With my new-found determination to get out and about, and with the initial rush of everyone wanting to visit parks and gardens dying down a little, we booked tickets to visit Chatsworth this week. The house isn't open yet (not sure when it will be) but there's plenty of space to explore, and lose other visitors, in the grounds.
Some narrower paths were marked one-way, which is an excellent way to help everyone keep and appropriate social distance.
As it turned out we needn't have worried so much about other people. Monday turned out to be damper than expected, and maybe people cancelled their visits, maybe just cut them short, but it was the emptiest I've ever seen Chatsworth.
In a way, the dampness added to the 'holiday' feel of the trip - taking holidays in the UK, I expect to encounter rain and on those wet days I'd head somewhere like this with good graveled paths, the possibility of a reasonable walk but the opportunity to cut it short if the heavens opened.
A bit of dampness doesn't stop the flower borders looking wonderful.
We have 'Friend' annual passes and visit Chatsworth frequently so I was surprised to discover a new-to-me section of flower beds around a small pond, with stepping stones crossing over a narrow stream.
I know over the past years many rhododendrons have been uprooted and the ground they once occupied cleared, so maybe this is one of those sections. It already looks very pretty and it'll be nice to see how it develops over time.
We didn't walk round the whole of the garden. I've spent too much time inside without exercise, and I need to get back into the habit of walking. I nearly reached the magical 10,000 steps though, so rather a good day, and we'll be back before long.
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