Remember when people used to go "visiting"

Yes, I was brought up in the Welsh valleys in the late 40s/ 50s. Lots of family around and they would often turn up on a Sunday . My mam always made an apple tart … in case. Or we might go to see my grandmas. Always two buses for that and a walk.

I can remember visiting as a family, usually to cousins and aunts. My father was brought up by an aunt and we visited her about every 3 months or so. On these visits I was expected to keep out of the way and play with my cousins until we were called in for "tea".

I was also taken to see my grandmother (by another aunt) on the second sunday of every month. It was a ritual because we were not on the phone (although my grandmother and aunt were). The visit to my grandmother was specifically so that she could see me. She liked to listen to me reading and also taught me many skills such as crochet, embroidery and patchwork.

I can't remember relatives ever visiting us. Probably because we were the poor relations and lived in a tiny terraced house with only a back yard. All the relatives we visited lived in larger houses with gardens.

Yes no such thing as phones then we went to see our gran on a Saturday and we took her a bag of her favourite sweets.

Sometimes we had visits from relatives who lived down south my uncle was in the RAF. My mum would prepare a nice buffet for them it was a treat for us to see our cousins.

It was the late 60s and early 70s none of the family had phones my gran would have had a letter from my uncle that he would be up to visit us all. It was just taken for granted that we would be in and we would be.

My family visited always took a box of biscuits or cakes ,never went empty handed.When I met my OH we visited all the relatives on both sides before the wedding.We never announced it and most houses the doors weren’t locked so knock and walk in .We had the same scenario after we got married and folk would arrive out of the blue to see the house and bring plants for the garden.I never understood the having to make arrangements before visiting family or friends ,they were and are always welcome as we were then

Maybe I just caught the last remnants of this tradition Indigo8. Funnily enough, my Dad hated "visiting". He would far rather have stayed home gardening. Although we had some relatives that lived in the depths of Wiltshire and he never minded that too much because my uncle made homemade wine!

As an army family, always on the move, with uncles in the army amd other jobs that took them all round the country and overseas, no, there was no 'visiting'tradition.

My husbands family still do this, sadly without the gifts!

I can remember my favourite aunty and uncle plus my two cousins doing this. They had a car so it was easy for them to visit. We loved it, my cousins would pass on clothes and the Jackie magazine for us girls. My aunty always gave us a 2bob piece when they left and told us to spend half and buy saving stamps with the other half.
I always remember one Easter when they sat in our garden and my lovely auntie ended up with a bright red nose from the sun....no sunscreen in those days. Brings tears to my eyes thinking of those visits, I loved them all so much.

I remember visiting my grandmother and my cousins on a Sunday afternoon. They all lived in various houses in the posh part of North London. We lived in the East End.

They didn't visit us very often.They were on my mother's side of the family and I think my father used to get fed up as we went nearly every week.

I am quite a bit older than you flappergirl so maybe it was a dying "tradition".

I think it could be a Northern thing. Really, pre phones and before most had cars, just a way of visiting relatives? My DF worked on Saturdays, so once a fortnight Mum and I would get the bus to visit her Aunts and cousins a few miles away - this would be the late ‘50s. Tea would be provided with ham sandwiches and cake, etc, and this visit would be reciprocated a fortnight later. Then most Sundays, my Dad’s aunt and uncle, who had a car, would call for morning coffee, then after lunch, Dad and I would get 2 buses to visit his parents about 10 miles away. It was a nightmare in winter, with the return buses often cancelled - we’d stand for hours at freezing bus stops. Then, after I passed the 11+ Mum said I shouldn’t be going, as I had homework - but then I had to accompany DGM to Evensong on Sunday evenings! Out of the frying pan?
My Mum’s mother and her favourite Aunt lived in the same street, so no need for the more ‘formal’ visits there.

i'm imagining cousin B and family set out to visit cousin A; who unfortunately was not at home, having gone to cousin B's house . . .

I'm 59 and this is not familiar to me ....its not something we ever did...maybe it was also dependant on where you lived? ....I lived in a Yorkshire city as a child...very working class