Devonshire Holiday - Part 2

Day two into our trip down to Devon and my mum and I decided to visit Cotehele, National Trust. We didn't expect it to be as big as it was but we enjoyed our day very much. We had planned to visit Buckland Abbey on the same day but visiting Cotehele took us all day to wander around.

Cotehele house with a view of the terraces.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buckland-abbey

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele

Although technically in Cornwall, Cotehele was close enough to where we were staying to visit. Cotehele is a much older garden than Stourhead which we had visited the previous day. There was so much to see. We explored Cotehele House adorned with Tapestries, we meandered our way through the gardens and found our way down to Cotehele Quay and Mill. The whole site is a testament to the changing use of the area throughout the centuries since it was built in the 1400s.

View of the terraces and down onto the local town from next to the house.

 My favourite area of the garden was the terraces outside the house. These could be viewed from the house as you look. Purples, pinks, whites and blues were spilling down terraces like a sea of flowers.

So many flowers. A great display.

I am definitely looking forward to spending more time down in Devon in the future and I still want to visit Buckland Abbey.
Here are some more photos from my visit:

Alstroemeria in the Walled Garden.

Silver and Gold border.

Cotehele watermill

Gunnera manicata in next to the watermill.

Check this out!

If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to check this blog out.

https://travellingwithbecca.wordpress.com/

My best friend Becca has a travelling blog which she updates fairly regularly. Definitely check it out when you can. It's great reading her experiences about the places she visits.

Devonshire Holiday - Part 1

Mid June and it was time for a holiday. I was so looking forward to a weekend away with my mum. I had a great time. My mum came down from Scotland and stayed with me for a night before I drove us both down to Devon for a mother-daughter trip.

As we wanted to avoid the Motorway the whole way we chose to drive down the A34- A303- A30 route which took us on a tour of the countryside and past Stonehenge. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to stop there but I have been before and it's well worth visiting. It is a beautiful example of the innovatory nature of our ancestors which is integral to our understanding of British history and culture.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/

Stourhead House

 We chose Stourhead, National trust, as our halfway stopping point. This allowed us to grab some lunch and stretch our legs for a couple of hours before getting back on the road. This is where I introduced my mum to the wonderful deliciousness of the Trust's salted caramel milk chocolate which is by far the best I have had yet. As both of us are National Trust members we did not have to pay the ticket cost for entry which saved us some money which we later spent in the shop.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead

View towards the distance, feels further away than it is.

Stourhead is an astonishing example of a landscape garden. The walk around the lake offers views from every angle. The landscapes, influenced by art and nature, offers a variety of pleasing vistas and intriguing buildings. You are drawn to them as you are offered glimpses through the woods and across the lakes. These peeks of wondrous ideas pull you along the paths and through the landscape and give you a sense of grandeur and possibility. They feel out of place and so much in the right place at the same time.

View of the lake.

My camera isn't great at long distance shots but I have added some photos to show the general idea. 

 

Hughenden - National Trust and Woburn Safari Park

Hi there,

My best friend came to visit me early on in June for the weekend to see some of the sights around Buckinghamshire. She has never down this way before so I had the chance to take her to my favourite places and some new ones.  I am so happy that she came to visit me as I dearly and I have been wanting to show her where I live for some time now.

On Saturday I took us both to Woburn Safari Park.

http://www.woburnsafari.co.uk/

We paid for the all inclusive tickets at £34.99. Quite expensive but turned out to be well worth it.  The ticket included your admission, a meal, a drink, a free bottle water, a copy of the guidebook and entry to the sea lion experience. It was a fantastic day out, we managed to catch a lot of the talks from the zoo keepers around the site throughout the day. All the staff were very helpful and knowledgeable and keen to answer visitor questions. I loved the Bird show which featured a Blue and Gold Macaw and Cockatiels. It made me really want to take care of birds in the future as part of my garden.

Sea lion cove.

On Sunday morning we went along to National Trust property - Hughenden.  An easy place to find as the Sat Nav takes you all the way there. As I am still fairly new to driving and I have an automatic car, we struggled slightly to get up the steep hill to the house. The drive is a crumbling surface up a narrow steep hill. It could definitely be improved but it isn't too long.

Hughenden House

 https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hughenden

As a National Trust member I had free entry for myself and one other person so we decided to go along. My favourite area of the Gardens was the walled Garden. I great example of gardening which is clearly well-loved and taken care of. In the immediate grounds around the house there is a small herbaceous border with a purple and silver scheme and a small parterre. Both accentuate the house and it's history. There is a walk around the house which takes approximately 40 minutes. You can stay on the easy paths or follow the walk further down into the estate which takes approximately another 20 minutes.

Bugingham Palace in the Walled Garden

Willow walk in the Walled Garden.

View of the house and the herbaceous border.

View of the Parterre from the back of the house.

I am so grateful that my friend had the time to come and see me and I hope that I will see her again when I travel back up to Scotland in August. She is moving to Hong Kong soon to study and I wish her all the best and safe travels.

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

Hi there,

At the end of May I have the fantastic opportunity to visit the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire. I had a great day out. It was an invaluable trip to the gardens, I had a tour from a colleague who previously spent time working there. It opened so many insights into the gardens.

https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/hilliergardens

Here is some pictures from my trip:

Rhododendron species flowering.

Davidia involucrata flowering - The Handkerchief tree

Banana grove

Winter Garden