Lyveden New Bield

 

This holiday/mini break was all about exploring somewhere new, and, as I like to find somewhere more interesting than motorway services or a drive-through diner, we broke the journey with our first visit to Lyveden New Bield in Northamptonshire. It's not so much a ruin, as a never-actually-finished project, and has stood in much this way since the  1600s.

Our visit started at the Manor House with tea and cake (it's a National Trust property after all, so there's almost bound to be excellent cake).

Despite the glorious blue sky, the ground underfoot was very wet so we followed the slightly less muddy path by-passing the heritage orchard where plums or damsons were in full flower, and buzzing with bees, 

At the top of the slight rise lie a series of moats which surround a labyrinth originally formed with raspberry plants - but again we decided to admire from a distance to avoid too much mud.

So, onward to the New Bield.

Maybe it's due to the pale stone standing out sharply against the deep blue sky, maybe it's because the carved details still stand out clearly, but it feels more like a film-set than an actual old house.

Ducking into the servants entrance, we wandered around what would have become the basement floor, looking up through floor and ceiling spaces. In one tower a modern spiral stair leads up to give a view over the surrounding countryside.

It seems to be a place which has captured people's imagination for a long while, with visitors from as early as the 1700s leaving their mark!  

I'm not sure why we haven't visited before - it's only an hour and a half from home (well, unless you get lost in Leicester city centre as we did this time) so easily within reach for a day trip. Another time I'd try to schedule a visit for drier weather but especially for when the apples and pears in the orchard are all in flower.