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Sunday 17 March 2024

Fell Foot


On Sunday, as we started our journey home, the sun appeared. Fortunately we weren't hurrying anywhere and were able to enjoy it at the National Trust's Fell Foot Park.


A grand Victorian house once stood on the site but that was demolished years ago. Boathouses and their remains still survive at the water's edge though - and one has even been turned into a lovely, and unusual cafe.




There are water activities on offer here but we contented ourselves with a downhill walk to the cafe, and a back uphill one to the car park. It wasn't a long walk as yet again some of the paths were wet and muddy after the recent (and not so recent) rain.



It's a pleasant spot though, to just amble by the waterside and watch boats and canoes going past.
Another place that I'd like to visit again, hopefully in drier weather.


 

Saturday 16 March 2024

Wray Castle





Wray Castle, on a promontory overlooking Lake Winderemere, looks like it's stood there since the middle ages.
But, from foundations to battlements, it's a fake, built in the mid-1800s as a countryside retreat by a wealthy Liverpool doctor and his wife, and now owned by the National Trust.


Other Lakeland houses of the time were comparatively modest villas but Margaret Dawson inherited a huge fortune from her father, and the couple could indulge their every whim. The castle is designed to look as if it has stood there forever, and had changes made as fashions changed. There are even mock ruins suggesting demolished outer defences in the grounds! 


After the Dawsons died, the property passed to a distant relative who leased the castle to summer visitors, among them the family of Beatrix Potter. Inside the castle there's currently an exhibition of photographs taken by Mr Pottter on holidays around the Lake District - some informal family groups, some of landscape. I was quite surprised at them as I must admit that, based on the film Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger, I'd thought of him as a rather dull businessman with no interest in arts of any kind. 


Inside, is a gothic re-imagining of how a castle should look with tiled floors and fireplaces, and ornate windows to frame the view.







Unfortunately the grounds were too soaked for walking other than along the well maintained paths of the arboretum, so it's one of those places I'd love to return to in better weather.




For this time, though, distant views of snow-topped hills had to suffice.






 

Thursday 14 March 2024

A Wet Weekend in the Lake District


There's always a certain riskiness about the weather when you decide to book a UK break in winter (or maybe tbh any time of year) and we unfortunately picked a wet weekend to head to the Lake District.
We still had a good time, pottering about between the deluges, dodging into cafes as the rain came again, playing board games back at the AirBnB when it didn't stop. There was snow on the mountain tops, and on Sunday the sun came out 

The first day, the wettest and coldest, we didn't do much; a short walk round Ambleside, looking at the (many, many) outdoorsy shops, and a lovely lunch at Dodd's restaurant. I'd hoped to visit Grasmere in the afternoon, but torrential rain put me off the idea. 

The next morning was cold and overcast with snow on the hills and rain threatening again, so we headed to Windermere Jetty Museum - not for the museum itself but for its cafe with huge picture windows and a magnificent view of the lake and boats by. It's definitely worth a stop here;  good food, wonderful views and, that most remarkable of things in the Lake District, free parking. 





After an early lunch the weather stayed dry for a little while as we wandered round the grounds and admired the views - there's smaller scale lake where model boats are sailed.









Onwards then, back through Ambleside and round the northern end of Lake Windermere, to Wray Castle, a fascinating National Trust property built in the mid-1800s as a second home!



Of course, our visit involved a brief stop at the cafe - a rather unusual one by NT standards.
The rain held off for a short walk round the grounds and I took lots of pictures which I'll post separately. 



Eventually, on Sunday as we headed home, the sun came out. Fortunately we had time to visit a couple of places before heading back down the motorway. First, Fell Foot park at the southern tip of Lake Windermere - for a short walk and brunch in a converted boathouse - then Sizergh Castle - to visit the gardens and take a longer walk round the surrounding estate, interrupted by lunch. More pictures of these to follow. 






Despite the rain we had a really enjoyable time, which goes to prove that weather isn't everything.  

 

Sunday 10 March 2024

February

 After the quietness of January, February comes and goes in a rush. It's helped no doubt by being shorter than other months, but it seems like a time when lots of things are happening. Snowdrops and early crocus are bursting into flower. Daffodils aren't far behind. Days are getting noticeably longer and a little sun has me dreaming of summer.





The first signs of Spring encourage me to get out and about, particularly to places where I hope to find snowdrops. This year I've only been to local places - Shipley Country Park, privately owned gardens at Thornbridge Hall and Hopton Hall, and National Trust properties at Calke and Kedleston - but all were delightful after a damp winter.

In between days out, there were family birthdays to celebrate, and a couple of baby-sitting dates. Compared to last month, February has been busy, busy, busy.



The end of the month saw me off on my first short break of the year - a weekend trip to the Lake District. It was wetter than I'd have liked but wonderful to get away for a few days. Now it's time to really start thinking about this year's holidays ...  




Wednesday 28 February 2024

Shipley Snowdrops



My last snowdrop trip of the season was the nearest to home and one of my favourite spring walking spots - Shipley Country Park, near Ilkeston, Derbyshire.






I'd been putting this visit off for a while as last time I visited, in September, the uphill walk from the carpark to the old hall's grounds had proved too much for my not-quite-recovered legs.  This time, thankfully, all went well.



So I slowly headed up the hill, through the beeches on Horsepool Hill, where the first daffodils were flowering, and followed the ha-ha around the old hall grounds.


There are snowdrops in clumps scattered throughout this area but the best in my opinion are along the old driveway, presumably planted to impress visitors. It's always tricky trying to guess the best time to catch snowdrops at their best, and I think this year I was a little late.


Having proved to myself that I can now manage this short walk quite easily I'll be back before long as the daffodils come into full flower.

 

Saturday 24 February 2024

Thornbridge Hall


Sometimes you can drive past a place for years but never stop, so I thought it was time to at last visit Thornbridge Hall, near Bakewell, Derbyshire. I'd been persuaded to visit at this perhaps less-than-delightful time of year by the promise of snowdrops (I'd seen Thornbridge feature in a Top Derbyshire Places to see Snowdrops guide) but apart from the occasional clump here and there I didn't see any. 









The delight of Thornbridge lies though in its water garden and formal Italian garden.

In the first, streams tumble down the hillside, with mini-cascades and still pools breaking their journey. 



Grottoes provide a place to sit and relax - though possibly more appealing in warmer months.










The lawns in the front of the hall take advantage of the terrain, looking out over fields to the surrounding countryside.







Returning towards the exit, we ambled through the Italian garden; formal with trimmed box-hedging, but quiet and relaxing.






 Last stop - the cafe for tea and cake (as always)