Tag: England
Lanhydrock, a National Trust Stroll
Last Sunday afternoon I paid a flying visit to Lanhydrock, a National Trust property in Cornwall. Arriving just before 2.30 there wasn’t much time to linger, and after the bluebells, the grounds beckoned.
Down the long drive we go.
Here’s the gatehouse.
First look at the formal gardens, with the chapel in the background.
Part of the gatehouse door.
It’s raining so I’m going inside the house and I may take you one day, but for now you can see the view through some of the windows.
After exploring the vast house full of treasures great and small, I resisted the gift shop. Luckily my friend didn’t, so there was fudge to share 🙂 and this door led to the courtyard.
Where an equally handsome door was firmly closed.
We head around the corner, where a very pristine garden waits.
Which isn’t really my cup of tea, I prefer a far less structured, wild look, but I can still admire one occasionally. The rain is annoying now, the mizzely kind that while not heavy, get’s you very damp. We walk back through the gatehouse,
wishing for more time to explore the windy paths.
And back up the long drive to where we began, passing the bluebells growing on top of the banks, with late primroses at the bottom.
I’m sharing my Lanhydrock visit with Jo. She’s been travelling Europe for weeks, but I think she’s still walking for Mondays,
Thursday Evening in the Close
Cathedral Close, Exeter after a light meal at Cote, my current favourite brasserie. We crossed towards the cathedral, just because, and had a peep at this view.
Then turned along the green.
The lovely building on the left is Mols Coffee House, dated 1596.
We were heading back to the car, but I lingered long enough for some pics in the early evening light.
Then over the cobbles and away home.
With the Royal Clarence Hotel, supposedly the oldest hotel in England, in the background.
Lazy Poet’s Thursday Haiku
England’s deep south west
reaching wide around Lyme bay
with ripe spring pastures
Six Word Saturday
Saturday, driving home the pretty way.
The Daily Post, Landscape
For this week’s challenge, share a photo of a landscape: a wide establishing shot of a scene in nature or an urban setting. A simple theme you would think, but I don’t really do landscapes, I never feel that my lens is up to it. My entry is actually a phone shot, so doesn’t bear zooming in, but it’s quite pleasing nevertheless.
You can join in here, and see lots of really wonderful shots.
Perhaps mine is better in colour?
Wordless Wednesday
Winter by the sea
I had a half day on Friday and was keen to see the sea, so Sidmouth it was. My friend and I found a free parking spot right on the sea front, and crossed the road to check out the waves.
Looking west they were roaring and churning.
and to the east, just as rough and the distant cliffs of Lyme Bay were hidden in the sea mist.
We wandered down the slipway by the breakwater. The only shelter from the wind was up close to the wall.
But there was more to see on the pebbles, I liked the black and white one and was tempted to take it home, but didn’t.
The lifeboat man 😉 stood guard opposite the RNLI station, he’s been waiting there for a very long time.
We’ll come back and check the cliffs a bit later. For now we’re having a little respite from the wind, and heading for town.
This beautiful and traditional shop, Mountstephen, has been trading since 1902, but way out of my price range.
Trumps, a grocers for two hundred years closed down in 2014. It’s very sad to see this once wonderful shop go the way of so many local food shops. They sold fabulous food, but couldn’t make it pay any longer. It’s a Grade 2 listed building, and it looks like the upstairs isn’t going to be converted into apartments.
The Square will be elbow to elbow with people in six months time, for the folk festival, but all is quiet on the last Friday in January.
The Anchor is a lovely pub, all year round and they host live music and even story telling during the festival.
We had hot chocolate and rich, buttery shortbread in a favourite seafront café, Mocha, and then tempted by a bit of blue sky, stepped across the esplanade.
I wonder if my eyes deceive me, surely no one would be kite surfing in that sea, but yes and he must be crazy!
We watched for a while and I must say I was glad to see him safely back on the beach (excuse the photo, my i phone can’t manage the distance).
The empty esplanade is waiting for summer, just as I am.
For now we’ll head into the sea mist, towards the cliffs.
At the end of the promenade the river Sid trickles into the sea, and it’s no longer safe to walk on that part of the beach, because of the frequent landslides that are eroding the sandstone.
Can you see the pieces of wood dangling down from the clifftop? It’s the remains of a fence that was previously beside the south West Coast Path, at the bottom of someone’s garden. Lots of Britain’s coastline is being reclaimed by the sea, gradually washing away. Sidmouth could look very different in a few generations from now.
I hope you enjoyed Sidmouth even if it was grey and damp, I’ll take you again in summer.
I’m joining Jo for her Monday walk – if I’m in time, but if not this week maybe in a couple of weeks time!
English Fields in Winter
It’s Photrabloggers Mundane Monday again and I’ve made it this week,
with an English country scene.
Weekly Photo Challenge Now
For this week’s challenge, take a moment to notice your now, and share a photo of it. Perhaps it is something imperfect, or mundane, or under-appreciated. Maybe it is a simple moment, or maybe it is something grand; we can’t wait to see!
I went for a walk under a grey sky yesterday and had just driven off towards home, when I spotted something that told me when now was. I though it was quite a good fit for Jen’s challenge at the Daily Post.
I case you can’t make it out, the clock commemorates Queen Victoria’s 60th Jubilee in 1897. Then I scrolled through my reader and came across this post from Bossymama, showing a much more sophisticated version, what a coincidence!
Lucid Gypsy 