Beningbrough, York

With the weather continuing to be warm, and the colours of autumn at their best, we are still getting out and about.

We had an unexpected visit from our friends from Plymouth, Ray and Carolyn, who had towed their caravan up to Yorkshire to stay on a small site near Selby. They had never ventured this far north before so we had so much we wanted to show them. They arrived at our house on Sunday, after getting permission from the site owner to leave their caravan unattended for one night. This was a concession to them, and the maximum allowed, as apparently the lady does not like her visitors to leave their vans unattended through the night. We had booked a table at 'The Seabirds' pub in Flamborough and after an excellent lunch took a much needed walk around the Sculpture Park at South Landing before returning to Bridlington and our harbour. As teatime approached we then made for Sewerby Park to show them the wonderful gardens still looking good especially in the late sun. Then it was home and an evening of catching up on the news, especially about China as this is where we met last year, before retiring.

In the middle of the night we heard them moving around and then all went quiet again. At breakfast next morning we discovered the bed had broken! "We weren't doing anything - we were asleep" was their comment as they apologised. Not a problem as the bed was quite old and we were only sorry they had had their sleep disturbed. It turned out Ray slept on the padding from our sun loungers that I had not yet stored away for winter and Carolyn slept on the small sofa in our hobbies room. If I had only told them, when showing them around, that this was actually a sofa bed!

So we were all up early, which was just as well, as we were going to show them the highlights of Whitby and sample fish and chips in the 'Duke of York' pub overlooking Whitby harbour and the entrance to the marina. We parked up at the Abbey where a strong cold wind was blowing. (So much warmer in Bridlington.) Still as we descended the steps leading down to the narrow streets of the older part of Whitby it felt warmer. We had said we were going to buy some kippers from 'Fortunes' where the fish was still smoked on the premises.

Whilst waiting to enter the small shop Ray and I saw the smoke and dripping tar coming from the upper doors of the adjoining smokehouse. We all came away with a large amount of fish only Carolyn was worried about how many of the cats living on the caravan site would congregate around their van as she cooked their breakfast next day!

After our early lunch, you have to get in early if you want a table by the windows, we left Whitby for Lealholm for a walk around the village. But first we took after afternoon tea in a small tea room by 'Poets Cottage' garden centre. Our route around the village took us to the river. On crossing the stepping stones Carolyn informed us that they had recently visited a stately home where they were not allowed to cross a bridge because their was no safety railings and someone might fall in. So she was pleased to be able to get across the fast lowing river without health and safety stepping in! Back in the car we continued our journey south driving over the North Yorkshire moorland where the vast expanse of purple heather was now a dull shade of brown. Into Rosedale Abbey and out on the Scarborough to Pickering road passing several caravan sites, each one looking like an ideal site for them. In Thornton le Dale Ray asked if we could stop as we had passed a garage full of vintage cars. There was an adjoining museum but time prevented us from visiting. However it was fate we stopped as in the window was a large poster advertising a caravan site not too far away. With some lovely views of the site Carolyn made a note of the telephone number and we guess they will be returning to 'our' Yorkshire in the future. We arrived back home around 5pm and after giving them details of the scenic route back to York we said our goodbyes still laughing about the broken bed!

A few days later we too travelled over to York to visit Beningbrough Hall and gardens. We had to pass along narrow country roads following the signs for the car park entrance to the Hall which

eventually took us through the lovely village of

Beningbrough. Again there was another long drive to reach the car park where already there appeared to be a lot of visitors and the gates had only just opened.

We explored the gardens before going to view the house. Lots of fruit trees as well as vegetables, again the produce was used in the restaurant and sold in the farm shop too, creating a colourful display along with the garden flowers.

A party of young school children were paying a visit and so some of the guides had dressed in period costume.

In one part of the garden children from neighbouring schools and playgroups had been encouraged to plant sunflowers. I hadn't realised how many varieties there were and was able to collect some of the fallen seed from one of the giant variety to see if I could produce the same result in my garden next year.

At lunchtime we decided to visit one of the pubs in the village rather than eat in the 'Garden Restaurant'. We had hoped to visit the small pub set in neat terraced gardens but today it was closed until the evening. Thankfully the other pub was open and we had a pleasant surprise at the surroundings and the menu. A gastro pub and an excellent meal.

Back to the house where once again the audio guide system was provided but this time it was free! The house's speciality is the vast display of portraits shown in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. Set in the various rooms we looked at some familiar faces but most were unfamiliar to us anyway. Visitors were keen to have a go at creating the 'virtual portrait' 18th century style using modern technology so we didn't linger in this large room.

In certain rooms some of the large showcases contained wonderful displays of porcelain. For me it was the bathroom that was the biggest surprise. It looked so modern in this 18th century building. The washbasin and tap could have been designed today. It's so frustrating that we cannot take photos.

Back into the gardens and the outbuildings where we discovered the laundry rooms. All the mod cons of the day were on display such as mangles, irons including a very large mechanical devise in the centre of the room and linen. Apparently there are monthly walks through the gardens and 'meet the laundry maid'. Again another pleasant visit to one of our National treasures.

We decided to call and see Andy and Sue who used to be the landlords of our local pub in Bridlington and now run the 'Spread Eagle' in York. Unfortunately the traffic in York was horrendous and it took about an hour to reach our destination only to find it was shut! Today Andy was having a new central heating system installed. We emailed him when we got home. His reply was he wouldn't have let me in anyway as I wouldn't have made him a chocolate cake!

Home via Calke House Derby

Time to say goodbye to Trevor and his wonderful staff at 'The Talbot'.

As I have previously mentioned with time on our hands we try and avoid motorways on our journeys, so once again we found ourselves travelling on the undulating country roads north towards Derby.

We had planned to stop off at Calke Abbey near Ticknall. From what I have read it sounded an interesting place set in 240 acres of land, part of which is a designated National Nature Reserve where wildlife comes first. Admission to the house was by timed tickets and as we were in the first group of the day we had time to look around part of the estate. As usual I was keen to see the walled gardens.

Their border display of dahlias was wonderful and the size of some of the flower heads amazing. Through the archway we entered the vegetable plots where the collection of pumpkins was in progress. (I had noticed that all the produce grown is used in their restaurant.) In each of the plots a scarecrow had been created, which would no doubt amuse the younger

visitors to the house.

I noticed there were lots of ideas for keeping the kids amused apart from the usual play area. If getting around the estate was a problem then there was a buggy service. (From the main gate to the car park the driveway is over a mile long!)

We looked out over the large lake only to be told during the tour of the house that it is a reservoir and doesn't belong to the estate. Before the creation of the reservoir the owner would drive out of the estate along a road into the neighbouring area. It was hard to believe as it seemed to fit in so well with the surroundings bearing in mind that most stately houses have some water feature. We had hoped to visit the Church but of all days it was closed due to the fall of a large tree the previous day. The estate has trees at least 400 years old.

Inside the house was certainly stepping back in time. Built in the 1880's little has changed in its faded splendour. The house closes for 2 consecutive days so that the curtains and shutters can be closed for long periods to protect the furnishings and ancient wallpaper. The owner was certainly eccentric and throughout we saw shells, fossils, and what I can only describe as junk in numerous table top display cases that had been hoarded from their travels. We were also able to look at a large collection of stuffed birds in no end of rooms.It was all so different - just organised chaos! Fascinating visit all the same. I guess you could say it is an historic treasure and quite unique considering how many country houses have disappeared over the years.

Oxfordshire villages

Sunday morning we drove through the ups and downs of the Oxfordshire countryside avoiding major roads. With a lovely clear day we were able to see for miles from the tops of these hills. We encountered several cyclists before realising there was a road race taking place! We were looking for the village of 'Great Tew' as I had read this village was an ideal location for filming historical programmes. A lot of 'Tews' on the signposts but eventually we found ourselves in the right place. It must be a popular place as there was a designated car park. As it was early it was quiet or so we thought. Turning down the lane we saw several people posing for a photo outside the village pub. Most of the properties were thatched, one in particular with an unusual design, but then we saw the sign leaning against the fence advertising 'Master Thatcher'. The narrow lane came to the end by another lovely property named 'Bee Bolt' and not being properly attired for rambling we turned around to return in the direction of the pub. By now the group had left and some walkers had arrived, as well as couple of girls on horseback. Again the road came to an end and with it still being early the 'Falkland Arms' was shut so we moved on.

We eventually returned to Lechlade for lunch in 'The Riverside Inn' another Arkells pub. Most of the patrons were outside sitting at the picnic tables so the pub seemed quiet. We sat by a large bow window so we could watch the swans on the river and the occasional narrow boat pass by.

Afterwards we took a walk along the riverside having crossed 'Halfpenny Bridge' so named because in days gone by that was the toll charge. We had to avoid the cow pats as the route passed through a large field as well as the herd of black and white cows swans were all over the place. Several fishermen were sat along the bank using large poles to extend their fishing rod thus enabling the float to be cast on the opposite side of the river. One or two walkers complained about these extensions blocking their route. We had no problem as we just walked around them! Eventually we came to a small wooden bridge leading to another field just as a couple paddled by in their canoe. A real 'Flatford Mill' scene from this bridge.

Ian and Julia wanted to be on their way home to Surrey before the evening rush so it was back to the car and the 'Talbot' to say our goodbyes until next time.

Back to Oxford

It's now September and we have arranged to meet up with our Surrey friends, Ian and Julia, at 'The Talbot' for a long weekend. After weeks of lovely weather it chose this particular weekend to deteriorate but it wasn't going to spoil our plans. It's sometime since Ian and Julia have been to Oxford but they left all the sightseeing plans to us.

So on the Saturday it was off to Waddesdon on a very windy morning.

Built in around the 1880's Waddesdon Manor was the home of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (of the banking family) to enable him to show off his vast display of art treasurers, including a writing table made for Marie-Antoinette. We had had much discussion about remaining outside and visiting the Hall after lunch or vice versa. With a strong wind blowing leaves and dust everywhere and dark clouds looming we headed inside. At the reception desk we paid £2 for our own personal telephone which would give us information as we moved from room to room. This was great apart from too much information in certain rooms, but all very interesting. (As usual no photography was allowed inside the house.) Stewards were on hand to give the personal touch with amusing anecdotes about certain items, and information cards were also available in each room. As I looked through the windows overlooking the gardens the sun began to shine and as the time passed it remained with us, but no sign of the wind abating. Towards the end of the tour I lost sight of the rest of our party and assumed they were ahead of me. As I followed the exit signs I stepped through a doorway which set off an alarm. One of the stewards came to my aid - I was still wearing the hand set around my neck! I hadn't actually realised I had come to the end of the tour and I still hadn't met up with with others. I was invited to sit and wait as I could see Julia's bag on the shelf so I knew they hadn't reached this point yet. I waited and chatted to the steward and then asked if I may retrace my steps. He very kindly escorted me back up the winding staircase to the final set of rooms where we were reunited. I said I would be in trouble with my husband and it would have been my fault we had got split up. I needn't have worried as I appeared not to have been missed!

After a late lunch, as the tour had taken over 2 hours, we went to inspect the gardens and take numerous photos of the outside of the building. It seemed strange to see a French Chateau in the Oxfordshire countryside. According to the information map we had several paths to explore, one of which lead to a very ornate aviary painted in turquoise and gold. The birds were hard to see as each cage contained large shrubs which hid most of them. In the immediate area the gardeners had created a plant sculpture of a large bird.

We walked through the woodland and caught a glimpse the landscape across the valley before emerging into the play area for the young children. We also came across a rubber tree - not what we expected as it was made out of old car tyres but a bit of fun!

The best bit, or so I thought, was the colourful display of bedding plants in front of the house and set around a large pond containing many sculptures. We even found time to sit in the 'Rose Garden' which was peaceful until a child playing hide and seek among the rose bushes began screaming. She had managed to get a scratch on her bare arm. Did her parents not think this really wasn't an ideal place for a game of hide and seek.

The evening was spent in the 'Talbot' consuming an excellent red wine with our meal. Some of us slept very well that night apparently!

Buscot Park into

Tuesday we headed into the county of Gloucester to visit Buscot Park, a Palladian style house built in the early 1780's for a local landowner Edward Lovedon Townsend. He in turn sold the property to an Australian, Robert Tertius Campbell, who turned it into the most highly mechanised farm in the country. On his death in 1887 Buscot was bought by a financier, Alexander Henderson, who set about enlarging the house and also adding more housing and buildings in the village of Buscot. The highlight of the visit for me was to see the water garden designed by Harold Peto linking the big lake to the house.

There is a good selection of historicbuildings in this area but this one appealed to me because of Campbell and Henderson, as these are names in our family history. But as the venue was not open until the afternoon we spent the morning looking around Chipping Campden, another recommendation from one of the 'Talbot' regulars, and Lechlade.

Chipping Campden was once a woollen centre for the area and many of the houses and buildings have retained their medieval charm. I had not expected the place to be so popular with coach tours though but we managed to avoid the crowds by once again stepping back from the main thoroughfare. By the time we had wandered along the road on the northern outskirt of the village the tourists had almost disappeared and so we could take a closer look at the buildings and the shops. I purchased a box of HRH 'Highgrove' lemon shortcakes only to find on opening the box there were not that many biscuits!

We moved onto Lechlade, a village we have visited before. Today the buildings were displaying different flags flying from poles fastened to the upper frontage so our attention was drawn to these rather than the buildings.

We strolled over the fields beyond the Church to arrive at the upper reaches of the River Thames returning the same route to look around the churchyard.

Returning to the car we set off for Buscot Park near Faringdon.

Arriving at the house in sunshine we found the house was closed to the public and with no one on duty at the pay box we observed the instructions regarding paying the entrance fee admission fee, or if one was a member of the National Trust by signing the book provided before taking a ticket. Not being a member we posted our entrance fee into a converted large milk churn honesty box stood by the pay box. We were not too upset at not being allowed in the house as the weather was lovely, and on reading the literature found there were several routes to explore around the grounds.

We entered through an archway leading to the walled garden and then across the open spaces

to the front of the house. Walking around the outside we discovered the house had its own swimming pool protected by another archway with Italian style statues set in large niches with other buildings including a small theatre. Around the back of the house a gardener was mowing the lawn on a sit and ride mower which was not very good for Keith's hay fever. As he began sneezing we gave this area a wide berth and returned later.

I was impatient to see the 'Peto Water Garden' set on a lower level from the house between an avenue of various types of trees and hedging. Beginning in a round pond with a fountain of a sculpture of a boy and dolphin the water flowed into a rectangle pool, then into another with a small bridge linking that and the final pool with the water then pouring into the big lake. Unfortunately the sun was in the wrong angle leaving this area mostly in the shade.

Exploring the rest of the estate we followed paths mowed in the pastures. There were numerous sculptures,pots, and urns of flowers to be spotted. We came across the 'Swinging Garden' where a welcome rest was taken before moving onto the 'Citrus Bowl'. This was a gravel circle set on a lower level where several pots of citrus trees had been arranged. There was not a lot of fruit to be seen! Hidden among the reeds in a small pond was another modern sculpture of a man - not quite sure who he was representing.

A pleasant afternoon. As the tea rooms were closed we visited the village in search of afternoon tea. There was only one small place but they served some wonderful cakes so it was no wonder the locals were calling to purchase pieces to take away. Other visitors would have liked to sit out in the garden but the owner warned them of a wasps nest and advised them it was safer to stay inside. By now it was hotter than ever but the her husband soon had us cooling down as he set up a large electric fan!

Summer of 2009

With no trip to China this year due to the worldwide recession we have spent the last few months catching up with friends and relatives.

These events began in June when we attended the wedding of our long standing friends' daughter, Rachel, to Ben. They had chosen 'The Old Gate House' as theira venue located in Old Malton, a small town in the vale of York. This building was once the entrance to Malton Castle which has long since disappeared and is now a small hotel. It has kept its character and the ceremony took place in a small room with a Minstrel Gallery where their friends had an excellent view whilst family were seated downstairs. After the formalities we all ventured out into the brilliant sunshine to enjoy a glass or two of bucks fizz and sample some delicious canapés. Then it was time for photos, the professional photographer being a forensics photographer and most of us thought would he be better taking pictures with the subjects laid on the ground and a white

line drawn around the shape?!

His female assistant came up with some good ideas such as getting all the ladies to form a horsehoe shape line and pretend to do the 'conga' on the front lawn. High heels proved a problem as some of the ladies began to sink into the grass so trying to co-ordinate us took a lot of patience as we all helped each other deal with the sinking feeling!

Mid afternoon it was time to head back inside to listen to the speeches, which were hillarious, before tucking into a three course meal. With the weather continuing to be hot and sunny we were all once again outside to be joined by other guests who had been invited to the evening's party. One of Ben's colleagues plays in a band and they had agreed to perform at their wedding. With excellent music and a really happy relaxed atmosphere everyone danced the night away. The older generation retired around mid-night whilst the bride and groom remained in the bar with their contemporaries singing along to the music, which the barman kept turning down so as not to annoy the guests. As soon as he turned his back needless to say the sound was turned up again!

Breakfast next morning and everyone was still on form and the weather was still superb. We had time to wander around the outer gardens before leaving at lunchtime. Ben and Rachel decided to hold a barbeque at their home in the afternoon for those that wanted to attend as they were not going on honeymoon until later in the week. This lovely hot weather held out for many days and for once it really was a blazing June.

We rejoined the bowling club and I became involved in competitive bowling which seemed to take over my life in the forthcoming weeks. I was asked to play for the East Coast Ladies Team taking part in a large competition in the Leeds area. Again the weather was kind to us on the longest day of the year and our sweatshirts and waterproofs were not needed. Despite good bowling by the team we didn't progress beyond the first round. On reflection this wasn't a bad thing as the rounds were played at different locations, and as we didn't finish our round until 4pm, it would have been a very long day if we had been fortunate to progress to the final. Throughout our summer bowling season I can recall only three occasions when the weather has been wet, but again I was lucky not to be playing on two of those and on the last occasion I was on and off the green as the heavy rain began to fall. It was then time for me to head into the club house and help serve the refreshments to the rest of the players.

Beginning of August Keith's Mum celebrated her 90th birthday. Members of her family gathered at our house, including a niece from France and her two brothers and their wives from the Norfolk area. Again it was a lovely day so we could get out into the garden. It had been a great surprise to her as we had said we would collect her and perhaps have a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Some of the family were concerned that she would suffer a heart attack at seeing so many people waiting to greet her as she entered the front door to our somewhat out of tune rendition of 'Happy Birthday'!

The next day Keith and I headed to a short break in the Oxfordshire area. We have discovered a small Inn close to the River Thames just outside the village of Eynsham some 5 miles north of Oxford. 'The Talbot', named after a spotted dog similar to a Dalmation, is a very old long building with a bar and a small restaurant. The recently built high standard accommodation has views over a small stream, a field of cows and finally Eynsham locks on the Thames. Therefore it is a very popular place not only with the locals, due to the hospitality of landlord Trevor, but boaters and across the toll bridge visitors to a small caravan and camping site. (We discovered this place on a visit last year to our friends in Surrey.)

It was late afternoon when we checked in having made a stop at 'The Battlefield Railway Line' in Leicestershire. This is a private line running for approximately 5 miles alongside a canal. Entering the Victorian station entrance to obtain platform tickets as we had just missed a trip on a steam train I was somewhat surprised to see a large ancient advert for a day trip to Bridlington of all places! Looking round a small museum brought back many memories of the times I visited signal cabins with my father, who worked for British Rail until his death in 1981. After our picnic stop we continued our journey to visit hillside gardens near Banbury. Having negotiated our way down a long winding narrow road we found these private gardens were closed and with no where to turn around Keith had to reverse until he found a suitable turning place. If only I had read the literature earlier I would have discovered these gardens are closed on a Saturday! Some other time perhaps.

Sunday we had arranged to meet up with the 'Kettering Wrinklies'. These are our aged Aunt and Uncle who discovered the joys of computing in their early eighties. Now we keep in regular touch and try to see them as often as possible on our travels. We went out for a light lunch to what was once the village post office in Weekley. Since the post office closed the owners have turned the thatched building into a lovely tea room with colourful gardens and only 5 minutes drive from the 'Wrinklies' home. Tea time we returned to Eynsham passing lots of vintage cars en route. We wondered where they had all been and what had we missed.

Monday we caught an early bus, well early for us, into Oxford. With a bus stop outside the pub we saw no reason to take the park and ride. The bus terminated in the centre of the city almost opposite the Tourist Information Centre where we could obtain a map of the city and begin our exploration. As the day progressed the weather deteriorated somewhat and I wished I had taken a sweater with me. The cool weather didn't deter us as we had lots of wonderful architecture of the numerous Universities and buildings to look at, plus time for the Botanical Gardens by the river

where people were enjoying the boating on the backwaters of Oxford. We had been told by one of the 'Talbot' pub regulars to take to the back streets as well as the main thoroughfare and on doing this found a very old pub for lunch. We were surprised at the number of tourists who came in just to take a photo and then disappear back into the streets! For once I kept my camera out of sight.

We found ourselves looking at the shops in the Victorian indoor market along with lots of foreign visitors. The cake decorating establishment with large windows, and the modellers sitting at the bench behind, gave a good view of their work. Today they were making models of students in cap and gown presumably to sit on top of their graduation cake. Behind the modellers one member of the staff was cutting different sized circles from an enormous rectangle of chocolate sponge cake. I could have stayed longer but Keith was getting bored of this particular shop.

Late afternoon we returned to the Inn and after our meal we spent the evening in the company of the locals and a couple from Ripon who were down on business. Such a great evening resulted in much discussion with Trevor about staging a weekend of golf plus shopping for the women. Despite the fact we told him we only played it on the Wii he said we would enjoy playing it for real - we don't think so! It was a late night.