More Than a Family Reunion: A Holiday That Takes You Back to Your Roots

Every family has its stories.

The grandfather who apparently walked ten miles to school. The great-aunt who ran away to marry someone completely unsuitable. The mysterious relative nobody talks about.

And, of course, the family legend that becomes considerably more dramatic with every retelling.

But have you ever wondered how much of it is true?

If your family has connections to Herefordshire, Monmouthshire or the Wye Valley, a holiday together could be the perfect opportunity to find out.

A Different Kind of Family Get-Together

Imagine gathering three generations in one beautiful country house.

Instead of simply catching up on everyone's latest news, you bring along something rather special.

Old photographs.

Family letters.

Birth certificates.

Perhaps a handwritten recipe that's been passed down for generations.

Suddenly, people start remembering things.

"Didn't Granny have a sister who lived near Monmouth?"

"I thought Grandad came from Hereford?"

And before you know it, you're discovering stories nobody realised were still waiting to be told.

Discover the Places Behind the Stories

Checking out the past in Holly Tree House

Herefordshire and Monmouthshire have fascinating histories, and there are wonderful opportunities to explore your family's connections to the area.

The Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre holds historical documents, photographs and records that can help with family history research.

For families with Monmouthshire connections, Monmouthshire County Council's family history guidance points researchers towards useful local records and resources.

It's worth checking collections and arranging research visits in advance.

But sometimes the most rewarding discoveries are much simpler.

Finding the village where your grandmother grew up.

Walking past an old family home.

Visiting the church where generations were married.

Or discovering that a family surname appears in local records stretching back centuries.

These are the sorts of experiences that turn an ordinary holiday into something rather extraordinary.

Let the Younger Generations Join In

Family history doesn't have to mean spending hours studying documents.

Give younger family members an old photograph and challenge them to identify the location.

Ask them to interview grandparents about their childhoods.

Take a photograph outside an ancestral home to compare with one taken decades earlier.

Or let everyone contribute a favourite family story.

You might be surprised how interested younger generations become when history suddenly involves people they actually know.

Make Something Worth Keeping

Before the holiday ends, gather everything together.

Photographs, stories, discoveries and memories.

Perhaps create a little family book or a digital album that everyone can share.

Record the stories of older relatives, with their permission, while they're still able to tell them.

Because the greatest discovery might not be something you find in an archive.

It might be something somebody remembers over breakfast.

One House. Generations of Stories.

At Big House Holiday Lets, our large holiday houses across the Wye Valley, Forest of Dean, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire give families somewhere special to gather.

Room for grandparents, parents, children and cousins.

Generations together in a BHHL house

Time to explore the places that shaped your family's past.

And plenty of opportunities to create stories of your own.

Because sometimes the most memorable family holiday isn't just about where you go.

It's about discovering where you came from.

Explore our houses at bhhl.co.uk.