It was so quiet and lovely sleeping in the Herefordshire countryside and so nice to have really comfortable beds and lovely hospitality. Ruth was at work, so Ed generously took the day off work and was our tour guide of the area. We really did love staying at their place and enjoyed their lovely hospitality, their amazing raspberries and peas straight from their garden, their cats and their toys and games and their trampoline.
 |
| Panorama from the lawn at Monkton Court. |
 |
| Wisteria over the doorways and swallows under the eaves.... |
 |
| Annika indulging in the raspberries! |
 |
| Ripe for the picking and eating! |
 |
Rock strata at the quarry...imagine the fossils! |
 |
| Wild sweet peas |
Ed knew of Luke's fossil fascination and suggested a quarry to go
hunting for limestone fossils from Gondwana days. In our two car convoy
we wound around the narrow hedge lined country lanes passing red stone
houses typical of Herefordshire, many with thatched roofs. When we got to the quarry, work was underway and we were not permitted there but not far from there Ed led us directly to some fossils on the side of the road and Luke was overjoyed saying it was the best day of his life!
 |
| Some specimens were just too big! |
 |
| Happy fossil finder! |
 |
| Hereford path, neat the Wye River |
 |
| Tim investigating fossils |
 |
| Another find |
 |
| Lovely little path through the trees |
 |
| Lovely , lovely countryside |
We then followed Ed into the honey coloured stone villages of the Cotwolds through towns such as Broadway and Chipping Campden, where we bought supplies for lunch. It was great to have Ed as our local guide who pointed out interesting things such as stone rather than slate roofs and the market in the middle of Chipping Campden.
 |
| Broadway, Cotswolds |
 |
| Chipping Campden |
 |
| Chipping Campden Sheep Street |
 |
| Sloping floors again |
 |
| Market Place and rock roofs - Chipping Campden |
 |
| More of Chipping Campden |
Ed, being a gardener suggested Hidcote Manor Gardens as a potential day trip and as my parents kindly gave us a National Trust pass for our travels, we thought it was a great idea. Thanks Mum and Dad! They would have loved what we enjoyed today. Designed by Lawrence Johnson, starting 1907 with a small garden he acquired more land after WW1 and created his "rooms", each with a different theme. The effect is stunning and today's weather was just perfect for a garden exploration!
 |
| Hidcote house and Gardens - thatched roof up close! |
 |
| Hidcote Manor Gardens 1917 - home of Lawrence Johnson - garden designer pre and post WW1 |
 |
| Pre WW1 area, all work put on hold during the wars. |
 |
| Each "room" in the garden was divided by a well trimmed hedge. |
 |
| Doorways, archways and little building, all arranged very purposefully and tastefully |
 |
| The long path, made to look even longer by a narrowing on the gap between the hedgerows by about a metre from top to bottom! Lovely spot for a picnic! |
 |
| Some buildings were even thatch roofed! |
 |
| Underneatth the arches |
 |
| One arch after another |
 |
| Panorama of wheatfield - golden topped and dense... |
|
 |
| Delphiniums blue... |
| The Doctor and the Dormouse by AA Milne |
| "There once was a Dormouse who lived in
a bed |
| Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums
(red) |
| And all the day long he'd a wonderful
view |
| Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums
(blue)" | | |
|
|
| There were plenty of most beautiful flowers and the day became fine with blue skies and a pleasant 22 C (or so). The perfume as we wandered the gardens was magnificent: mock orange, then roses, then lavenders, honeysuckles and many other gentle garden aromas. The lovely thing about stately gardens is that while the adults love the beauty and colour and general ambiance, the children love the space, the possibility of hand stands and the mystery of what is beyond each hedge. There were no complaints and everyone enjoyed the time there immensely. | | | |
| | |
 |
| Lawrence Johnson's toolshed |
 |
| See what I mean about freedom and space for antics! |
 |
| Great spot for a simple picnic of baguettes, ham, cheese, lettuce and some fruit and biscuits. |
 |
| Former bathing pool |
 |
| Reflection of a lovely day with friends! |
 |
| The changing rooms for the pool! |
 |
| Luke checking out the plant predators. |
 |
| "Almost as big as Thailand leaves" |
 |
| Little tiled shelter |
 |
| Raised hedge alley and hand stand! |
 |
| Pretty pink bells |
 |
| Topiary heaven |
 |
| Bumble bee on silvery Ghost Thistle |
 |
| Ah! |
 |
| Antics on the lawn |
 |
| A selfie here and there is ok.... |
 |
| Tim making good use of the lawn1 |
 |
| Afternoon cuppa at the cafe, Hidcote Monor Gardens..Victoria, Rebecca, Luke and Annika |
 |
| Hidcote Manor |
 |
| Waterlilies |
 |
| Perfect pink waterlily |
 |
| Investigator - How sinkable are the leaves? |
 |
| Well balanced reflection! |
 |
| Pretty... |
 |
| Beech Alley |
 |
| Bumble Bee on blue thistle - the thistles seems to really attract bees of a few different species. |
 |
| More bee fodder |
 |
| Garden art inspired by William Morris |
 |
| Long afternoon shadows at closing time. |
 |
| A beautiful thatched house near Hidcote Manor |
We stayed at Hidcote Gardens until near closing time. What an excellent day it was! We farewelled Ed, Victoria and Rebecca who had a slightly longer drive than we did to go back to Hereford. Only 50 minutes from Banbury, our homeward journey via Aldi for some dinner supplies whizzed by.
Our apartment here really does smell heavily of old smoke, which had been noted on a previous review, and it has been cleaned as thoroughly as it could be but the stench hit us after it had been locked up for a few days. I was prepared to have a cool evening in exchange for fresh air! We have been enjoying a series on Child Geniuses on BBC TV and try to beat the 10 year old geniuses to their answers. They are all extraordinary.
oh Helen, what a magical few days you've had! I'm a total sucker for a beautiful house and garden. Having friends to visit on your journey has been such a blessing too :) walked Lucy the dog up your street today and wondered what you had been up to, it's funny seeing strangers in your front yard!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDear Kylie, Indeed, it was very lovely and excellent to be with friends from days gone by. It is funny to think someone else is living in our house - not funny to think about unpacking and settling back in there...will be hard work!