The south of England is currently in the grip of a drought, after two dry winters. This has of course been great for walking, so it was somewhat of a surprise to find ourselves walking in the rain on Saturday.
We set off from Wherwell, a beautiful Hampshire village, full of thatched cottages. The walk returned to the village via Harewood Forest. The bluebells are now out, and complimented the beech trees with their fresh foliage.
Not far away is a property nearby called
Houghton Lodge. This is officially called an 'orne' which was the term for a rural retreat, when it was built at the end of the 18th century.
We enjoyed the tranquil grounds alongside the Test River, and in particular the surprising topiary dragon, that puffs 'smoke' at you, when you pass by.
Sunday was a much nicer day, and we started with a walk along one of the many chalk streams in the area. This one at Shawford (i.e. sure ford), was a very attractive walk. A second longer walk was in the vicinity of New and Old Arlesford. We were hoping to see more bluebells as the walk went through several woods, but obviously they were not the right sort of woods, instead we walked through stunning fields of rape.
After this walk, we did a tour through the grand house at
Avington Park. It has been a prestigious residence with visits in the past by various royals, and today is still in beautiful condition.
The south of England is currently in the grip of a drought, after two dry winters. This has of course been great for walking, so it was somewhat of a surprise to find ourselves walking in the rain on Saturday.
We set off from Wherwell, a beautiful Hampshire village, full of thatched cottages. The walk returned to the village via Harewood Forest. The bluebells are now out, and complimented the beech trees with their fresh foliage.
Not far away is a property nearby called Houghton Lodge. This is officially called an 'orne' which was the term for a rural retreat, when it was built at the end of the 18th century. 
We enjoyed the tranquil grounds alongside the Test River, and in particular the surprising topiary dragon, that puffs 'smoke' at you, when you pass by.
Sunday was a much nicer day, and we started with a walk along one of the many chalk streams in the area. This one at Shawford (i.e. sure ford), was a very attractive walk. A second longer walk was in the vicinity of New and Old Arlesford. We were hoping to see more bluebells as the walk went through several woods, but obviously they were not the right sort of woods, instead we walked through stunning fields of rape.
After this walk, we did a tour through the grand house at Avington Park. It has been a prestigious residence with visits in the past by various royals, and today is still in beautiful condition.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment