonderful, the gardens are beautiful – only slight downside is that you have to pay for parking above and beyond NT entry.
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Oh really? I didn’t know that, thanks for letting me know though. Always good to know things like that in advance 😁
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Yeah its £6 so quite steep too.
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Ohh that’s a bit higher then I was expecting! Oh well must be a good reason for it… at least I won’t be shocked when I turn up haha
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There’s loads to do there. The main park which doesn’t require NT membership, plus the gardens and a farm so they certainly have enough folk coming in to warrant he charge. Then there are usually events on at weekends, I wanted to do the 5km mud run there this year and we always enjoy their food festivals.
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Great post! Thank you for sharing! I’ve never been to Calke Abbey but I want to go at some point!
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Calke Abbey is amazing, there’s so much to do there. Just a shame the house wasn’t open on this trip, but still managed to spend several hours exploring the grounds!
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Great post! Lots of great reasons to visit places again!
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Thank you!
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Lovely idea and post! I’ll want to add another point. When we visit a place more than once you see it with a different perspective every time and you can explore more parts of the place. Thanks for sharing!
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Oh yes that’s a very good point actually and so true. Love that you can visit a place at a different time and see it from a different perspective. I always love how much more you get to see of a place as well, as the more often you visit the more comfortable you feel exploring around it. Nice not having to worry about getting lost haha!
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I love revisiting places. You will always find bits that you hadn’t noticed before. There are so many beautiful places that you really need to visit more than once to really appreciate it.
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Yes this is so true! There’s always so much to take in the first time you visit, so it’s no wonder that we miss things out. A good excuse to return really!
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Although I don’t visit castles, I absolutely love re-visiting places I’ve been to before! When I go on staycations in the UK, we’ve visited the same place over and over again and it’s always magical. You’re right, you always miss something. And I feel like the more times you go somewhere, the more feelings and emotions you find you attach to a place. So when you go back, it can be a really lovely and comforting experience xxx
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Yes of course it doesn’t just have to be castles, there are plenty of places that people can (and should) revisit. I love it when you find a perfect place to go on holiday to, there’s something quite comforting and familiar about going to the same place. Also having those memories about a certain place is a lovely thing 😀 xx
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What a great idea! It would be awesome to be able to explore castles without traveling far! There are quite a few places (although not so grand) I visited growing up and I would love to go back and see so I could truly appreciate their treasures – like Biltmore Estates.
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Biltmore Estates look incredible, I would love to visit there! I feel very lucky where I live to be fair, as there are plenty of places that are about an hour’s drive away, so I always return to them when I fancy a day out but don’t want to go too far. There are a few places up North that I would love to revisit though, as I haven’t been since I was a child, so it would be good to just how things have changed now that I’m older 🙂
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Thanks for sharing, I have re-visited places and discovered a new fact about the place or a different way that the gardens have been set up for that season which has been great to photograph 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
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Exactly that – I love that you can experience the gardens in a different way and get a different perspective for your photos. It’s a great way to show the beauty of the places that you visit as well 😀
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I thought I was the only one who did that! I love revisiting places exactly for these reasons, ESPECIALLY historical places 🙂
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It’s great knowing that more people revisit places – it’s just the perfect way to truly appreciate them 😀
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I agree , I didn’t exactly like a few trips but I would revisit and do things differently.
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Yeah I always try and make sure to revisit a place if I didn’t like it the first time – just in case I was just experiencing a bad day. You can always do things differently when you are there, and that might be enough to make it a fun trip.
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So true! I have a young child and revisiting again and again as she ages even brings new perspective and experiences for both us. Like now, we were at a historic site discussing architecture. Wouldn’t have done that two years ago. She 4.5 fyi
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Oh I love that! I remember when I was young and started to get really interested in exploring historic places, my dad was so happy haha! But it’s great because you are creating some amazing memories, and as she gets older she can appreciate all the times you were together and got to explore!
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Love this post! I don’t live too far from Calke Abbey and it’s one I need to go back to really!
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Calke Abbey is a brilliant place, there’s just so much to do and explore outside as well, you can easily spend a day there. Just love that every time I’ve gone I’ve found something new 😊
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I like to revisit historical places too! It gives me the relaxed feeling of not having to absorb so much because I already know a little about the place which then find all “new” things that were of course there before but now I “see” them! It took me like 3 visits to St. Peter’s in Rome to go underneath the alter…sure lots more places I should revisit! Great article 😀
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These are such good points! I feel like visiting a place more than once allows you to take in even more details. I can understand the drive to want to visit as many places as possible, but I do love the idea of slowing down and taking in more of a place you’ve seen before 🙂
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I love visiting historical sites, I feel like I can feel the energy there, and there is always so much to learn!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
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