We were away all of last week, in Snowdonia, and what was planned as our early autumn holiday ended up feeling more like a proper summer holiday as the weather grew warmer and warmer as the week progressed. I will tell you all about our happy wanderings in Snowdonia in my next post, as I am a bit behind telling you about our summer wanderings! The leaves are fluttering onto the lawn as I write and the evenings are drawing in, so I will delay no longer telling you about our 'holiday at home' this summer...
Since I retired from school life last year we don't tend to go away in the school holidays, preferring to go before and/or afterwards, when it's quieter, and cheaper! I still tend to call these six weeks in July and August 'summer holidays' though. I suppose old habits die hard!
Since I retired from school life last year we don't tend to go away in the school holidays, preferring to go before and/or afterwards, when it's quieter, and cheaper! I still tend to call these six weeks in July and August 'summer holidays' though. I suppose old habits die hard!
We had some lovely days out this 'summer' and visited some beautiful places, most of which are pretty much on our doorstep.
Sizergh Castle in the Lake District is always worth a visit. Home to the Strickland family for over 700 years (they still live there today) it is well worth a visit. The castle is so interesting and the gardens are beautiful for a wander around, a picnic, or to while away some time daydreaming.
We spotted these sunflowers in the garden. The flower heads were the size of dinner plates, but the stems were surprisingly short!
Another 'local' treasure is Rufford Old Hall, which has one of the finest surviving Tudor Great Halls.
It also houses a spectacular 'movable screen', which isn't actually movable at all. Made from bog oak, it has been in position since the 1500s. This is reputed to be the finest example of a Tudor screen in the country.
Rumour has it that Shakespeare visited here in his teens!
Another place very close to home, and somewhere I had never actually been inside, was Lancaster Castle. We had a fascinating guided tour, and learned such a lot about the castle's history as a fortress, prison, courtroom (still in use today), and also possibly one of the most infamous trials in British history - the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612. A dark period in our history, that's for sure.
As the castle is still a working court (part time) visitors are unable to take photos inside, so I can only show you the rather imposing main gateway!
Another nearby place we had never explored was Clitheroe Castle. When we visited Lancaster I bought an annual pass for the bargain price of £20, which gives four people unlimited entrance to a number of Lancashire museums and historic sites, one of which was the castle at Clitheroe. So, off we went to have a look around!
Dominating the skyline of Clitheroe and the surrounding Ribble Valley for over 800 years, the castle now houses a really interesting museum, as well as the castle keep, from which there is a wonderful view of the town and countryside.
This summer also saw us celebrating our first wedding anniversary! I can't believe a whole year has flown by since that happy day. Where else to celebrate but Betty's??? This time we chose Harrogate and enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a wander around one of our favourite towns.
We also had a lovely weekend in London, meeting my sister and her family for a family celebration. Arriving a little bit early gave us the opportunity to sit in one of London's green oases, Soho Square Gardens. There are literally dozens of these garden squares dotted around London, most of which were originally formal private gardens for the residents of the smart townhouses which surrounded each one. Nowadays the majority are available for the public to sit in to chat, soak up the sun, or eat their workday packed lunch or weekend picnic. Such lovely places to sit and watch the world go by.
Mostly the surrounding buildings have now been converted into offices, or sometimes apartments, but I like to try and imagine what they would have looked like as wealthy family homes, with the family upstairs and the servants using the steps down into the basements. I wonder what they would think if they could see how much these former kitchens and servants halls sell for today?
We had had time in the morning for a little potter around, including a trip to Fortnum and Mason for some of their wonderful tea and coffee. I really love the facade of F&M, sitting so regally on Piccadilly.
It really was a summer holiday of variety, and we enjoyed visiting places we had been before, as well as some new ones. Sometimes we get so caught up travelling far and wide we forget to explore the treasures that are on our doorstep. I'm glad we found time to do that this year.
Mango, our cat, found plenty of time to enjoy her surroundings too, including our garden bench. I assume she was comfortable in this uncomfortable looking position?
Donna x
Another nearby place we had never explored was Clitheroe Castle. When we visited Lancaster I bought an annual pass for the bargain price of £20, which gives four people unlimited entrance to a number of Lancashire museums and historic sites, one of which was the castle at Clitheroe. So, off we went to have a look around!
Dominating the skyline of Clitheroe and the surrounding Ribble Valley for over 800 years, the castle now houses a really interesting museum, as well as the castle keep, from which there is a wonderful view of the town and countryside.
This summer also saw us celebrating our first wedding anniversary! I can't believe a whole year has flown by since that happy day. Where else to celebrate but Betty's??? This time we chose Harrogate and enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a wander around one of our favourite towns.
We also had a lovely weekend in London, meeting my sister and her family for a family celebration. Arriving a little bit early gave us the opportunity to sit in one of London's green oases, Soho Square Gardens. There are literally dozens of these garden squares dotted around London, most of which were originally formal private gardens for the residents of the smart townhouses which surrounded each one. Nowadays the majority are available for the public to sit in to chat, soak up the sun, or eat their workday packed lunch or weekend picnic. Such lovely places to sit and watch the world go by.
Mostly the surrounding buildings have now been converted into offices, or sometimes apartments, but I like to try and imagine what they would have looked like as wealthy family homes, with the family upstairs and the servants using the steps down into the basements. I wonder what they would think if they could see how much these former kitchens and servants halls sell for today?
We had had time in the morning for a little potter around, including a trip to Fortnum and Mason for some of their wonderful tea and coffee. I really love the facade of F&M, sitting so regally on Piccadilly.
It really was a summer holiday of variety, and we enjoyed visiting places we had been before, as well as some new ones. Sometimes we get so caught up travelling far and wide we forget to explore the treasures that are on our doorstep. I'm glad we found time to do that this year.
Mango, our cat, found plenty of time to enjoy her surroundings too, including our garden bench. I assume she was comfortable in this uncomfortable looking position?
Donna x
