Northumberland :: part III

 

Hello my lovelies, thank you so much for popping by and joining me on my jaunts this week, I've really enjoyed myself writing these posts. So today we are doing Northumberland Tales :: part III,  in which we Visit Historical Buildings and Magnificent Gardens.

There are only two of them actually, as this year we didn't do so many of these type of visits as in previous years. Not sure why :: I think we were more content to do pottery, local beachy things than to join the more regular Northumberland tourist trail.

Northumberland is chocker-block full of ancient castles, some like Dunstanburgh castle are now in ruins, but some of them are still very much still lived in. This magnificent building is Chillingham Castle and it's most definitely one of the lived-in varieties. It was the first time we had ever visited, but after reading so many glowing reports in the Driftwood cottage visitors book (maaaaaarvelous inventions, those books) we decided to give it a go.

 

And we were certainly not disappointed. It was fascinating. So much to see, the rooms were absolutely crammed with memorabilia, furniture and collections of all kinds. It wasn't so large that you started to yawn and wilt, and every room had immense character and a great deal to look at. No photography is allowed inside, but the website has a few  good pictures of the interior if you'd like a quick browse. You can take a look at The Great Hall, The State Rooms, even the Torture Chamber if you like. We all really enjoyed roaming from room to room, up and down ancient staircases, in and out of the courtyard.

 

After the inside had been thoroughly explored, we ventured out to take in the gardens. 

 

This is the Italian garden, and I absolutely loved it here. With it's glorious long herbacious borders, little neat pathways and amazing clippety-clipped hedges, it was really charming.

 

We found a wooden bench at one end and ate a very picturesque picnic lunch within these old stone walls. That's to say that J and I did that....the Little People had other ideas. Of course they could not possibly sit and eat lunch quietly and picturesquely, no no no, they had ants in their Little Pants. They interspersed their munching with running and hide-and-seeking. There was much squealing. What is it about these neat little pathways around hedges and borders that so inspires them to run and squeal??

 

Now I'm not normally a huge fan of precision-clipped plantlife, but oh my, I did SO love these swirly-wirly hedges. I really did love them! I did my own little bit of (quiet) excited squealing when no-one else was within earshot, because I found them so appealing.

 

The grounds at Chillingham are not humungous or extensive, but they are nevertheless beautiful. Outside of the Italian Garden there were some big lawned areas with modest fountains, then a gate which lead into some peaceful greeny woodland. This was just after our lunch and we were on the search for a brew-spot actually, a place where we could lay down our blanket, get out our enamel mugs and flask and enjoy a cup of tea :: a brew-with-a-view.

 

And suddenly we came across it :: the perfect brew-spot. A little sun-warmed wooden jetty beside a beautiful lake.

 

We spent a long time here as it was just so tranquil, and held much interest in the form of water-creature-spotting. There was a huuuuuge turquoisey dragonfly which came and hovered inches from our noses, pond skaters on the water surface and (much to J's delight) lots of brown trout swimming around, who periodically decided to leap right out of the water. It's very exciting to observe Leaping Trout don't you know. In fact, I would say the Excitement Factor was kind of right up there alongside the Discovery Of the Jellyfish.

Yes, we really enjoyed our visit to Chillingham Castle.

 

The other Historical/Magnificent adventure of last week was at our favourite Cragside House and Estate. This is one place we do visit each and every year and continue to love it. The house is a pleasure to look round (although this year we did notice how hugely busy it was compared to previous years, quite crowded in some bits), but it's the estate grounds and gardens which I always really look forward to. Oh, and the tea room of course.

 

Cragside is famous for it's 'hand-made' rock gardens, they are the largest in Europe apparently. It also boasts a Pinetum below the house, with England's tallest Douglas fir. The trees were certainly very tall and impressive, and quite atmospheric in a drippy-droppy, wet, cold sort of way. Yes, the weather on the day we visited Cragside could be described as "terrible". Even for the likes of us who are quite hardy and will reasonably happily venture out in the wet, it was sadly a fairly miserable experience touring the grounds in the rain.

 

The Flower Gardens did however look amazing (probably due to the copious amounts of rain). Good job you can't see me in the above photo, it was really raining quite heavily at this point and I was really, really wet. The others had refused to trail round the flowery gardens with me in the rain and had gone off to hide in the warm, dry glasshouses with the lemon trees. So I was on my own, enjoying it in the best way I could, trying not to sulk too damn much.

 

I admired the intricate (dripping wet) carpet bedding display, but what I was really here for was the Dahlia Walk. You may remember my excitement about this particular visual treat from last year?

 

This year the Dahlia Walk was no less spectacular. 

 

It was just very much wetter.

But oh. my. goodness. Even in the pouring rain, the flowers were truly fantastic :: so flamboyant, so showy-offy, so vibrant and bold. I really, really love dahlias with a passion.

The dahlia display at Cragside was hugely inspiring. There was every sort of dahlia you could think of :: the small, single-petal daisy-like flowers, the giant big pom-pom ones and the rather untidy raggedy ones. I loved them all. I walked along the Walk, photographing as many as I could while trying not to get the camera too wet. And when I got to the end of the long Walk, I put the camera away and turned round to walk back through the puddles again just breathing in the damp (sodding wet) air and taking in great eye-fulls of all that glorious colour. It made me feel fit to burst with happiness, despite my soggy shoulders and wet feet.

So......on that bright and colourful note, here endeth my Northumberland Tales. It was a wonderful family holiday for sure, and no doubt we will look forward to returning next year for more of the same. In fact, I already can't wait.

It's been wonderful reading all your comments and reactions to my holiday tales this week, you are, as ever, so generous with your words and I am enormously grateful to have you all to share with.

((thank you))

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Comments

[Jacqueline]

Hi Lucy,
I'm Jacquie, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Your blog is lovely and your pictures are great!!! I'm not a very craft girl, even though I love to think about the idea of doing these beautiful things! I'm more a garden person and just love these gardens! I have british background (Thompson) and would love to visit England one day.
All the best always!
Jacquie
PS: The web site is my hotel for dogs.

[Petit Filoux]

I LOVE dahlias too, they're just so wonderful!!! Thanks for yet another lovely post!

[lulu]

what a most lovely place..

[little pink room]

so beautiful. I do lovely dahlias!

[Mihaela]

Thank you, again, Lucy! You cheered me up!

[Tammy]

Good morning from the US. I just started reading your blog w/the Aug 12 entry. It was recommended at a local yarn shop. I am hooked! You write beautifully and have a great eye for photos. I will visit regularly. Next year, I am hoping to take a trip to the UK. It will be my first. I can hardly wait!

[periwinkle]

After reading this I went to the shops looking for Dahlias but there weren't any to be found :-(.. On another note I've found your next project http://www.foundshit.com/novelty-hamburger-dress/ :-)

[Jan]

Thank you for such a lovely post! That was breathtakingly beautiful. Almost felt as if I was there.

Appreciating your trip from northern Illinois. : )

[Sally]

I have recently found your blog and I love it! Your photos tell as much of a story as your words. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, photos and crochet.

[Mollymop5]

Thanks Lucy.I'm another Cragside lover.
Did you see any ghosts at chillingham? it has a reputation of being haunted :)

[Carole]

Hi Lucy, Your holiday photos are lovely. You certainly know how to take a lovely photo.
My friend has grown some lovely purple dalias from seed this year. I`m definately going to grow some next year.
Luv Carole from Rossendale xxx

[Karoline]

Thanks for sharing your photos, it looks like a great holiday. It took me straight back to our holiday up there this time last year.

[Nancy]

Your posts have me dreaming of a long vacation in Great Britain. How I wish. Thanks.

[PinkCat]

Beautiful pictures as always!

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us. I've never been to Northumbria but it looks inspiring and seems to have lots to see and do. Another place to add to my 'must visit' list! x

[Kate - The Garden Bell]

Thanks for taking the time to look at my Lucy blanket. I feel honored to have had you look. You truly do make my day with your blog. You are an inspriration to us all to keep going.

Holiday Weekend Hugs, Kate

At least it's a holiday over here in the USA.

[Blandine Lynch]

hi there, this has nothing to do with your holidays,although i found the photos really lovely...i am actually looking,quite desperatly ,for your post on "how to make a cushion cover backing with an old jumper"!!! i can't find it for the life of me!!!i would be very greatfull if you could help me with that...thanks a lot
Blandine x

[Kate]

Those gardens are beautiful! What an amazing place!

[Miaou]

Oh how lovely - I have happy memories of Cragside, having been in a film that was made there when I was a teenager, how nice to see it again!

[Jo Drywood]

Hi Lucy, it sounds like you had a great family holiday! Your blogs are always so colourful; they really are a joy to read! Jo

[Sarah - Jane down the lane]

Brew with a view and a Dahlia walk, what heavenly trips you have had!
I loved your Dahlia mosaic, really vibrant just what I needed to jollify me!
Love Sarah x

[Sylvia]

Lucy, Thank-you so much for sharing your pictures. I will never get over to Europe. Not that I wouldn't love to go. I love looking at the pictures on your blog. I can dream of the beautiful countryside. Again, so glad you had a great holiday! Sylvia from Southern California.

[Rebecca]

What an unbelievable garden! I wish everything was as green at my place. Your so lucky! Thanks for sharing it.
Bec xx

[Jeanette]

Lucy your such a great writer, and make everything so interesting--really enjoed the photos
NOW looking forward to your next venture in the handmade world take care---dont ever leave us xxx Australia

[Betty Anne]

I agree with many of your other commenters -- I too perk up when there is another post from you, if I could only read one blog a day it would be yours (although there a number of others that I like a lot too), and yes you should go on more vacations so you can make posts of them for us to read : ) You know you could write travel brochures for the places you have been. Your pictures and stories make me seriously want to visit -- I knew I should have been a stow-a-way in your suitcase : )

[Jennifer]

Hi, I am a fairly new follower of your blog from Adelaide, Australia, and just want to say thankyou for your postings. Your cheerfulness and energy, not to mention beautiful photography and craft/art work are truly inspiring. I consider your postings a real treat that I always look forward to.