On arrival, we began by exploring the gardens, which immediately made me jump (in fright) thanks to a rather loud cockerel.
Speaking of the National Trust in general, I like how at all the properties they label each and every flower and plant, in this case even the apple trees in the orchard. It allows you to learn more about the different species, whilst at the same time enjoying your surroundings.
There seems to have been a lot happening whilst we've been away, with bee hives appearing and even more things growing, like lettuce and beetroot. And it's always nice to see the volunteer gardeners around, always there for a friendly chat.
We soon wondered down to the pond, my favourite part, where you can just sit for hours staring at the 'great crested newts' basking in the sun and admire the peaceful bliss surrounding you. Sitting on the bench, eating tuna and sweetcorn sandwiches with my parents, I realised how relaxed I felt, especially after all the recent stress and worry of exams.
After checking we hadn't left anything behind - we never do but you never know - we headed towards the woods, to walk towards the water mill. As we smelt the wild garlic and walked beside the river, we spotted small 'fairy' sized houses in and amongst the trees, with really tiny doors and one house even had a boat for transport! Yes, we were amused.
When we arrived at the mill, we were slightly disappointed to not find the wheel moving, later realising it only does this on weekends. (At least this is a reason to come back later in the year!) However, you can still gander inside, so we saw the clogs and machinery, ducking as the swallows flew in and out above us in the rafters.
Reaching the point where we had originally begun our adventure, we decided to explore the 'hidden' parts of the property - an old mine and the bird hide. The mine wouldn't have been obvious if it weren't for the sign, but the bench there was perfectly positioned to look out at the British countryside and take in the peace, excluding the birds singing.
As we headed to the bird hide, we went through the funny struggle of trying to step quietly on the gravel pathway, maybe some bark would be a better material for such a location? We sat there for about fifteen minutes seeing a couple of garden birds, like wrens and blue tits, but sadly no woodpeckers were spotted. Heading back through the field, my Dad somehow managed to fit himself inside a tree. That's all I'll say of that...
After visiting the tearooms - the cake was calling out to us - we headed to the new, indoor exhibit on the first floor of the main building. If I remember rightly it was about storing things, as there was a common theme of butterflies through the rooms. Even if the exhibit wasn't to my taste, it was still enjoyable as I like looking at old buildings, seeing the fireplaces and the peeling wallpaper.
By mid-afternoon, we were on our way back home.
Hannah x
